Norm Sanders
Encyclopedia
Norman Karl Sanders is an Australia
n former politician, representing the Australian Democrats
in the Tasmanian House of Assembly
from 1980 to 1982 and the Australian Senate
from 1985 to 1990.
, Sanders served in the United States Air Force
from 1950 to 1952. Sanders worked as an Alaskan bush pilot and later, an aerospace engineer. He completed a Bachelor of Science
degree at the University of Alaska, a Master of Arts
at the University of California, Los Angeles
, and a PhD
at the University of Tasmania
in 1968 as a Fulbright Scholar. Upon returning to the US he became an assistant professor of geography at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He was very active in the battle to stop offshore oil drilling, was on the board of directors of GET OIL OUT! (GOO!) and a founding director of Western Citizens for Environmental Defense which conducted environmental legal actions. He was a member of the International Council of Environmental Law, Bonn, Germany. He was also deeply involved in the campaign to pass Proposition 20, the California Coastal Initiative. Sanders sailed across the Pacific to Tasmania
in 1974. On the voyage, he and his crew became witnesses in the Palmyra murders described by Vincent Bugliosi in his book And the Sea Will Tell.
In Tasmania, he first worked as a TV journalist on the ABC program This Day Tonight
and later became involved in the nascent environmental movement, becoming the inaugural director of The Wilderness Society
and writing two books on environmental issues.
led Sanders to become a leader of the opposition movement to the proposed dam and, representing the Australian Democrats, was elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly as the Member for Denison
at a 1980 by-election— Australia's first parliamentarian to be elected on an environmental platform. In parliament, Sanders was a key player in the campaign to save the Franklin River and successfully moved a motion of no confidence
in the Holgate
Labor government in March 1982, forcing an early election.
In the early 1980s, Sanders lobbied to bring in water bombers to fight Tasmanian bushfires. Although he was unsuccessful (the idea was poo-pooed as unsuitable for "Australian conditions"), many years later this became standard practice.
On 23 December 1982, Sanders resigned from the Tasmanian Parliament, claiming that the government was becoming totalitarian in nature over the Franklin Dam
issue and, in particular, the way Franklin Dam protestors were being treated.
Sanders spent the next few years as a small businessman, selling an ecologically sound, efficient wood heater of his own design called the "Sanders Hot Prospect Stove" from the back of a truck at the Salamanca Market
. He then turned his attention to federal politics and was elected as a Democrats senator at the 1984 election on an environmental platform. He was the only person to represent the Australian Democrats in both a state parliament and the Federal Parliament.
He was a member of an Australian parliamentary delegation to the Soviet Union
where he had talks with Andrei Gromyko
about nuclear disarmament. The delegation then proceeded to Poland to meet with General Wojciech Jaruzelski
. He also was on delegations to NATO, Finland, Norway, Uzbekistan, the European Parliament, France, Belgium, and China. He was re-elected at the 1987 election but resigned from the Senate on 1 March 1990 in order to contest a Senate position in the Australian Capital Territory
at the 1990 federal election. He was unsuccessful.
Following his defeat, Sanders lectured in Human Ecology
at the Australian National University
. He unsuccessfully contested the House of Representatives
seat of Eden-Monaro
(NSW
) for the Democrats at the 1993 federal election.
A keen sea kayaker, he designed two commercially built sea kayaks, the Inuit Classic and the Inuit Explorer. He is a past president of the New South Wales Sea Kayak Club.
Sanders currently lives near Byron Bay in northern New South Wales where he conducts charter flights in self-launching gliders. He is married to animal rights activist and journalist Sue Arnold, and has one daughter, Cristina, and two grandchildren who presently live in San Francisco.
Sanders is one of only three Americans (along with King O'Malley
and Bob Charles) to have been elected to the Australian parliament.
