Franca Arena
Encyclopedia
Franca Arena is an Australia
n politician and activist. She was a Member of the New South Wales
Legislative Council
from 1981, first for the Australian Labor Party
then as an Independent
from 1997 until she left the Council in 1999. Long recognised as a colourful and influential figure in New South Wales politics, Arena shot to national prominence in 1996 when, under Parliamentary privilege
, she named retired judge David Yeldham and former New South Wales MP Frank Arkell as potential paedophiles.
, Italy
, the daughter of Francesco Dellepiane and Onorato Rosita. She received her education in Italy and at Syskon College, in London
, in the United Kingdom
, and took several courses at WEA Sydney. She moved to Sydney
in 1959. In 1961, Arena married Joseph Nicholas Arena. The couple had twin sons in 1966. Soon after arriving in Australia, Arena worked as a journalist for the Italian language
newspaper La Fiamma
, until 1966. She also worked as a broadcaster
in ethnic radio. In 1975 Arena helped found Ethnic Radio 2EA Sydney, where she worked until 1979.
Arena's strong interest in ethnic affairs inevitably led her to become involved in community organisations and politics. She sat on numerous committees from 1972 through the 70s and 80s, all of them involved in some way in promoting or managing ethnic affairs, women's issues, or adult education. She joined the Labor Party in 1972, and in 1981 was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Council, becoming the first woman not from an English-speaking background to reach the New South Wales Parliament. As a Member of the Council, Arena sat on several parliamentary committees, most prominently the Standing Committee on Social Issues.
In 1996 Arena attracted public condemnation after suggesting that the Wood Royal Commission
should investigate Supreme Court judge David Yeldham and former MP Frank Arkell as alleged paedophiles. Her relationship with her party became increasingly strained as the fallout from her 1996 comments mounted, and she resigned in November 1997, continuing to serve on the Legislative Council as an Independent. In 1999 she failed a bid for re-election under the "Franca Arena Child Safety Alliance" banner, and retired from politics.
The National Italian-Australian Women's Association was established by Franca Arena in 1985 (founding President). It aims to recognise and promote the contribution of Italian-Australian women to Australian society.
Franca Arena has been a volunteer telephone counsellor for Lifeline
and is a regular on-air contributor on the SBS Italian radio program.
, which sponsorship she used to study the relationship between ethnic groups and their host countries in countries other than Australia. She was offered the Order of the British Empire
for services to migrants, but refused the honour; in 1980 she accepted the Order of Australia
for services to ethnic groups. Australia was not the only government determined to recognise her work; in 1990 she was awarded Commendatore della Repubblica Italiana (in English
, Knight Commander of the Italian Republic), and in 2004 the City of Genoa and the Region of Liguria bestowed the Illustrious Ligurian Award.
. At the time, Arena was the head of a parliamentary enquiry into financial assistance for people who had acquired AIDS medically. Arena attracted the attention of Queer Nation because, according to prominent member Tony Westmore, she had attempted to distinguish between people with medically acquired AIDS (whom she considered "innocent") and people who become infected through sexual contact.
was a Royal Commission
set up in 1994 to investigate corruption in the then New South Wales Police Service. As the commission continued, its scope expanded to include paedophilia and the failure of the NSW Police to adequately investigate accusations of sexual abuse. Arena, along with fellow MP Deirdre Grusovin
, urged the Commission to look into abuse perpetrated by judges and lawyers.
Frustrated with what she saw as the Commission's unwillingness to investigate prominent people, Arena promised to name at least two Sydney men in a speech to the Legislative Council. The next day, she followed through, demanding to know why the Commission had not investigated retired Supreme Court judge David Yeldham or former MLA
Frank Arkell. The remarks caused uproar in both Parliament and the press, and Arena was regularly accused of abusing Parliamentary privilege
in order to shield herself from potential defamation suits.
