Warren Mundine

Jenny Ross

​

​

(m. 1975;div. 1982)​

Lynette Riley

​

​

(m. 1984;div. 2008)​

Elizabeth Henderson

​

(m. 2013)​

Warren Mundine AO
Mundine on The Long Walk in 2014
National President of the Labor Party
In office 26 January 2006 –10 January 2007
Children	10

Nyunggai Warren Stephen Mundine AO (born 11 August 1956) is an Australian businessman, political strategist, advocate for Indigenous affairs and former politician. He was the national president of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), but quit the party in 2012. Mundine was appointed chairman of the Coalition government's Indigenous Advisory Council by then-prime minister, Tony Abbott.

Mundine was the Liberal Party's unsuccessful candidate for the marginal seat of Gilmore on the south coast of New South Wales in the 2019 Australian federal election.

As of 2023 ^[update] Mundine is a lead campaigner in the No campaign in the lead-up to the 2023 Australian referendum on the Indigenous Voice to Parliament.

Early life and education

Mundine was born on 11 August 1956 ^[1] in Grafton, New South Wales. ^[2]

A member of the Bundjalung people, the traditional owners of much of coastal northern New South Wales, Mundine was the ninth of eleven children of a family consisting of eight boys and three girls. ^[3] Through his mother, he is also a descendant of the Yuin, and Irish peoples. ^[4] He is the younger brother of the inaugural Elder of the Australian Army Roy Mundine, social justice champion Kaye Mundine, and artist Djon Mundine, ^[5] the cousin of boxer Tony Mundine, second cousin of Anthony Mundine, the boxer and footballer and Uncle to the CEO of Reconciliation Australia Karen Mundine. ^[6]

In 1963, his family settled in the western Sydney suburb of Auburn. Mundine went to the Catholic Benedict Marist Brothers College, and was a fitter and turner after leaving school. ^[3] Mundine worked as a barman at night and as an office trolley boy during the day, and later attended night college to earn his Higher School Certificate. ^[1]

Following a job at the Australian Taxation Office, Mundine moved to Adelaide, where he commenced, but did not complete, a qualification in law at the South Australian Institute of Technology, which later became the University of South Australia. ^{[7] [ citation needed ]}

Political career

In 1995, Mundine began his foray into politics as an independent candidate for the City of Dubbo council in central-west New South Wales. He was the first Aboriginal person to serve on the body, ^[8] and later became deputy mayor of Dubbo. ^[9]

ALP career

At the 1999 state election, Mundine stood as the NSW Labor candidate for the seat of Dubbo. ^[10] At the 2001 federal election, Mundine was placed third on the Labor Senate ticket for NSW. In 2004, he sought to stand as the ALP candidate for the Division of Fowler in the House of Representatives, but lost the preselection battle to sitting Labor MP, Julia Irwin.

Mundine succeeded Barry Jones as President of the ALP, beginning his term on 28 January 2006, and became the first indigenous Australian to serve as president of an Australian political party. ^[11] During his tenure, Mundine pushed for the selection of candidates of Aboriginal background. ^[12] Mundine served just one term as national president, stepping down in 2007. ^[3] In March 2012, he expressed an interest in becoming Labor's first federal Aboriginal member of federal parliament, following the resignation of Mark Arbib from the Senate.^{[ citation needed ]}

After the selection of former Premier of New South Wales Bob Carr to replace Arbib, Mundine left the Labor Party. In an interview with The Australian , Mundine explained that he had been a supporter of "Hawke-Keating Labor, which was about economic development and progress, and working with unions to get good outcomes for everyone", but that, by 2012, the ALP was "no longer the party I joined" and had failed to keep up with the conservative parties in selecting indigenous candidates.^{[ citation needed ]}

Liberal Party career

Following the election of the Tony Abbott-led Liberal-National coalition in 2013, Abbott appointed Mundine as chairman of the Australian government's Indigenous Advisory Council. ^[3] In January 2017, Mundine lost his position when the council was dissolved by the prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull. ^[13]

On 22 January 2019, at the behest of the prime minister, Scott Morrison, the New South Wales state executive of the Liberal Party installed Mundine as candidate for the seat of Gilmore in the 2019 federal election, although he had only joined the party that week. The state executive waived the usual waiting period for new party members, and withdrew the endorsement of Grant Schultz, who had been preselected as the party's candidate eight months previously. ^{[14] [15] [16] [17]} Mundine failed to be elected, and Gilmore was the only seat won by the Labor Party at the election. ^[18]

