General Blog - Dally Messenger III |
Frank Costigan QC by Dally Messenger - May 1, 2009
Frank Costigan QC was a quiet and decent person, who did a power of good in his lifetime. He had a relaxed style about him, and a sense of humour. Decent people do not usually last in politics. They usually leave the political party in disgust at the ruthlessly immoral behaviour of those strange beings who have a single-minded ambition to achieve power at any cost. Such decent people usually then move into an area wherein they can do good without the ceaseless skulduggery. Then there are the others who know that they must stay in the political cesspool because that is the infrastructure within which the most good can be done for the most people. Such was Frank Costigan QC. I was a friend of Frank's — not a close friend —but I do want a put on record an achievement -- shared with Frank — one I unashamedly take pride in. The scene was in 1971 (I think) at the Festival Hall near the current Docklands in Melbourne. The big question was “Intervention” and the reform of the Victorian Labor Party. There were blockages in Victoria which were a threat to a possible big victory by the ALP, then led by Gough Whitlam. The key and burning question at this meeting was whether the ordinary member could participate in the decisions of the party. I was the first to speak at the meeting. I moved a resolution seconded by Frank Costigan that 50% of voting power go to the unions (who had the lot at that stage). and 50% go to the members. We argued quite cogently that if the the branch members were not to be represented in the party we may as well go home. Almost every other item on the proposed agenda depended on voting this in on principle. I remember looking up at the confronting faces of Tom Burns, Bob Hawke, Jim Cairns and other heavies and having them look down -- and they were up high on the stage like judges in the High Court -- looking down on us saying that they wanted to follow the agenda as planned. I couldn't believe their stupidity -- as I saw it. Our motion was not accepted — as being contrary to the agenda or something like that. Frank Costigan and I had a meeting with a few other supporters and decided to keep fighting. The next day we gave out pamphlets advocating 50-50 to all the delegates. We built up momentum. Their agenda got nowhere. But towards the end of the conference Bob Hogg moved a resolution to grant 60% representation to the unions, and 40% to the members. Hogg did not even acknowledge Costigan and myself, spoke as if he had suddenly found the solution himself, which pissed me off at the time. But his resolution got through and the whole agenda then sailed through — and enough democracy came through to the Victorian branch to keep the members. Whitlam went on to win the election. Years later I met Frank at Sydney airport when our mutual plane was delayed. We went off and had a few beers together and jovially reminisced about our party changing stand for 50-50. Frank Costigan died with a track record of many achievements to his credit but this unacknowledged one was one of his most influential — and a key element in restoring the ALP to government in 1972. -- **Dally Messenger is Life Member of the Australian Labor Party. |
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