:Des Corcoran

James Desmond "Des" Corcoran was born on 8 November 1928 in Millicent, South Australia.{{sfn|Korean War Nominal Roll|2023a}} He was the youngest of nine children of Jim Corcoran and his wife Teresa Catherine {{nee}} Sutton.{{sfn|The Canberra Times|1979}} Jim had served as a corporal in the 27th Battalion of the Australian Imperial Force on the Western Front during World War I, and had been wounded during the Battle of Amiens in August 1918.{{sfn|National Archives|2023|pp=4–5}} Des attended Tantanoola Primary School,{{sfn|The Border Watch|1940}} but left school at 13 and worked in a bakery.{{sfn|The Canberra Times|1979}} He joined the Australian Labor Party (ALP) in 1941.{{sfn|Parliament of South Australia|2022}} His mother died when he was 16, and around that time he and his older brother Robert embarked on a working holiday around Australia. While in Wollongong in New South Wales, they saw an advertisement for men to enlist in the Australian Army to fight in the Korean War, and after tossing a coin to decide what to do, they both went to enlist.{{sfn|The Canberra Times|1979}}

In the meantime, following his unsuccessful attempt to be elected to the electoral district of Victoria in the South Australian House of Assembly in a by-election in 1932, Jim Corcoran was also unsuccessful in the state elections of 1933{{sfn|Jaensch|2007|p=248}} and 1944,{{sfn|Jaensch|2007|p=261}} before finally prevailing in a by-election in September 1945.{{sfn|Jaensch|2007|p=262}} He was unsuccessful in his bid to be re-elected in the 1947,{{sfn|Jaensch|2007|p=265}} and 1950 state elections.{{sfn|Jaensch|2007|p=268}}

Robert served in Korea as a Royal Australian Army Ordnance Corps sergeant with the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment in 1951–1952.{{sfn|Korean War Nominal Roll|2023b}} Des was allocated the service number 23934, and allotted as an infantry soldier and posted to the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (1{{nbsp}}RAR).{{sfn|Korean War Nominal Roll|2023a}} The battalion trained at Ingleburn, New South Wales, then embarked at Sydney on 3 March 1952 and sailed for Japan on the troop transport {{MV|Devonshire}},{{sfn|AWM|2023b}} arriving in Kure on 18 March. After further training, 1 RAR was transported to Korea aboard the Empire Longford and disembarked in Korea on 1 June to join the 28th Commonwealth Infantry Brigade.{{sfn|Plowman|2003|p=446}} The following month the battalion was detached to the British 29th Infantry Brigade, and relieved units on Hills 159, 210 and 355. Its duties included general patrolling along the Jamestown Line, a series of static defensive positions just north of the 38th Parallel (38°N) along which the earlier mobile war had settled into trench warfare. Its main tasks were securing defences, repairing minefield fences, and conducting reconnaissance of enemy positions to gather information.{{sfn|AWM|2023b}}

By early December 1952,{{sfn|The Canberra Times|1979}} Des was a corporal and temporary sergeant in D Company{{sfn|AWM|2023a}}{{sfn|Australian Army: The Soldiers' Newspaper|1972}} when a four-man patrol was negotiating an enemy minefield. One of the men initiated a mine and was killed by the resulting explosion, which wounded two others. The unwounded soldier ran back to friendly lines for assistance, and Corcoran came forward under enemy mortar fire, dragged and carried the wounded men in, and then brought in the body of the dead soldier.{{sfn|The Canberra Times|1979}} For his "courage and skill in evacuating casualties through minefield gaps", and as a patrol commander in 1 RAR, Corcoran was mentioned in despatches.{{sfn|AWM|2023a}} While Des was still serving in Korea, his father Jim was again elected to the district of Victoria in the March 1953 state election.{{sfn|Jaensch|2007|p=272}} Des returned to Australia in March 1954, and after several weeks of leave, was posted to New Guinea.{{sfn|The South Eastern Times|1954}}