Political positions

Australia Day and treaty

Mundine supports changing the date of Australia Day and Indigenous treaties in Australia. ^{[19] [20] [21] [22]}

Nuclear power

In the late 2000s, Mundine emerged as a public supporter of nuclear industrial development in Australia, ^[23] arguing that, in response to climate change, nuclear power should not be ruled out of Australia's future energy mix. ^[23] His former directorship of the Australian Uranium Association attracted criticism from anti-nuclear lobbies. ^[24] Following the Fukushima nuclear disaster in March 2011, The Sydney Morning Herald named Mundine as a supporter of nuclear power. ^[25]

Mundine wrote in an opinion piece published in The Australian Financial Review in 2012:

"By looking after the full life cycle of the uranium, with the support of the traditional owners of the lands on which it is mined and stored, not only will we play a responsible role within the global community, but we can ensure that Australian uranium is not sold to states seeking to produce weapons." ^[26]

2023 Indigenous Voice referendum

Mundine is a lead campaigner for the No vote in the 2023 Australian referendum on the Indigenous Voice to Parliament. ^{[5] [20] [21] [22]}

Recognise a Better Way was led by Mundine and included former Nationals deputy PM John Anderson, and former Keating government minister Gary Johns. ^[27] The campaign, launched in January 2023, was set up by a group called the Voice No Case Committee. The committee included four Indigenous members: Mundine; Price (who later left the group); founder of the Kings Creek Station Ian Conway; and Bob Liddle, owner of Kemara enterprises. ^{[28] [29]}

Recognise a Better Way then merged into a new campaign, Australians for Unity, which Mundine co-founded with Jacinta Nampijinpa Price on 11 May 2023. ^[30]

Other roles

Mundine maintained his interest in Indigenous advocacy in his role with Andrew Forrest's Pilbara Mining Indigenous charity Generation One. ^[31]

From 12 December 2017, Mundine co-hosted a 12-part program on Sky News Live, Mundine Means Business, focusing on successful Indigenous Australians in business. ^[32] A second season debuted on 2 September 2018, ^[33] supported by a grant totalling $220,000 from the Coalition government, running from 18 June 2018 to 1 August 2019, supporting 15 percent of the season's production expenses. ^[34] Mundine received legal advice that the grant would not preclude him from being a candidate for the next federal election under Section 44 of the Constitution of Australia. ^[34]

Other roles have included:

• Chair of the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation (as of June 2022) ^[35]
• Co-founder (2008) and chair of the now apparently defunct Australian Indigenous Chamber of Commerce, ^[36] later incorporating the Yaabubiin Institute for Disruptive Thinking ^[37]
• Chairman of the board of Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Australia, a conservative political group ^[38]

Recognition and honours

• 2016: Officer of the Order of Australia ^[39]
• 2005: Bennelong Medal for service to the Aboriginal community ^[40]

Personal life

In 1975, Mundine married his first wife, Jenny Rose, with whom he has two children. After separating from Rose, Mundine gained custody of their two children. ^[1]

In 1983, he met his second wife Lynette Riley, marrying her in 1984. They raised seven children: two from Mundine's first marriage, four of their own, and a foster child. ^[1] They initially married at St Andrew's Congregational Church in Balmain, and in 2003 renewed their vows at St Brigid's Catholic Church in Dubbo. A devout Catholic, Mundine told The Catholic Weekly that he prayed every night. ^[1] His marriage to Riley broke down during his presidency of the ALP, after he cheated on his wife more than once. ^{[9] [1]} Riley, a lecturer in Aboriginal education at Sydney University, remained largely silent about the disintegration of her marriage with Mundine but, in 2013 she gave a rare interview on the subject. ^[41]

In October 2013, Mundine married for a third time, describing it as the beginning of "a new life". ^[1]