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 former politician, representing the Australian Democrats
Australian Democrats
The Australian Democrats is an Australian political party espousing a socially liberal ideology. It was formed in 1977, by a merger of the Australia Party and the New LM, after principals of those minor parties secured the commitment of former Liberal minister Don Chipp, as a high profile leader...
in the Tasmanian House of Assembly
Tasmanian House of Assembly
The House of Assembly, or Lower House, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of Tasmania in Australia. The other is the Legislative Council or Upper House...
from 1980 to 1982 and the Australian Senate
Australian Senate
The Senate is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives. Senators are popularly elected under a system of proportional representation. Senators are elected for a term that is usually six years; after a double dissolution, however,...
from 1985 to 1990.
Early life
Born in Cleveland, OhioOhio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, Sanders served in the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
from 1950 to 1952. Sanders worked as an Alaskan bush pilot and later, an aerospace engineer. He completed a Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree at the University of Alaska, a Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
at the University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
, and a PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
at the University of Tasmania
University of Tasmania
The University of Tasmania is a medium-sized public Australian university based in Tasmania, Australia. Officially founded on 1 January 1890, it was the fourth university to be established in nineteenth-century Australia...
in 1968 as a Fulbright Scholar. Upon returning to the US he became an assistant professor of geography at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He was very active in the battle to stop offshore oil drilling, was on the board of directors of GET OIL OUT! (GOO!) and a founding director of Western Citizens for Environmental Defense which conducted environmental legal actions. He was a member of the International Council of Environmental Law, Bonn, Germany. He was also deeply involved in the campaign to pass Proposition 20, the California Coastal Initiative. Sanders sailed across the Pacific to Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
in 1974. On the voyage, he and his crew became witnesses in the Palmyra murders described by Vincent Bugliosi in his book And the Sea Will Tell.
In Tasmania, he first worked as a TV journalist on the ABC program This Day Tonight
This Day Tonight
This Day Tonight was an Australian Broadcasting Corporation current affairs program of the late 1960s and early 1970s.- Overview :...
and later became involved in the nascent environmental movement, becoming the inaugural director of The Wilderness Society
The Wilderness Society (Australia)
The Wilderness Society is an Australian, community-based, not-for-profit non-governmental environmental advocacy organisation. Its purpose is to protect, promote and restore wilderness and natural processes across Australia for the survival and ongoing evolution of life on Earth.It is a...
and writing two books on environmental issues.
Political career
A decision by the Tasmanian government to dam the Franklin RiverFranklin River
The Franklin River lies in the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park at the mid northern area of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. Its source is situated at the western edge of the Central Highlands and it continues west towards the West Coast of Tasmania...
led Sanders to become a leader of the opposition movement to the proposed dam and, representing the Australian Democrats, was elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly as the Member for Denison
Division of Denison (state)
The Electoral Division of Denison is one of the 5 electorates in the Tasmanian House of Assembly. The division is named after Sir William Denison, who was Lieutenant Governor of Van_Diemen's Land 1847-55, and Governor of New South Wales 1855-61. The division shares its name and boundaries with the...
at a 1980 by-election— Australia's first parliamentarian to be elected on an environmental platform. In parliament, Sanders was a key player in the campaign to save the Franklin River and successfully moved a motion of no confidence
Motion of no confidence
A motion of no confidence is a parliamentary motion whose passing would demonstrate to the head of state that the elected parliament no longer has confidence in the appointed government.-Overview:Typically, when a parliament passes a vote of no...
in the Holgate
Harry Holgate
Harold Norman "Harry" Holgate AO was an Australian Labor Party politician and Premier of Tasmania from 11 November 1981 to 26 May 1982....
Labor government in March 1982, forcing an early election.
In the early 1980s, Sanders lobbied to bring in water bombers to fight Tasmanian bushfires. Although he was unsuccessful (the idea was poo-pooed as unsuitable for "Australian conditions"), many years later this became standard practice.