At the 1956 state election, Jim Corcoran successfully contested the new electoral district of Millicent which had been excised from the district of Victoria as part of a redistribution,{{sfn|Jaensch|2007|p=276}} and successfully defended it in the 1959 state election.{{sfn|Jaensch|2007|p=279}} On 31 August 1957, Des married Carmel Campbell at the school chapel at Rostrevor College.{{sfn|The Advertiser|1957}} The couple had eight children.{{sfn|The Canberra Times|1979}} Des Corcoran was promoted to warrant officer class two and served for twenty months as the company sergeant major of the headquarters of the 28th Commonwealth Infantry Brigade Group in Malaya during the Malayan Emergency, for which he was mentioned in despatches for a second time,{{sfn|Australian Army: The Soldiers' Newspaper|1960}}{{sfn|AWM|2023c}} this time for "outstanding service".{{sfn|The Canberra Times|1979}} Identified for his potential as an officer but lacking the necessary educational qualifications, Corcoran undertook six months of study with the Australian Army Education Service to receive his intermediate certificate, then completed his leaving certificate in six weeks, completing five subjects with a distinction in English.{{sfn|The Canberra Times|1979}} He was subsequently commissioned as a captain.{{sfn|Parliament of South Australia|2022}}

File:Des Corcoran.jpg

Des Corcoran left the Army in 1961 and in the 3 March 1962 state election was elected to the House of Assembly for the ALP, succeeding his father as the member for Millicent. He received 53.1 per cent of the two-party-preferred votes (TPP), defeating Ren DeGaris of the Liberal and Country League (LCL).{{sfn|Parliament of South Australia|2022}}{{sfn|Jaensch|2007|pp=281 & 283}} In his first speech in the house, on 24 July 1962, his father was present in the gallery, and he attributed his successful election to James Corcoran's "able and honest representation"{{sfn|James Desmond Corcoran 24 July 1962}} of the people of the seat of Millicent. His speech emphasised policy areas that would remain central to his political interests throughout his career. These included: ensuring that country South Australians had the same access to services as those who lived in Adelaide, especially in areas such as utilities and education; and the promotion of the agriculture, fishing and forestry industries in the southeast of the state. He was a strong proponent of the paper industry and water controls for the irrigation scheme in the southeast.{{sfn|James Desmond Corcoran 24 July 1962}} Labor had been in opposition in the state since 1933, and Corcoran, along with his colleagues Don Dunstan, Mick Young and Clyde Cameron, was a key player in the modernisation of the state Labor Party as a political force.{{sfn|Jory|2004|p=14}} This saw the ALP develop policy and campaign hard on education, health and working conditions, and against racial discrimination and the malapportionment of electoral districts in the state, known as the Playmander.{{sfn|Moss|1985|p=385}} When the ALP won government in South Australia for the first time since 1930 in the 6 March 1965 state election,{{sfn|Jaensch|2007|p=285}} Corcoran became Minister of Irrigation, Minister of Lands, and Minister of Repatriation.{{sfn|Parliament of South Australia|2022}} In the election, Corcoran increased his share of the TPP to 61.8 per cent.{{sfn|Jaensch|2007|p=287}} Corcoran served on the parliamentary committee on land settlement from March to November 1965.{{sfn|Parliament of South Australia|2022}} The new Premier, Frank Walsh, was a Catholic like Corcoran, when the Labor caucus was dominated by Protestants,{{sfn|Bannon|2002}} and the ALP federally was still reeling from the 1955 split of the party and the creation of the socially conservative and Catholic-dominated Democratic Labour Party (DLP).{{sfn|Kefford et al|2018|p=192}} Corcoran's father Jim had died in May 1965.{{sfn|Parliament of South Australia|2023}}