References

1. Rintoul, Stuart (5 October 2013). "Game changer". The Canberra Times. Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 31 January 2014. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
2. Secretariat, ALP National (6 February 2006). "Australian Labor Party: Warren Mundine –". Australian Labor Party. Archived from the original on 23 August 2006. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
3. "Mundine wants what's best for his people", The Australian, p. 2.
4. Mundine, Nyunggai Warren (27 January 2014). "To move on, indigenous people must forgive". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
5. "'I love all my family': why Djon Mundine is voting differently to his brother Warren". SBS News . 8 October 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
6. "Book Review: Warren Mundine's In Black + White is a searing look at Australian history & politics". theaureview.com. 24 January 2018. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
7. "Warren Mundine honoured for lifetime of service to Indigenous Australians". ABC News. 12 June 2016. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
8. "Why everyone is talking about Warren Mundine". www.abc.net.au. 23 January 2019. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
9. Overington, Caroline (2 November 2012). "Free agent". The Australian . Retrieved 20 April 2019.
10. Green, Antony. "1999 Dubbo". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales . Retrieved 4 May 2020.
11. Australian Labor Party (2006). Warren Mundine Begins Term As ALP National President Archived 21 August 2006 at the Wayback Machine . Retrieved 28 May 2006.
12. "Indigenous Members of Parliament". Australian Parliament. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
13. "Turnbull temporarily dissolves Indigenous Advisory Council". ABC News. 1 February 2017. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
14. "Warren Mundine considering running for Liberals in Gilmore". Financial Review. 21 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
15. Gerathy, Sarah; Norma, Jane (22 January 2019). "Warren Mundine installed as Gilmore candidate at behest of Prime Minister". Politics – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). Retrieved 24 January 2019.
16. Jade Macmillan; Jackson Gothe-Snape (23 January 2019). "Why everyone is talking about Warren Mundine all of a sudden". Politics – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). Retrieved 24 January 2019.
17. "Labor rejected Mundine bid 'for a reason'". SBS news. AAP. 24 January 2019.
18. Commission, Australian Electoral (9 June 2019). "Gilmore, NSW". Australian Electoral Commission. Archived from the original on 9 June 2019. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
19. "Change the date of Australia Day: Warren Mundine". Australian Financial Review . 16 September 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
20. Hurst, Daniel (17 September 2023). "Mundine calls for Australia Day date change and backs treaties despite opposing voice". The Guardian . ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 11 October 2023.
21. Ransley, Ellen (17 September 2023). "Voice question Barnaby won't answer". news.com.au . Retrieved 11 October 2023.
22. "Warren Mundine backs treaty process, claiming it will be successful if No vote wins referendum". ABC News (Australia) . 17 September 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
23. "Don't shut down nuclear debate: Mundine". The Sydney Morning Herald. 23 July 2009. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
24. "Nuclear lobby's Aboriginal stooge, Warren Mundine, joins Tony Abbott's campaign". Nuclear Australia. 10 August 2013. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
25. Bachelard, Michael; Fyfe, Melissa (20 March 2011). "Australian nuclear energy supporters hold firm". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
26. "Step into the nuclear age". Financial Review. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
27. Allam, Lorena; Butler, Josh (20 February 2023). "Voice referendum: who's behind the yes and no campaigns and how do they plan to convince Australia?". The Guardian . Retrieved 15 April 2023.
28. Grattan, Michelle (30 January 2023). "Former deputy prime minister John Anderson joins group spearheading "no" campaign on the Voice". The Conversation . Retrieved 14 April 2023.
29. "Home". Recognise a Better Way.
30. Morse, Dana; Bourchier, Dan (11 May 2023). "Key 'No' camps merge to form Australians for Unity to strengthen referendum campaign". ABC News (Australia) . Retrieved 13 May 2023.
31. Natasha Robinson (3 November 2012). "Sick at heart: why a disillusioned Warren Mundine quit the Labor Party". The Australian. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
32. "Sky News launching Mundine Means Business with Nyunggai Warren Mundine". Mediaweek. 5 December 2017. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
33. "Sky News to launch on WIN this weekend". Mediaweek. 31 August 2018. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
34. Taylor, Josh. "The Government Has Been Funding A Sky News Show. Now The Host Is Running As A Liberal Candidate". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
35. "Board of Directors". Australian Indigenous Education Foundation. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
36. "Home Page". Indigenous Chamber. Archived from the original on 24 October 2009. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
37. "Yaabubiin Institute for Disruptive Thinking". Australian Indigenous Chamber of Commerce. Archived from the original on 10 October 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
38. "CPAC team". CPAC Australia. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
39. "Mr Nyunggai Warren MUNDINE : Officer of the Order of Australia". Australian Honours Search Facility. Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (Australia) . Retrieved 30 August 2022.
40. "Recipients of the Bennelong Medal". Bennelong Society. 13 October 2009. Archived from the original on 13 October 2009. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
41. Rintoul, Stuart (5 October 2013). "'Shattered': lingering pain of Mundine divorce". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 18 March 2014.

Further reading

• Mundine, Warren (2018), Warren Mundine in black + white, Foreword by Stan Grant (Updated ed.), Pantera Press, ISBN   978-1-925700-12-1
• ""Labor's great black hope", Interview with Bruce Stannard in The Australian, 31 December 2005

Political offices
Preceded by Barry Jones	National President of the Australian Labor Party 2006–2007	Succeeded by John Faulkner