Gay equality advocate and former Tasmanian of the Year, Rodney Croome, has applauded the Australian Electoral Commission’s proposal to rename the electorate of Denison in honour of Andrew Inglis Clark.
Mr Croome said,
“This is long-over due recognition of someone who shaped Tasmanian and Australian history.”
“As well as drafting the federal constitution, Andrew Inglis Clark was a reforming law-make, an advocate for human rights and a strong believing in democracy.”
“I can think of no better role-model for young Tasmanians and for everyone who wants to make Australia a fairer and more inclusive nation.”
Mr Croome initiated an online petition calling for Denison to be named after Andrew Inglis Clark that was signed by prominent Tasmanians such as former ANZ chief economist, Saul Eslake, and former Federal Senator, Margaret Reynolds.
Mr Croome also gave evidence to the Australian Electoral Commission inquiry about Andrew Inglis Clark’s achievements as a law maker, judge and defender of human rights and drafter of the Constitution.
From Andrew Inglis Clark’s wikipedia entry:
Andrew Inglis Clark (24 February 1848 -14 November 1907) was an Australian Founding Father and the principal author of the Australian Constitution; he was also an engineer, barrister, politician, electoral reformer and jurist. He initially qualified as an engineer, but he re-trained as a barrister in order to effectively fight for social causes which deeply concerned him. After a long political career, mostly spent as Attorney-General, he was appointed a Senior Justice of the Supreme Court of Tasmania. Despite being acknowledged as the leading expert on the Australian Constitution, he was never appointed to the High Court of Australia.
He popularised the Hare-Clark voting system, and introduced it to Tasmania. In addition Clark was a prolific author, though most of his writings were never published, rather they were circulated privately.[1] Clark was also Vice-Chancellor of the University of Tasmania. Throughout his life, Clark was a progressive. He championed the rights of worker to organise through trades unions, universal suffrage (including women’s suffrage) and the rights to a fair trial – all issues which today we take for granted.
According to historian, Helen Irving, “Clark was an Australian Jefferson, who, like the great American Republican, fought for Australian independence; an autonomous judiciary; a wider franchise and lower property qualifications; fairer electoral boundaries; checks and balances between the judicature, legislature and executive; modern, liberal universities; and a Commonwealth that was federal, independent and based on natural rights.”
Rodney Croome, just.equal