Walsh was already 67 years old when he became premier, and the ALP rules applying at the time required him to retire from parliament at the next election. He was reluctant to do so, and made moves to have the rules modified to allow him to serve on. His party colleagues resisted this, and ultimately the ALP state council passed a congratulatory motion that included thanking him for "selflessly stepping down so that a new leader could establish himself before the next election".{{sfn|Bannon|2002}} In the face of this, Walsh reluctantly resigned effective from 1 June 1967.{{sfn|Bannon|2002}} Coinciding with Walsh's retirement, there was an ALP leadership ballot which included Corcoran, Dunstan, Gabe Bywaters and Cyril Hutchens. Walsh strongly supported Corcoran, perhaps partly because he wrongly believed that Dunstan had been involved in some way with the congratulatory motion that Cameron had moved to push Walsh out.{{sfn|Woollacott|2019|pp=185–186}} In the first round Corcoran received ten votes and Dunstan nine from the caucus of twenty-five, but in the second round Dunstan was the clear winner with fourteen votes and a majority, with Corcoran receiving eleven votes.{{sfn|The Canberra Times 26 May 1967}}{{sfn|The Canberra Times 31 May 1967}} In Dunstan's 1967–1968 cabinet, Corcoran dropped the repatriation portfolio and took up immigration, retaining lands and irrigation.{{sfn|Parliament of South Australia|2022}} Walsh remained in cabinet{{snd}}with the social welfare portfolio{{snd}}until March 1968.{{sfn|Bannon|2002}} On 26 March 1968, Corcoran became the first officially-appointed deputy premier{{snd}}the position having been informal up to that point{{snd}}and gained the tourism portfolio, which was combined with immigration.{{sfn|Parliament of South Australia|2022}} Corcoran was a loyal deputy, and the working relationship between the two was "smooth and cooperative",{{sfn|Woollacott|2019|p=187}} employing an internal consensus style within the party that had been carefully developed by Cameron and the Labor senator Jim Toohey since the late 1940s, and contrasted with the conflict-riven nature of the party in other states, largely due to the influence of the DLP.{{sfn|Woollacott|2019|p=187}}

Labor lost government at the 2 March 1968 state election, mainly due to losing two marginal rural seats. Corcoran was nearly defeated in his own seat, winning by a single vote over his LCL rival Martin Cameron. Cameron disputed the result and a by-election was held on 22 June, with Corcoran receiving 52.5 per cent of the TPP. This left the ALP and LCL on nineteen seats each, so that the leader of the LCL, Steele Hall, had to rely on the independent Tom Stott, who was elected as Speaker and therefore had a casting vote.{{sfn|Jaensch|2007|pp=289–293}} The Playmander had enabled the LCL to form a minority government despite only receiving 43 per cent of the state-wide votes.{{sfn|Moss|1985|p=386}} During the term in opposition, Corcoran was Dunstan's deputy,{{sfn|Parliament of South Australia|2022}} and the pair worked together well despite any rift that may have been caused by the struggle to succeed Walsh.{{sfn|Parkin|1981|p=5}}

In Labor's victory at the 30 May 1970 state election,{{sfn|Jaensch|2007|p=293}} Corcoran retained the seat of Millicent with 54 per cent of the TPP.{{sfn|Jaensch|2007|p=293}} He resumed his role as deputy premier, and held the works and marine portfolios.{{sfn|Parliament of South Australia|2022}} Corcoran handled the interaction between the Dunstan ministry and the Labor caucus, using his strong personality to settle disputes.{{sfn|Stokes|Cox|1981|p=274}} Over the next nine years, Dunstan and Corcoran made an unconventional but strong team.{{sfn|Doherty|Heggen|2004}} A devout Catholic and man of high personal morals, Corcoran privately opposed many of the social reforms Dunstan was implementing, such as liberalised abortion and homosexuality laws. In addition, Corcoran disliked Dunstan's glamorous image and fondness for the arts. A conservative dresser, Corcoran did not at all share Dunstan's enthusiasm for wearing casual clothes on public occasions.{{sfn|Jory|2004|p=14}} Nevertheless, the two men felt a wary respect for one another and managed to maintain a working relationship. Behind the scenes, Dunstan sometimes found Corcoran's plain-speaking style useful to control others within the ALP.{{sfn|Kelton|2004}}

