Sid Spindler

Siegfried Emil "Sid" Spindler (9 July 1932 – 1 March 2008) was an Australian politician representing the Australian Democrats in the Australian Senate for one term from 1990 to 1996.

Spindler was born in Łódź, Poland. After migrating to Australia, he studied at the University of Melbourne where he graduated LL.B. His background as a refugee from WWII Europe influenced what he described as

"a personal quest to resolve issues related to the Holocaust, reaching a conclusion that a repetition can be prevented only if every human being is respected and treated equally, regardless of race, religion, gender and sexuality". [Sid Spindler monograph in "30 Years: Australian Democrats", Melbourne 2007, page 35]

He was an administrator of the Alice Springs Community College and an organiser and candidate for the Australia Party [Spindler S [http://www.democrats.org.au/speeches/index.htm?speech_id=1686&display=1 Gordon Barton—electoral impacts] (Speech at Sydney University, 3 Sep 2005)] before joining the Australian Democrats and becoming senior adviser to Don Chipp and Janine Haines.cite web
title =Biography for Spindler, Sid
publisher =Parliament of Australia
work=ParlInfo Web
url =http://parlinfoweb.aph.gov.au/piweb/view_document.aspx?id=7910&table=BIOGS
accessdate = 2008-03-02 ] cite news
title=Sid Spindler, Democrats icon, dies
publisher=The Herald Sun
date=2 March 2008
url=http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23306034-29277,00.html
accessdate=2008-03-02 ]

Spindler was Victorian state president of the Australian Democrats from 1985 to 1989 and a national vice-president from 1987 to 1990. He was elected as a senator for Victoria in 1990, serving from 1 July 1990 to 30 June 1996 and managing a range of shadow-ministerial portfolios, as was mandatory for all Democrat parliamentarians. In parliament he spoke in support of the rights of Aborigines, refugees, prisoners, pensioners, taxpayers and the environment. He also spoke and campaigned against child labour and sexual discrimination. He retired from the Senate at the end of his term in 1996. cite news
title=Democrat stalwart Sid Spindler dies
publisher=The Age
date=2 March 2008
url=http://news.theage.com.au/democrat-stalwart-sid-spindler-dies/20080302-1w6z.html
accessdate=2008-03-02 ] cite web
title=Sid Spindler dies
publisher=Andrew Bartlett
url=http://andrewbartlett.com/blog/?p=1953
accessdate=2008-03-02 ]

Spindler's relationship with Janet Powell, then leader of the Democrats, was used as leverage to remove Powell from the leadership in 1991. [ cite news
title=A cautionary tale of hypocrisy and ambition
publisher=The Age
date=5 July 2002
url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/07/04/1025667033717.html
accessdate=2008-03-02 ]

Spindler and his family established the "Towards a Just Society Fund" in 2002, which distributes $200,000 annually to help Aboriginal students. He died of liver cancer in the Epworth Hospital in the Melbourne suburb of Richmond on his fiftieth wedding anniversary. He was survived by his wife Julia and four children.

References

Persondata
NAME = Spindler, Sid
ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
SHORT DESCRIPTION = Australian politician
DATE OF BIRTH = 9 July 1932
PLACE OF BIRTH = Łódź, Poland
DATE OF DEATH = 1 March 2008
PLACE OF DEATH = Richmond, Victoria