On 23 December 1982, Sanders resigned from the Tasmanian Parliament, claiming that the government was becoming totalitarian in nature over the Franklin Dam
Franklin Dam
The Franklin Dam or Gordon-below-Franklin Dam project was a proposed dam on the Gordon River in Tasmania, Australia, that was never constructed. The movement that eventually led to the project's cancellation became one of most significant environmental campaigns in Australian history.The dam was...
issue and, in particular, the way Franklin Dam protestors were being treated.
Sanders spent the next few years as a small businessman, selling an ecologically sound, efficient wood heater of his own design called the "Sanders Hot Prospect Stove" from the back of a truck at the Salamanca Market
Salamanca Market
Salamanca Market is a street market in Salamanca Place, Hobart, Tasmania. It is a major tourist attraction in Tasmania, and is held on Saturdays between 8.30am and 3.00pm.-1970s:...
. He then turned his attention to federal politics and was elected as a Democrats senator at the 1984 election on an environmental platform. He was the only person to represent the Australian Democrats in both a state parliament and the Federal Parliament.
He was a member of an Australian parliamentary delegation to the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
where he had talks with Andrei Gromyko
Andrei Gromyko
Andrei Andreyevich Gromyko was a Soviet statesman during the Cold War. He served as Minister of Foreign Affairs and as Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet . Gromyko was responsible for many top decisions on Soviet foreign policy until he retired in 1987. In the West he was given the...
about nuclear disarmament. The delegation then proceeded to Poland to meet with General Wojciech Jaruzelski
Wojciech Jaruzelski
Wojciech Witold Jaruzelski is a retired Polish military officer and Communist politician. He was the last Communist leader of Poland from 1981 to 1989, Prime Minister from 1981 to 1985 and the country's head of state from 1985 to 1990. He was also the last commander-in-chief of the Polish People's...
. He also was on delegations to NATO, Finland, Norway, Uzbekistan, the European Parliament, France, Belgium, and China. He was re-elected at the 1987 election but resigned from the Senate on 1 March 1990 in order to contest a Senate position in the Australian Capital Territory
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
at the 1990 federal election. He was unsuccessful.
Following his defeat, Sanders lectured in Human Ecology
Human ecology
Human ecology is the subdiscipline of ecology that focuses on humans. More broadly, it is an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary study of the relationship between humans and their natural, social, and built environments. The term 'human ecology' first appeared in a sociological study in 1921...
at the Australian National University
Australian National University
The Australian National University is a teaching and research university located in the Australian capital, Canberra.As of 2009, the ANU employs 3,945 administrative staff who teach approximately 10,000 undergraduates, and 7,500 postgraduate students...
. He unsuccessfully contested the House of Representatives
Australian House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia; it is the lower house; the upper house is the Senate. Members of Parliament serve for terms of approximately three years....
seat of Eden-Monaro
Division of Eden-Monaro
The Division of Eden-Monaro is anAustralian Electoral Division in New South Wales.The division was created in 1900, and was one of the original 75 divisions contested at the first federal election. It is named for the town of Eden and the Monaro district of southern New South Wales...
(NSW
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...
) for the Democrats at the 1993 federal election.
Life post-pollitics
Sanders is an experienced mountaineer and skier. He was a member of the twelfth party to climb Mt. McKinley in 1954, and climbed a number of other high peaks in Alaska and Canada. He was on the professional ski patrol at Alta, Utah and a member of the UCLA ski team.A keen sea kayaker, he designed two commercially built sea kayaks, the Inuit Classic and the Inuit Explorer. He is a past president of the New South Wales Sea Kayak Club.
Sanders currently lives near Byron Bay in northern New South Wales where he conducts charter flights in self-launching gliders. He is married to animal rights activist and journalist Sue Arnold, and has one daughter, Cristina, and two grandchildren who presently live in San Francisco.
Sanders is one of only three Americans (along with King O'Malley
King O'Malley
King O'Malley was an Australian politician. He was a member in the South Australian House of Assembly from 1896 to 1899, and the Australian House of Representatives from 1901 to 1917. O'Malley was also Minister for Home Affairs in the second and third Fisher Labor ministry...
and Bob Charles) to have been elected to the Australian parliament.