Corcoran held Millicent with 56.5 per cent of the TPP in the 10 March 1973 state election, defeating the LCL's Murray Vandepeer.{{sfn|Jaensch|2007|p=299}} A redistribution following that election erased Corcoran's majority. Believing this made Millicent unwinnable, Corcoran transferred to the eastern Adelaide seat of Coles, previously held by Labor by the retiring Len King, for the 12 July 1975 state election. Corcoran won the seat with 52.4 per cent of the TPP,{{sfn|Jaensch|2007|pp=298 & 303}} and Vandepeer received 59.9 per cent of the TPP in Millicent.{{sfn|Jaensch|2007|p=305}} When this margin was erased in another redistribution, Corcoran transferred to the newly created and nearby northeastern Adelaide district of Hartley, receiving 58.8 per cent of the TPP at the 17 September 1977 state election, with Coles falling to Jennifer Adamson of the Liberal Party (the renamed LCL).{{sfn|Jaensch|2007|pp=308–309}} Corcoran gained the environment portfolio in the new government, while retaining his other portfolios.{{sfn|Parliament of South Australia|2022}}

By early 1979, Dunstan's health had deteriorated to the point that he could not continue in office,{{sfn|Doherty|Heggen|2004}} and he resigned in February.{{sfn|Woollacott|2022}} Dunstan had wanted Hugh Hudson to replace him, but Hudson lacked the numbers in the caucus despite Dunstan's support.{{sfn|Woollacott|2019|p=316}} On 15 February, Corcoran was elected as leader, thus finally achieving his ambition of becoming premier. He also served as state treasurer along with adding the ethnic affairs portfolio to immigration.{{sfn|Parliament of South Australia|2022}} Mike Rann, who later became premier, served as Corcoran's press secretary during his short premiership.{{sfn|Doherty|Heggen|2004}}{{sfn|ABC News 4 January 2004}} Despite its popularity in the state at the time, Corcoran sidelined Dunstan's push for industrial democracy, where workers would have a say in decision-making within companies.{{sfn|Woollacott|2019|pp=305–307}} Spurred by positive opinion polls in mid-1979, Corcoran called a snap election after less than a year in the hope that he would gain a mandate of his own.{{sfn|Jory|2004|p=14}} The election campaign was plagued by problems; business groups and the state's main afternoon tabloid newspaper, The News, openly sided with the Liberal Party.{{sfn|Parliament of South Australia|2022}}

File:Des Corcoran's gravestone.jpg]]

At the 15 September 1979 state election,{{sfn|Jaensch|2007|p=312}} the Liberals under David Tonkin achieved an eleven per cent swing towards them and won.{{sfn|Parliament of South Australia|2022}} Corcoran held Hartley with 50.7 per cent of the TPP.{{sfn|Jaensch|2007|pp=312–314}} Corcoran resigned his commissions as premier and treasurer on 18 September, and resigned from the Labor leadership on 2 October.{{sfn|Parliament of South Australia|2022}} He was succeeded by the much younger John Bannon, whose urbane style and academic background meant he was much closer in style to Dunstan than to Corcoran. At the 6 November 1982 state election, Bannon easily defeated Tonkin and led Labor back into government, but Corcoran did not contest his seat of Hartley, which was retained for Labor by Terry Groom.{{sfn|Jaensch|2007|pp=317–321}} Dunstan was angry with Corcoran, feeling that he had wasted a full year of the term they had won in 1977, and had not continued to pursue Aboriginal land rights and industrial democracy.{{sfn|Woollacott|2019|p=319}}

Corcoran was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Australia in the 1982 Australia Day Honours, "in recognition of service to politics and government".{{sfn|Australian Honours|2023a}} Between 1983 and 1987 Corcoran served on the Council of the Australian War Memorial.{{sfn|The Canberra Times|1983}}{{sfn|The Canberra Times|1987}} In 2001, Corcoran was awarded the Centenary Medal.{{sfn|Australian Honours|2023b}}