Both Arkell and Yeldham strenuously denied being paedophiles. As a result of the publicity Arena's suggestion attracted, Yeldham was discovered to be living a double life as a homosexual, and committed suicide
on 4 November 1996. Arkell, the other accused, was murdered on 26 June 1998. When asked in late 1996 to comment on Yeldham's suicide, Arena stood by her comments to the Legislative Council, explaining, "I asked questions which I felt it was important for me to ask after I was contacted by several people. As a member of Parliament, I have a duty to my constituents. Throughout this whole affair, I have acted according to my conscience.". The Privilidges Committee of the Legislative Council investigated Arena's parliamentary conduct in November 1997.
When the Commission published its findings, it cleared Yeldham and Arkell of any wrongdoing, and found that Arena's claims of a high-level cover-up of paedophilic activity were "false in all respects". Journalist Trudy Harris, writing in The Australian
, described some of her claims, including one that an unnamed NSW judge was a Satanic
murderer, as "bizarre". Not all of Arena's efforts were dismissed, however: NSW Commissioner of Police Peter Ryan
set up a strike force to investigate accusations Arena supplied NSW Police, and argued that her assistance had been invaluable at times, such as in the arrest of a NSW District Court judge for child sex offences.
Opposition in favour of widening the Wood Commission's jurisdiction to include all paedophilia-related activity. Voting against one's own party is an expellable offence in the Labor Party; the only other NSW Labor MP to have opposed his own party in a party-line vote was George Petersen, who was expelled in 1987 as a result.
As debate on whether to expel Arena continued within the Labor Party and in the press, the Wood Royal Commission released its findings, clearing Arena's accused and ridiculing her allegations of a political cover-up. Arena resigned from the Australian Labor Party on 7 November 1997, but continued to serve the Legislative Council as an Independent.
2200 to $500, and removed the possibility of gaol time. Arena opposed the Bill, which was defeated in a 20-19 vote in the Legislative Council. Another Independent MLC, Richard Jones, attacked Arena for her opposition of the Bill, asserting that she had told him she would be supporting it; Arena argued that she had changed her mind because similar legislation had failed in South Australia
.
As Arena's eight-year term drew to a close, the Legislative Council voted to suspend her indefinitely unless she apologised for her comments about a criminal conspiracy of politicians to cover-up paedophilia. Arena refused to apologise, arguing that she hadn't made any statements alleging criminal conspiracies. She read a "statement of regret" to the Council instead, a compromise that angered the Government but attracted enough support from Independents and individual Coalition MPs to avoid suspension.
Arena stood for re-election in 1999
under the name of a new party, the "Franca Arena Child Safety Alliance". She was soundly defeated, receiving a mere 0.4 percent of the popular vote, and immediately announced her retirement from political life.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n politician and activist. She was a Member of the New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
Legislative Council
New South Wales Legislative Council
The New South Wales Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of New South Wales in Australia. The other is the Legislative Assembly. Both sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney. The Assembly is referred to as the lower house and the Council as...
from 1981, first for the Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
then as an Independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
from 1997 until she left the Council in 1999. Long recognised as a colourful and influential figure in New South Wales politics, Arena shot to national prominence in 1996 when, under Parliamentary privilege
Parliamentary privilege
Parliamentary privilege is a legal immunity enjoyed by members of certain legislatures, in which legislators are granted protection against civil or criminal liability for actions done or statements made related to one's duties as a legislator. It is common in countries whose constitutions are...
, she named retired judge David Yeldham and former New South Wales MP Frank Arkell as potential paedophiles.
Life and career
Arena was born in GenoaGenoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, the daughter of Francesco Dellepiane and Onorato Rosita. She received her education in Italy and at Syskon College, in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and took several courses at WEA Sydney. She moved to Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
in 1959. In 1961, Arena married Joseph Nicholas Arena. The couple had twin sons in 1966. Soon after arriving in Australia, Arena worked as a journalist for the Italian language
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
newspaper La Fiamma
La fiamma
La fiamma is an opera in three acts by Ottorino Respighi to a libretto by Claudio Guastalla based on Hans Wiers-Jenssen's 1908 play Anne Pedersdotter, The Witch. The plot is loosely based on the story of Anne Pedersdotter, a Norwegian woman who was accused of witchcraft and burnt at the stake in...
