Rod Sawford

Rodney Weston Sawford (born 26 June 1944), Australian politician, was an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian House of Representatives from March 1988 to November 2007, representing the Division of Port Adelaide, South Australia. He was born in Adelaide, South Australia, and was educated at Western Teachers College, Adelaide. He was a teacher before entering politics, serving as the principal of the local Taperoo Primary School. He prides himself on the fact that he and his forbears have lived in the electorate for many generations.

He was a member of the previously dominant Centre-Left faction, which is now defunct, and is now classified as a member of the "independents" faction.

He vocally spoke out against Kim Beazley, when he attempted to regain the leadership from former leader Simon Crean in 2003, again when Beazley contested the leadership with Mark Latham in December 2003, and again in 2005, when Beazley reassumed the leadership following Latham's retirement.

His electoral office was burnt down in an overnight fire in 2004.

Sawford was a Deputy Government Whip 1994-96 and a Deputy Opposition Whip 1996-2001.

Sawford announced his resignation as of the 2007 federal election, citing an interest in running as a state independent as a protest against "gutless wonders" in the Rann state Labor government over long-running housing development plans at Cheltenham. [http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20131260-2702,00.html]

Persondata
NAME=Sawford, Rodney Weston
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Australian politician
DATE OF BIRTH=26 June 1944
PLACE OF BIRTH=Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
DATE OF DEATH=living
PLACE OF DEATH=