Corcoran died in Adelaide on 3 January 2004, aged 75, after a long illness.{{sfn|Parliament of South Australia|2022}}{{sfn|Doherty|Heggen|2004}} Upon his death, Rann, by then premier himself, described the strong and historic political partnership between Dunstan and Corcoran as "very successful", despite the two being "chalk and cheese". Rann went on to say that Corcoran would be "sorely missed" as someone who was larger than life and respected across the political spectrum in South Australia.{{sfn|ABC News 4 January 2004}} He also noted that Corcoran would be remembered "for his gregarious personality and how he so often used humour to heal differences". Don Hopgood, who served as education minister alongside Corcoran, observed that he brought strength to the Dunstan administration. Then opposition leader Dean Brown, who had himself served as premier between 1993 and 1996, stated that Corcoran was "approachable and enjoyed a good yarn and joke", and recalled that "his word could always be trusted and all members of the Parliament held him in very high esteem".{{sfn|Doherty|Heggen|2004}} Corcoran was farewelled with a state funeral held at St Francis Xavier's Cathedral, Adelaide, on 8 January,{{sfn|ABC News 6 January 2004}} and was buried at North Brighton Cemetery.{{sfn|North Brighton Cemetery map}}

{{reflist}}

• {{cite book|last=Jaensch|first=Dean|author-link=Dean Jaensch|year=2007|title=History of South Australian Elections 1857–2006 House of Assembly|url=http://www.ecsa.sa.gov.au/publications?task=document.download&id=480|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140302093743/http://www.ecsa.sa.gov.au/publications?task=document.download&id=480|archive-date=2 March 2014|publisher=State Electoral Office|location=Rose Park, South Australia|volume=1|isbn=978-0-9750486-3-4}}
• {{cite book|last1=Kefford|first1=Glenn|first2=Hannah|last2=Murphy-Gregory|first3=Ian|last3=Ward|first4=Stewart|last4=Jackson|first5=Lloyd|last5=Cox|first6=Andrea|last6=Carson|title=Australian Politics in the Twenty-First Century: Old Institutions, New Challenges|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2018|location=Cambridge, United Kingdom|isbn=978-1-108-57756-4|ref={{harvid|Kefford et al|2018}} }}
• {{cite book|last=Moss|first=Jim|year=1985|title=Sound of Trumpets: History of the Labour Movement in South Australia|publisher=Wakefield Press|location=Adelaide|isbn=978-0-949268-06-8}}
• {{cite book |last=Parkin|first= Andrew |chapter=The Dunstan Governments: a Political Synopsis |pages=1–21 |title=The Dunstan Decade: Social Democracy at the State Level |editor1=Parkin, Andrew |editor2=Patience, Allan |location=Melbourne |publisher=Longman Cheshire |year=1981 |isbn=0-582-71466-4}}
• {{cite book|last=Plowman|first=Peter|year=2003|title=Across the sea to war: Australian and New Zealand troop convoys from 1865 through two World Wars to Korea and Vietnam|publisher=Rosenberg|location=Dural, New South Wales|isbn=978-1-877058-06-6}}
• {{cite book |last1=Stokes|first1= Geoff |last2=Cox|first2=Richard |chapter=The ALP and the Politics of Consensus |pages=256–280 |title=The Dunstan Decade: Social Democracy at the State Level |editor1=Parkin, Andrew |editor2=Patience, Allan |location=Melbourne |publisher=Longman Cheshire |year=1981 |isbn=0-582-71466-4}}
• {{Cite book|title=Don Dunstan: The Visionary Politician who Changed Australia|last=Woollacott|first=Angela|author-link1=Angela Woollacott|date=2019|publisher=Allen & Unwin|isbn=978-1-76063-181-9|location=Sydney}}