, until 1966. She also worked as a broadcaster
Presenter
A presenter, or host , is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an exhibit. Likewise, a master of ceremonies is a person that hosts or presents a show...
in ethnic radio. In 1975 Arena helped found Ethnic Radio 2EA Sydney, where she worked until 1979.
Arena's strong interest in ethnic affairs inevitably led her to become involved in community organisations and politics. She sat on numerous committees from 1972 through the 70s and 80s, all of them involved in some way in promoting or managing ethnic affairs, women's issues, or adult education. She joined the Labor Party in 1972, and in 1981 was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Council, becoming the first woman not from an English-speaking background to reach the New South Wales Parliament. As a Member of the Council, Arena sat on several parliamentary committees, most prominently the Standing Committee on Social Issues.
In 1996 Arena attracted public condemnation after suggesting that the Wood Royal Commission
Royal Commission into the New South Wales Police Service
The Royal Commission into the New South Wales Police Service was held in the State of New South Wales, Australia between 1995 and 1997. The Royal Commissioner was Justice James Roland Wood...
should investigate Supreme Court judge David Yeldham and former MP Frank Arkell as alleged paedophiles. Her relationship with her party became increasingly strained as the fallout from her 1996 comments mounted, and she resigned in November 1997, continuing to serve on the Legislative Council as an Independent. In 1999 she failed a bid for re-election under the "Franca Arena Child Safety Alliance" banner, and retired from politics.
The National Italian-Australian Women's Association was established by Franca Arena in 1985 (founding President). It aims to recognise and promote the contribution of Italian-Australian women to Australian society.
Franca Arena has been a volunteer telephone counsellor for Lifeline
Lifeline
Lifeline or Lifelines may refer to:Non-Medical In-Home Services to the Elderly:* Lifeline utility, in New Zealand, an essential service during major emergencies* Crisis hotline:** Lifeline , Australia-based, now international...
and is a regular on-air contributor on the SBS Italian radio program.
Awards
In 1976, Arena was awarded a Churchill FellowshipWinston Churchill Memorial Trust
The Winston Churchill Memorial Trusts are three independent but related living memorials to Sir Winston Churchill. They are based in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. The Winston Churchill Memorial Trusts are three independent but related living memorials to Sir Winston Churchill. They are based...
, which sponsorship she used to study the relationship between ethnic groups and their host countries in countries other than Australia. She was offered the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
for services to migrants, but refused the honour; in 1980 she accepted the Order of Australia
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
for services to ethnic groups. Australia was not the only government determined to recognise her work; in 1990 she was awarded Commendatore della Repubblica Italiana (in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Knight Commander of the Italian Republic), and in 2004 the City of Genoa and the Region of Liguria bestowed the Illustrious Ligurian Award.
Queer nation
In 1991, Arena attracted sympathy and scorn after becoming the target of militant homosexual activists Queer NationQueer Nation
Queer Nation was an organization founded in March 1990 in New York City, USA by AIDS activists from ACT UP. The four founders were outraged at the escalation of anti-gay and lesbian violence on the streets and prejudice in the arts and media...
. At the time, Arena was the head of a parliamentary enquiry into financial assistance for people who had acquired AIDS medically. Arena attracted the attention of Queer Nation because, according to prominent member Tony Westmore, she had attempted to distinguish between people with medically acquired AIDS (whom she considered "innocent") and people who become infected through sexual contact.
Wood Royal Commission
The Royal Commission into the New South Wales Police ServiceRoyal Commission into the New South Wales Police Service
The Royal Commission into the New South Wales Police Service was held in the State of New South Wales, Australia between 1995 and 1997. The Royal Commissioner was Justice James Roland Wood...
was a Royal Commission
Royal Commission
In Commonwealth realms and other monarchies a Royal Commission is a major ad-hoc formal public inquiry into a defined issue. They have been held in various countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Saudi Arabia...
set up in 1994 to investigate corruption in the then New South Wales Police Service. As the commission continued, its scope expanded to include paedophilia and the failure of the NSW Police to adequately investigate accusations of sexual abuse. Arena, along with fellow MP Deirdre Grusovin
Deirdre Grusovin
Deirdre Mary Grusovin was a member of the New South Wales Parliament for twenty five years.Grusovin was born Deirdre Mary Brereton in Sydney, and is the sister of influential former politician Laurie Brereton....
