Eric Spooner

Spooner was born in the Sydney suburb of Waterloo and educated at Christ Church St Laurence School. At 14 he became a telegraph messenger and studied at night at the University of Sydney to gain a diploma in economics and commerce. He married Mary Berry in December 1919. He established the accounting firm of Hungerford, Spooner & Co in 1922 with his brother Bill, a Liberal cabinet minister from 1949 to 1964.{{Australian Dictionary of Biography |last=Lloyd |first=C. J. |year=2002 |id2=spooner-eric-sydney-8608 |title=Spooner, Eric Sydney (1891–1952) |access-date=2021-11-26}}{{Cite NSW Parliament |name=The Hon. Eric Sydney Spooner (1891–1952) |former=Yes |access-date=5 May 2019 |id=1515}}

Spooner was elected the seat of Ryde in 1932 and became an honorary minister in the United Australia Party government of Bertram Stevens. He subsequently became Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Local Government. From 1935 he was Minister for Local Government, Secretary for Public Works and deputy leader of the United Australia Party (NSW Branch).{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article139782883 |title=Deputy leader |newspaper=Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate |date=20 November 1935 |access-date=8 August 2018 |page=6 |via=Trove}}{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17221510 |title=Mr. Spooner |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=20 November 1935 |access-date=8 August 2018 |page=15 |via=Trove}} He was responsible for establishing employment-creating schemes and the Sydney County Council, a gas and electricity supplier. In 1939 he opposed budget cuts and resigned from Cabinet on 21 July. On 1 August, he moved a moved a motion that was critical of the proposal to cut government spending in order to restrain a growing deficit, with Spooner personally attacking Stevens, describing him as running the party as a dictatorship.{{cite hansard |url=https://api.parliament.nsw.gov.au/api/hansard/search/daily/searchablepdf/HANSARD-290296563-5324 |format=PDF |title=State finances: motion of urgency |jurisdiction=New South Wales |house=Legislative Assembly |date=1 August 1939 |page_start=5604 |page_end=5647 |access-date=2021-11-26}} The coalition had a large majority in the assembly, however the motion was passed 43 to 41, with nine United Australia members joining Spooner in voting against the government. Spooner's ambitions to replace Stevens as leader were thwarted as the Leader of the Country Party, Michael Bruxner, refused to join a coalition with him and Alexander Mair succeeded Stevens as Premier.{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17609536 |title=Mr. A. Mair new Premier |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=7 August 1939 |access-date=8 August 2018 |page=11 |via=Trove}}{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17609534 |title=Mr. Spooner's address |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=7 August 1939 |access-date=8 August 2018 |page=12 |via=Trove}}

As the NSW Minister for Local Government, Spooner introduced an ordinance, commencing on 1 September 1935, regulating the design of swimsuits, principally aimed at males who were wearing swim trunks which left their chests bare.{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17271917 |title=Beach dress. |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=24 November 1936 |access-date=1 March 2020 |page=12 |via=Trove }} The lowering of the upper part of a costume to show a bared chest was considered by some people, including the Bega branch of the Country Women's Association, as "disgraceful, and [meriting] rigorous attention".{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article214646890 |title=The Spooner Costume |newspaper=Nambucca and Bellinger News |date=27 November 1936 |access-date=1 March 2020 |page=3 |via=Trove }} A clergyman maintained that "if men were allowed to wear shorts, girls would want shorts and brassieres and that would lead to a steady increase of undesirable conduct on our beaches".{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18482327 |title=Wear modern swimsuits at your peril! |newspaper=The Sunday Herald |date=27 August 1950 |access-date=1 March 2020 |page=1 |via=Trove }}

Protests were received from the Surf Life Saving Association of Australia, and the ordinance was derided as inappropriate for competitive swimming.{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article237981772 |title=Spooner costume setback |newspaper=The Labor Daily |date=18 November 1936 |access-date=1 March 2020 |page=5 |via=Trove }} The prohibitive purchase cost of the required swimming costume was also mentioned. Spooner noted the change legalised costumes currently in use and removed the older "neck to knee" costumes ordinance, dating from 1910.

The State of Victoria followed Spooner's regulation.{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article246467868 |title=Victoria follows |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |date=21 May 1935 |access-date=1 March 2020 |page=9 |via=Trove }} The law was still in effect in NSW in 1950.

In August 1940 Spooner resigned his seat and won the Federal seat of Robertson in the October election. In June 1941, he was appointed Minister for War Organisation of Industry in the third Menzies Ministry, a position he retained until the fall of the Fadden government in October 1941. He lost his seat in the 1943 election. He joined the new Liberal Party, but was almost expelled for questioning the White Australia Policy. He ran unsuccessfully against Prime Minister Ben Chifley in Macquarie in 1946.

Spooner died of cancer in Sydney in 1952, survived by his wife, three sons and daughter.

{{Reflist}}

{{S-start}}

{{s-par|au-nsw}}

{{s-off}}

|-

{{S-vac|last= Bertram Stevens}}

{{S-ttl| title= Assistant Treasurer |years=1933{{spaced ndash}}1935}}

{{S-vac|next= Clive Evatt}}

|-

{{S-bef|before= Joseph Jackson}}

{{S-ttl| title= Minister for Local Government |years=1933{{spaced ndash}}1939}}

{{S-aft|rows=2|after= Bertram Stevens}}

|-

{{S-bef|before= Bertram Stevens}}

{{S-ttl| title= Secretary for Public Works |years=1935{{spaced ndash}}1939}}

{{S-ppo}}

{{S-bef|before= Reginald Weaver }}

{{S-ttl|title=Deputy Leader of the United Australia Party (NSW Branch)|years=1935{{spaced ndash}}1939}}

{{S-aft|after= Athol Richardson }}

{{s-par|au-nsw-la}}

{{Succession box| title=Member for Ryde | before=Evan Davies | after=Arthur Williams | years=1932–1940}}

{{S-par|au}}

{{S-off}}

{{s-new}}

{{s-ttl|title= Minister for War Organisation of Industry |years=1941}}

{{s-aft|after=John Dedman}}

{{S-par|au-hr}}

{{Succession box| title=Member for Robertson | before=Sydney Gardner| after= Thomas Williams| years=1940–1943 }}

{{S-end}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spooner, Eric Sydney}}

Category:Members of the Cabinet of Australia

Category:United Australia Party members of the Parliament of Australia

Category:Liberal Party of Australia politicians

Category:Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly

Category:Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Robertson

Category:Members of the Australian House of Representatives

Category:1891 births

Category:1952 deaths

Category:United Australia Party members of the Parliament of New South Wales

Category:Australian accountants

Category:Australian MPs 1940–1943