• {{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article200125579 |title=Concerning People |newspaper=The South Eastern Times|issue=4482 |location=South Australia |date=30 March 1954 |accessdate=13 May 2023 |page=1 |via=Trove|ref={{harvid|The South Eastern Times|1954}} }}
• {{cite news |last1=Doherty |first1=Elissa |last2=Heggen |first2=Belinda|author-link2=Belinda Heggen|date=4 January 2004 |title=Former Premier Corcoran Dies |url= |work=Sunday Mail |location=Adelaide|page=2}}
• {{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article131657922 |title=Dunstan to be Premier of SA |newspaper=The Canberra Times |volume=41 |issue=11,702 |location=Australian Capital Territory |date=31 May 1967 |accessdate=14 May 2023 |page=1 |via=Trove|ref={{harvid|The Canberra Times 31 May 1967}} }}
• {{cite news| title=Engagements and Approaching Marriages|newspaper=The Advertiser|location=Adelaide|date=29 August 1957|ref={{harvid|The Advertiser|1957}} }}
• {{cite news |last=Jory |first=Rex|author-link=Rex Jory |date=4 February 2004 |title=New Broom Moved Fast |url= |work=Sunday Mail |location=Adelaide|page=14}}
• {{cite news |last=Kelton |first=G. |date=5 January 2004 |title=Pragmatic man of the people not forgotten |url= |work=The Advertiser |location=Adelaide |access-date=|page=18}}
• {{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article131657085 |title=Last Duties for SA Premier |newspaper=The Canberra Times |volume=41 |issue=11,698 |location=Australian Capital Territory |date=26 May 1967 |accessdate=14 May 2023 |page=1 |via=Trove|ref={{harvid|The Canberra Times 26 May 1967}}}}
• {{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article266904051 |title=Lieut.-Col. heads list of awards in Malaya |newspaper=Australian Army: The Soldiers' Newspaper |volume=1 |issue=9 |location=Australia |date=14 January 1960 |accessdate=13 May 2023 |page=2 |via=Trove|ref={{harvid|Australian Army: The Soldiers' Newspaper|1960}}}}
• {{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article136293414 |title=Memorial Position |newspaper=The Canberra Times |volume=61 |issue=18,781 |location=Australian Capital Territory |date=6 March 1987 |accessdate=26 July 2023 |page=3 |via=Trove|ref={{harvid|The Canberra Times|1987}}}}
• {{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article136982210 |title=Mr Corcoran, South Australia's New Premier: A no-nonsense right-winger comes to the helm |newspaper=The Canberra Times |volume=53 |issue=15,861 |location=Australian Capital Territory |date=25 February 1979 |accessdate=11 May 2023 |page=2 |via=Trove|ref={{harvid|The Canberra Times|1979}} }}
• {{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article78106943 |title=Mt. Gambier School of Music and Speech |newspaper=The Border Watch |volume=80 |issue=8718 |location=South Australia |date=24 December 1940 |accessdate=16 May 2023 |page=7 |via=Trove|ref={{harvid|The Border Watch|1940}} }}
• {{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article266995075 |title=Soldiers Move In |work=Australian Army: The Soldiers' Newspaper |volume=13 |issue=23 |location=Australia |date=27 January 1972 |accessdate=13 May 2023 |page=7 |via=Trove|ref={{harvid|Australian Army: The Soldiers' Newspaper|1972}} }}
• {{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article116410790 |title=War Memorial Body Appointees |newspaper=The Canberra Times |volume=58 |issue=17,540 |location=Australian Capital Territory |date=7 October 1983 |accessdate=26 July 2023 |page=7 |via=Trove|ref={{harvid|The Canberra Times|1983}} }}

• {{cite Hansard |jurisdiction=South Australia |title= |url= |house=House of Assembly |date=24 July 1962 |page_start=222 |page_end=226 |speaker=James Desmond Corcoran |position=Member for Millicent|ref={{harvid|James Desmond Corcoran 24 July 1962}} }}

