Preceded by New district Name Rodney Cavalier Succeeded by District abolished Residence Bowral, Australia | ||
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Books Power Crisis: The Self-Destruction of a State Labor Party | ||
Political party Australian Labor Party | ||
Rodney Mark Cavalier AO (born 11 October 1948) is a former Australian politician, statutory officer and author. Cavalier was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Fuller between 1978 and 1981 and then Gladesville between 1981 and 1988 for the Australian Labor Party. During his term in parliament, Cavalier was Minister for Energy, Minister for Finance, and Minister for Education in the Wran and Unsworth governments.
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Biography
Cavalier's father was of Italian extraction, originally surnamed Frank Cavallari, his mother of Scottish background, named Elizabeth. He grew up in the Sydney suburb of Putney, attending the local public school before moving to Fort Street Boys' High School and the University of Sydney, where he studied government and became increasingly involved in left-wing politics. Cavalier worked for the Australia Council, for the Miscellaneous Workers' Union, as an aide to Whitlam minister Clyde Cameron, and was an alderman on Hunter's Hill Council.
In 1978 he was elected member for the state seat of Fuller, which was later to be redrawn as Gladesville, representing the Australian Labor Party. He served as Minister for Education from 1984 to 1988 in the Neville Wran and Barrie Unsworth governments. He was noted for his abrasive personality, reformist zeal and intolerance of sloppy work. One left-wing Teachers' Federation activist described him as "the rudest, most pugnacious individual to hold office". Though the President of the Federation, after he lost office, noted that Cavalier "had a genuine commitment to public education". He lost office, and his seat, in 1988, and subsequently declined an offer to return to State Parliament in the seat of Granville or by way of the Legislative Council.
A Fellow of The University of Sydney, he was chairman of the Australian Language and Literacy Council (1991-1996). He was also deputy chairman of the National Council for the Centenary of Federation (1997-2001) and chairman of the Sesquicentenary of Responsible Government in NSW (2002-2006): two bodies which published over 60 books on various aspects of Australian history and culture. He was a member of the Council of the National Library of Australia (1989-1998) and a member of the Council of the State Library of New South Wales (2013-2015).
Cavalier is an ardent book collector and lover of cricket and his appointment to the Sydney Cricket Ground Trust fulfilled a life's ambition. He was a trustee (1996-2014) and chairman (2001-2014). At the completion of this, record, term the Trust made him a Life Member. He is also an Honorary Life Member of the Marylebone Cricket Club.
He is currently the chairman of the C.E.W. Bean Foundation and the Southern Zone of Country Cricket New South Wales.
Cavalier has published widely on governors, the workings of cabinet, premiers, political cartoons, the uses of diaries and has also published extensively on the subject of cricket. His research and writings on the childhood and adolescence of Sir Donald Bradman have altered the Bradman historiography. He has also been the editor of the monthly newsletter of the Southern Highlands Branch of the Australian Labor Party.
In January 2004, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for service to the community as a contributor to a range of cultural, literary and sporting organisations, to education and training, and to the New South Wales Parliament. In June 2008, he was awarded a Doctor of the University (honoris causa) by the University of Technology, Sydney.
He now resides in Bowral, New South Wales with his family.