John Newman (Australian politician)
Encyclopedia
John Paul Newman was a member of the New South Wales
state parliament and Member for the seat of Cabramatta
. He was the first elected politician to be assassinated
in Australia.
n and Croatia
n parents, who settled in Cabramatta, New South Wales
when he was a small child. He was educated at Cabramatta Primary School and Liverpool
High School. He went on to work at Borg Warner in Fairfield
.
, spending much of his working life as a union official. He was a State union organiser with the Federated Clerks Union from 1970 to 1986. Newman completed post-graduate studies in industrial law at the University of Sydney
and undertook a variety of Trade Union Training Authority education programs.
Newman was elected an alderman on Fairfield
Council in 1977 and remained on the council for 10 years. He was Deputy Mayor in 1985–86 and also served as Acting Mayor in 1986. In December 1979 Newman's pregnant wife, Mary, and five-year-old son, David, were killed in an automobile accident at Bossley Park.
Following a by-election in the seat of Cabramatta, Newman was elected to Legislative Assembly of New South Wales
on 1 February 1986. Since the 1970s, Cabramatta has been a centre for immigrants and refugees from Asian backgrounds, particularly Vietnam
, China
, Laos
, Cambodia
, Thailand
and Korea
. For many years Newman had waged a campaign to break up the Asian crime gangs and corruption that had plagued the area.
, Lucy Wang, was with him at the time but saw little of what happened because of the swiftness of the murder.
A local club owner, Phuong Ngo
, who had previously attempted to secure Labor Party
pre-selection for the seat of Cabramatta and had run against him as an independent in 1991, was convicted of the killing in 2001. Two of Ngo's alleged associates were acquitted. In 2003, an appeal by Ngo against the conviction failed. A 2009 Judicial inquiry into Ngo's conviction also found no evidence of an injustice.
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...
state parliament and Member for the seat of Cabramatta
Electoral district of Cabramatta
Cabramatta is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is a 19.82 km² urban electorate in Sydney's south-west, centred on the suburb of Cabramatta from which it takes its name. It also includes the suburbs of Bonnyrigg, Bonnyrigg Heights,...
. He was the first elected politician to be assassinated
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
in Australia.
Early life
Newman was born John Naumenko to AustriaAustria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n and Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
n parents, who settled in Cabramatta, New South Wales
Cabramatta, New South Wales
Cabramatta is a suburb in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Cabramatta is located 30 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Fairfield...
when he was a small child. He was educated at Cabramatta Primary School and Liverpool
Liverpool, New South Wales
Liverpool is a suburb in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Liverpool is located 32 km south-west of the Sydney central business district, and is the administrative centre of the local government area of the City of Liverpool...
High School. He went on to work at Borg Warner in Fairfield
Fairfield, New South Wales
Fairfield is a western suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Fairfield is located 29 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the City of Fairfield and is also partly in the local government...
.
Political career
In March 1972 he changed his surname by deed poll to Newman. He had a long history of involvement with the labor movement and with the Australian Labor PartyAustralian 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...
, spending much of his working life as a union official. He was a State union organiser with the Federated Clerks Union from 1970 to 1986. Newman completed post-graduate studies in industrial law at the University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
and undertook a variety of Trade Union Training Authority education programs.
Newman was elected an alderman on Fairfield
City of Fairfield
The City of Fairfield is a Local Government Area in the south-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia.- Suburbs in the local government area :Suburbs in the City of Fairfield are:* Abbotsbury* Bonnyrigg* Bonnyrigg Heights* Bossley Park...
Council in 1977 and remained on the council for 10 years. He was Deputy Mayor in 1985–86 and also served as Acting Mayor in 1986. In December 1979 Newman's pregnant wife, Mary, and five-year-old son, David, were killed in an automobile accident at Bossley Park.
Following a by-election in the seat of Cabramatta, Newman was elected to Legislative Assembly of 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...
on 1 February 1986. Since the 1970s, Cabramatta has been a centre for immigrants and refugees from Asian backgrounds, particularly Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
, Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
and Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
. For many years Newman had waged a campaign to break up the Asian crime gangs and corruption that had plagued the area.
Death
Newman had been the target of numerous death threats from such gangs but did not seek police protection. During the night of 5 September 1994 while outside his Woods Avenue home, he was shot and killed. His fiancéeEngagement
An engagement or betrothal is a promise to marry, and also the period of time between proposal and marriage which may be lengthy or trivial. During this period, a couple is said to be betrothed, affianced, engaged to be married, or simply engaged...
, Lucy Wang, was with him at the time but saw little of what happened because of the swiftness of the murder.
A local club owner, Phuong Ngo
Phuong Ngo
Phuong Canh Ngo was convicted of ordering the killing of Australian MP John Newman on 5 September 1994, a crime which has been described as Australia's first political assassination....
, who had previously attempted to secure 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...
pre-selection for the seat of Cabramatta and had run against him as an independent in 1991, was convicted of the killing in 2001. Two of Ngo's alleged associates were acquitted. In 2003, an appeal by Ngo against the conviction failed. A 2009 Judicial inquiry into Ngo's conviction also found no evidence of an injustice.
Further reading
- Wang, Lucy. Blood Price: The Moving Story of the Fiancee of Murdered MP, John Newman (1996)