• {{cite web|url=https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/U52111|title=1st Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment|access-date=13 May 2023|website=Australian War Memorial|publisher=Australian Government|ref={{harvid|AWM|2023b}} }}
• {{cite book|first=John |last=Bannon |author-link=John Bannon|chapter-url=https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/walsh-francis-henry-11952 |chapter=Walsh, Francis Henry (1897–1968) |title=Australian Dictionary of Biography |volume=16 |publisher=Melbourne University Press |year=2002|access-date=14 May 2023 }}
• {{cite web|url=https://nominal-rolls.dva.gov.au/veteran?id=1207153&c=KOREA#R|title=Corcoran, James Desmond|website=Korean War Service: Corcoran, James Desmond|publisher=Department of Veterans' Affairs|access-date=11 May 2023|ref={{harvid|Korean War Nominal Roll|2023a}} }}
• {{cite web|url=https://nominal-rolls.dva.gov.au/veteran?id=1213787&c=KOREA|title=Corcoran, Robert Brian|website=Korean War Service: Corcoran, Robert Brian|publisher=Department of Veterans' Affairs|access-date=11 May 2023|ref={{harvid|Korean War Nominal Roll|2023b}} }}
• {{cite web |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2004-01-06/des-corcoran-farewelled-with-state-funeral/115616 |title=Des Corcoran Farewelled with State Funeral |author= |date=6 January 2004 |website=ABC News |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |access-date=25 June 2023 |quote=|ref={{harvid|ABC News 6 January 2004}} }}
• {{cite web |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2004-01-04/former-sa-premier-des-corcoran-dead-at-75/114616 |title=Former SA Premier Dead at 75 |author= |date=4 January 2004 |website=ABC News |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |access-date=11 May 2023 |quote=|ref={{harvid|ABC News 4 January 2004}} }}
• {{cite SA-parl |pid=2512 |name=Hon Des Corcoran AO |former=yes |access-date=19 August 2022|ref={{harvid|Parliament of South Australia|2022}} }}
• {{cite web|url=https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1574928|title=Honours and Awards (Recommendation): James Desmond Corcoran|date=2 July 1953|website=Australian War Memorial|publisher=Australian Government|access-date=12 May 2023|ref={{harvid|AWM|2023a}} }}
• {{cite web|url=https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1574930|title=Honours and Awards (Recommendation): James Desmond Corcoran|date=25 September 1959|website=Australian War Memorial|publisher=Australian Government|access-date=13 May 2023|ref={{harvid|AWM|2023c}} }}
• {{Cite SA-parl |pid=4235 |name=Mr James Corcoran |former=yes |access-date=11 May 2023|ref={{harvid|Parliament of South Australia|2023}} }}
• {{cite web

| url =https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=3420349

| title = NAA: B2455, CORCORAN J

| website = National Archives of Australia

| access-date = 27 May 2023

| ref ={{harvid|National Archives|2023}}

}}

• {{cite web|url=https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/1121928|title=The Honourable James Desmond Corcoran - Centenary Medal|date=1 January 2001|website=Australian Honours Search Facility|publisher = Australian Government|access-date=25 June 2023|ref={{harvid|Australian Honours|2023b}} }}
• {{cite web|url=https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/884416|title=The Honourable James Desmond Corcoran - Officer of the Order of Australia|date=26 January 1982|website=Australian Honours Search Facility|publisher = Australian Government|access-date=13 May 2023|ref={{harvid|Australian Honours|2023a}} }}
• {{Cite book |first=Angela|last=Woollacott |author-link=Angela Woollacott |title=Dunstan, Donald Allan (Don) (1926–1999)|chapter=Donald Allan (Don) Dunstan (1926–1999) |url=https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/dunstan-donald-allan-don-32141 |year=2022|publisher=National Centre of Biography, Australian National University |access-date=14 May 2023 }}

• {{cite map|author=City of Holdfast Bay|title=North Brighton Cemetery|year=2023|location=North Brighton Cemetery|ref={{harvid|North Brighton Cemetery map}} }}

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{{s-ttl | title=Minister for Works | years= 1970–1979 }}

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{{s-ttl| title=Member for Coles | years=1975–1977}}

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{{s-ttl | title=Member for Hartley | years=1977–1982}}

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{{s-ttl|title=Leader of the Australian Labor Party (South Australian Branch)|years=1979}}

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{{Premiers of South Australia}}

{{Leaders of the Australian Labor Party (SA division)}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Corcoran, Des}}

Category:Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of South Australia

Category:Australian military personnel of the Korean War

Category:Australian military personnel of the Malayan Emergency

Category:Premiers of South Australia

Category:Deputy premiers of South Australia

Category:Treasurers of South Australia

Category:Officers of the Order of Australia

Category:People from Millicent, South Australia

Category:20th-century Australian politicians

Category:1928 births

Category:2004 deaths