, urged the Commission to look into abuse perpetrated by judges and lawyers.
Frustrated with what she saw as the Commission's unwillingness to investigate prominent people, Arena promised to name at least two Sydney men in a speech to the Legislative Council. The next day, she followed through, demanding to know why the Commission had not investigated retired Supreme Court judge David Yeldham or former MLA
Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
Following are lists of members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly:* Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, 1856–1858* Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, 1858–1859...
Frank Arkell. The remarks caused uproar in both Parliament and the press, and Arena was regularly accused of abusing Parliamentary privilege
Parliamentary privilege
Parliamentary privilege is a legal immunity enjoyed by members of certain legislatures, in which legislators are granted protection against civil or criminal liability for actions done or statements made related to one's duties as a legislator. It is common in countries whose constitutions are...
in order to shield herself from potential defamation suits.
Both Arkell and Yeldham strenuously denied being paedophiles. As a result of the publicity Arena's suggestion attracted, Yeldham was discovered to be living a double life as a homosexual, and committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
on 4 November 1996. Arkell, the other accused, was murdered on 26 June 1998. When asked in late 1996 to comment on Yeldham's suicide, Arena stood by her comments to the Legislative Council, explaining, "I asked questions which I felt it was important for me to ask after I was contacted by several people. As a member of Parliament, I have a duty to my constituents. Throughout this whole affair, I have acted according to my conscience.". The Privilidges Committee of the Legislative Council investigated Arena's parliamentary conduct in November 1997.
When the Commission published its findings, it cleared Yeldham and Arkell of any wrongdoing, and found that Arena's claims of a high-level cover-up of paedophilic activity were "false in all respects". Journalist Trudy Harris, writing in The Australian
The Australian
The Australian is a broadsheet newspaper published in Australia from Monday to Saturday each week since 14 July 1964. The editor in chief is Chris Mitchell, the editor is Clive Mathieson and the 'editor-at-large' is Paul Kelly....
, described some of her claims, including one that an unnamed NSW judge was a Satanic
Satanism
Satanism is a group of religions that is composed of a diverse number of ideological and philosophical beliefs and social phenomena. Their shared feature include symbolic association with, admiration for the character of, and even veneration of Satan or similar rebellious, promethean, and...
murderer, as "bizarre". Not all of Arena's efforts were dismissed, however: NSW Commissioner of Police Peter Ryan
Peter Ryan (police commissioner)
Peter James Ryan, QPM is a former British police officer, who was the Commissioner of New South Wales Police in Australia from 1996 to 2002.-Early life and education:Ryan was born in 1944 in Lancaster to Laurence and Maureen Ryan....
set up a strike force to investigate accusations Arena supplied NSW Police, and argued that her assistance had been invaluable at times, such as in the arrest of a NSW District Court judge for child sex offences.
Leaving the Labor Party
The decision to name Arkell and Yeldham as suspected paedophiles would cost Arena dearly. With support within her own party already waning as a result of the incident and her refusal to back down, in 1997 Arena pushed things further, crossing the floor to vote with the LiberalLiberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
Opposition in favour of widening the Wood Commission's jurisdiction to include all paedophilia-related activity. Voting against one's own party is an expellable offence in the Labor Party; the only other NSW Labor MP to have opposed his own party in a party-line vote was George Petersen, who was expelled in 1987 as a result.
As debate on whether to expel Arena continued within the Labor Party and in the press, the Wood Royal Commission released its findings, clearing Arena's accused and ridiculing her allegations of a political cover-up. Arena resigned from the Australian Labor Party on 7 November 1997, but continued to serve the Legislative Council as an Independent.
As an Independent
Arena wasted no time in utilising her new-found freedom as an Independent. In November 1997, the Labor Government attempted to pass the Drug Misuse and Trafficking Amendment Bill, which would have reduced the fine for small-scale marijuana use from $Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
2200 to $500, and removed the possibility of gaol time. Arena opposed the Bill, which was defeated in a 20-19 vote in the Legislative Council. Another Independent MLC, Richard Jones, attacked Arena for her opposition of the Bill, asserting that she had told him she would be supporting it; Arena argued that she had changed her mind because similar legislation had failed in South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
.
