Len Harris
Encyclopedia
Leonard William Harris was an Australian politician who was the only One Nation (Australia) representative to gain a seat in the Australian Parliament as a Senator
from the state of Queensland
. He took his seat in September 1999, after a successful challenge to the election in October 1998 of Heather Hill
, on the basis that although a naturalised Australian, she had not renounced her childhood United Kingdom
citizenship and was thus ineligible to sit in the Australian Parliament.
and was a self-employed businessman and gold miner prior to being chosen as the number two Senate candidate for One Nation at the 1998 election.
He came briefly to prominence during the 2003 debate on the legislative reforms to tertiary education
, proposed by federal Education Minister Brendan Nelson
. After initially indicating he would vote against the legislation, Harris later changed his mind and allowed the reform package to pass, much to the annoyance of student organisations.
By the time of the 2004 election One Nation was seriously in decline, and Harris was expected to struggle to retain his seat. With a drastic fall in the One Nation vote nationally, he lost his seat, polling only 0.2 of a quota. His term expired on 30 June 2005.
Australian Senate
The Senate is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives. Senators are popularly elected under a system of proportional representation. Senators are elected for a term that is usually six years; after a double dissolution, however,...
from the state of Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
. He took his seat in September 1999, after a successful challenge to the election in October 1998 of Heather Hill
Heather Hill
Heather Hill is a former English-Australian politician.Hill was born in 1960 in London. In 1971 her family moved to Australia, arriving in Brisbane, Queensland on 6 October of that year. She attended school in Brisbane...
, on the basis that although a naturalised Australian, she had not renounced her childhood United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
citizenship and was thus ineligible to sit in the Australian Parliament.
Political career
Harris was born in BrisbaneBrisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
and was a self-employed businessman and gold miner prior to being chosen as the number two Senate candidate for One Nation at the 1998 election.
He came briefly to prominence during the 2003 debate on the legislative reforms to tertiary education
Tertiary education
Tertiary education, also referred to as third stage, third level, and post-secondary education, is the educational level following the completion of a school providing a secondary education, such as a high school, secondary school, university-preparatory school...
, proposed by federal Education Minister Brendan Nelson
Brendan Nelson
Dr Brendan John Nelson is a former Australian politician and former federal Opposition leader. He served as a member of the Australian House of Representatives from the 1996 federal election until 19 October 2009 as the Liberal member for Bradfield, a northern Sydney seat...
. After initially indicating he would vote against the legislation, Harris later changed his mind and allowed the reform package to pass, much to the annoyance of student organisations.
By the time of the 2004 election One Nation was seriously in decline, and Harris was expected to struggle to retain his seat. With a drastic fall in the One Nation vote nationally, he lost his seat, polling only 0.2 of a quota. His term expired on 30 June 2005.