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Simon Crean
Simon Findlay Crean (26 February 1949 – 25 June 2023) was an Australian politician and trade unionist. He was the leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and leader of the opposition from 2001 to 2003. He represented the seat of Hotham in the House of Representatives from 1990 to 2013 and was a cabinet minister in the Hawke, Keating, Rudd and Gillard governments.
Crean was born in Melbourne, the son of Frank Crean who was deputy prime minister under Gough Whitlam. He studied law and economics at Monash University and was involved in the trade union movement from a young age, becoming general secretary of the Storemen and Packers' Union in 1979. He was elected vice-president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) in 1981 and president in 1985. Crean stood down from this role upon his election to parliament at the 1990 federal election, and was immediately appointed Minister for Science and Technology in the Hawke government. He held several other ministerial posts until Labor's defeat at the 1996 election.
Following Labor's 1998 election defeat, Crean was elected deputy leader of the ALP under Kim Beazley, replacing Gareth Evans. He was elected unopposed to succeed Beazley as party leader following further defeat at the 2001 election, becoming leader of the opposition. In 2003, he led Labor's opposition to the invasion of Iraq. Despite initial enthusiasm for his leadership, Crean struggled in opinion polling, and in June 2003 Beazley challenged him for the leadership. Although Crean won comfortably, speculation about his leadership only intensified, and in November 2003 he announced that he would resign, and was replaced by his shadow treasurer Mark Latham.
Despite losing the leadership, Crean remained a senior figure within the Labor Party, and returned to cabinet as Minister for Trade when Labor won the 2007 election. Crean supported Julia Gillard in her leadership challenge to Kevin Rudd in June 2010, and remained in the Cabinet after she was successful. Although he continued to support Gillard through the leadership spill in February 2012, in March 2013 he announced that he was switching support to Rudd, sparking another leadership spill; Gillard sacked him from the Cabinet in response. When Rudd eventually did return as prime minister at the leadership spill in June 2013, Crean ran unsuccessfully to return to the role of deputy leader; he subsequently announced his decision to retire from politics at the 2013 election.
Crean was born in Melbourne on 26 February 1949. He was one of three sons born to Mary (née Findlay) and Frank Crean. His father was a federal Labor MP from 1951 to 1977, who served periods as Treasurer and Deputy Prime Minister in the Whitlam government. One of his brothers, David Crean, a medical doctor, was a Member of the Tasmanian Parliament. His other brother, Stephen Crean, a public servant, died while skiing alone at Charlotte Pass, New South Wales, in 1985, aged 38; his body was not found for two years.
Crean grew up in the inner Melbourne suburb of Middle Park. He was educated at Melbourne High School, before going to Monash University where he graduated with a Bachelor of Economics and Bachelor of Laws.
Following his graduation from Monash University, Crean worked in several roles with various trade unions, before becoming an official within the Storeman and Packers Union (SPU). In 1977, aged 28, he stood for ALP preselection to succeed his father in the seat of Melbourne Ports, widely considered a safe Labor seat. He was defeated for preselection by former ALP state leader Clyde Holding, with Holding winning the ballot by 36 votes to 34.
In 1979, Crean was elected General Secretary of the SPU, which entitled him to a seat on the board of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU). He was elected ACTU vice-president in 1981, before in 1985 winning election as ACTU president. In this position, he played a key role in negotiating numerous agreements on wages and other industrial issues as part of the Prices and Incomes Accord with the Government of Prime Minister Bob Hawke, himself a former ACTU president.
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Simon Crean
Simon Findlay Crean (26 February 1949 – 25 June 2023) was an Australian politician and trade unionist. He was the leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and leader of the opposition from 2001 to 2003. He represented the seat of Hotham in the House of Representatives from 1990 to 2013 and was a cabinet minister in the Hawke, Keating, Rudd and Gillard governments.
Crean was born in Melbourne, the son of Frank Crean who was deputy prime minister under Gough Whitlam. He studied law and economics at Monash University and was involved in the trade union movement from a young age, becoming general secretary of the Storemen and Packers' Union in 1979. He was elected vice-president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) in 1981 and president in 1985. Crean stood down from this role upon his election to parliament at the 1990 federal election, and was immediately appointed Minister for Science and Technology in the Hawke government. He held several other ministerial posts until Labor's defeat at the 1996 election.
Following Labor's 1998 election defeat, Crean was elected deputy leader of the ALP under Kim Beazley, replacing Gareth Evans. He was elected unopposed to succeed Beazley as party leader following further defeat at the 2001 election, becoming leader of the opposition. In 2003, he led Labor's opposition to the invasion of Iraq. Despite initial enthusiasm for his leadership, Crean struggled in opinion polling, and in June 2003 Beazley challenged him for the leadership. Although Crean won comfortably, speculation about his leadership only intensified, and in November 2003 he announced that he would resign, and was replaced by his shadow treasurer Mark Latham.
Despite losing the leadership, Crean remained a senior figure within the Labor Party, and returned to cabinet as Minister for Trade when Labor won the 2007 election. Crean supported Julia Gillard in her leadership challenge to Kevin Rudd in June 2010, and remained in the Cabinet after she was successful. Although he continued to support Gillard through the leadership spill in February 2012, in March 2013 he announced that he was switching support to Rudd, sparking another leadership spill; Gillard sacked him from the Cabinet in response. When Rudd eventually did return as prime minister at the leadership spill in June 2013, Crean ran unsuccessfully to return to the role of deputy leader; he subsequently announced his decision to retire from politics at the 2013 election.
Crean was born in Melbourne on 26 February 1949. He was one of three sons born to Mary (née Findlay) and Frank Crean. His father was a federal Labor MP from 1951 to 1977, who served periods as Treasurer and Deputy Prime Minister in the Whitlam government. One of his brothers, David Crean, a medical doctor, was a Member of the Tasmanian Parliament. His other brother, Stephen Crean, a public servant, died while skiing alone at Charlotte Pass, New South Wales, in 1985, aged 38; his body was not found for two years.
Crean grew up in the inner Melbourne suburb of Middle Park. He was educated at Melbourne High School, before going to Monash University where he graduated with a Bachelor of Economics and Bachelor of Laws.
Following his graduation from Monash University, Crean worked in several roles with various trade unions, before becoming an official within the Storeman and Packers Union (SPU). In 1977, aged 28, he stood for ALP preselection to succeed his father in the seat of Melbourne Ports, widely considered a safe Labor seat. He was defeated for preselection by former ALP state leader Clyde Holding, with Holding winning the ballot by 36 votes to 34.
In 1979, Crean was elected General Secretary of the SPU, which entitled him to a seat on the board of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU). He was elected ACTU vice-president in 1981, before in 1985 winning election as ACTU president. In this position, he played a key role in negotiating numerous agreements on wages and other industrial issues as part of the Prices and Incomes Accord with the Government of Prime Minister Bob Hawke, himself a former ACTU president.