As Arena's eight-year term drew to a close, the Legislative Council voted to suspend her indefinitely unless she apologised for her comments about a criminal conspiracy of politicians to cover-up paedophilia. Arena refused to apologise, arguing that she hadn't made any statements alleging criminal conspiracies. She read a "statement of regret" to the Council instead, a compromise that angered the Government but attracted enough support from Independents and individual Coalition MPs to avoid suspension.
Arena stood for re-election in 1999
New South Wales state election, 1999
Elections to the 52nd Parliament of New South Wales were held on Saturday, 27 March 1999. All seats in the Legislative Assembly and half the seats in the Legislative Council were up for election...
under the name of a new party, the "Franca Arena Child Safety Alliance". She was soundly defeated, receiving a mere 0.4 percent of the popular vote, and immediately announced her retirement from political life.
Public online resources
- New South Wales Parliamentary biography. Accessed 25 June 2007.
- State Library of New South Wales biography. Accessed 25 June 2007.
- "Statement of Regret By the Honourable Franca Arena", Hansard transcript, 16 September 1998.
- Australian women biographical entry. Accessed 25 June 2007.
Newspapers
- "Gay Group Plans 'Outing' For NSW Politician", Sonya Voumard, The AgeThe AgeThe Age is a daily broadsheet newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. Owned and published by Fairfax Media, The Age primarily serves Victoria, but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and...
, 9 August 1991. - "Vicious Gay Campaign Against Franca Arena", Alicia Larriera, Sydney Morning Herald, 9 August 1991.
- "Being pulled out of the closet: Militant gays' tactics of 'outing' people who don't want their sexual preference made public has divided the homosexual community", Miranda Friedlander, The Toronto Star, 3 September 1991.
- "What about lawyers, judges?", Michael Cameron, The Daily TelegraphThe Daily Telegraph (Australia)The Daily Telegraph is an Australian tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, by Nationwide News, part of News Corporation.The Tele, as it is also known, was founded in 1879. From 1936 to 1972, it was owned by Frank Packer's Australian Consolidated Press. That year it was sold to...
, 24 October 1996. - "Arena to name molesters", The Daily Telegraph, 31 October 1996.
- "Ex-judge denies paedophile claim", David Nason, The AustralianThe AustralianThe Australian is a broadsheet newspaper published in Australia from Monday to Saturday each week since 14 July 1964. The editor in chief is Chris Mitchell, the editor is Clive Mathieson and the 'editor-at-large' is Paul Kelly....
, 1 November 1996. - "Uproar at MP name dropping", Rachel Morris, The Daily Telegraph, 1 November 1996.
- "Ex-judge suicides after child sex claim", The Australian, 5 November 1996.
- "Arena votes with opposition", Mark Robinson and Ben English, The Daily Telegraph, 11 April 1997 (corrected 27 March 2002).
- "Arena defiant in face of expulsion calls", Jonathan Este, The Australian, 6 November 1996.
- "Arena Attacked For Vote Over Drug Law Reforms", Newcastle Herald, 22 November 1997.
- "ALP Marihuana Reform Refused", Scott Tucker, Newcastle Herald, 25 November 1997.
- "Franca Arena Faces Apology Deadline", Australian Associated PressAustralian Associated PressAustralian Associated Press is Australia's national news agency. The organisation was established in 1935 by Fairfax and The Herald and Weekly Times.AAP employs more than 175 journalists who work in bureaux in all Australian states and territories...
, 15 September 1998. - "Ms Arena Regrets But Wins the Day", Mark Robinson, The Daily Telegraph, 17 September 1998.
- "Franca Arena says goodbye in a far cry from her days under the spotlight", Damien Murphy, Sydney Morning Herald, 14 April 1999 (republished online).
- "Paedophile chaser concedes defeat", Trudy Harris, The Australian, 14 April 1999.