John Spender

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix =

| name = John Spender

| honorific-suffix = KC

| image = John Spender KC.jpg

| caption = Spender circa 1988

| office = Manager of Opposition Business

| leader = John Howard

| predecessor = Ian Sinclair

| successor = Wal Fife

| term_start = 29 April 1987

| term_end = 14 August 1987

| constituency_MP1 = North Sydney

| parliament1 = Australian

| majority1 =

| predecessor1 = Bill Graham

| successor1 = Ted Mack

| term_start1 = 18 October 1980

| term_end1 = 24 March 1990

| birth_date = {{birth date|df=y|1935|12|2}}

| birth_place = Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

| death_date = {{death date and age|2022|10|13|1935|12|2|df=y}}

| death_place = Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

| nationality = Australian

| spouse = Carla Zampatti (m. 1975–2010)
Catherine Spender

| party = Liberal

| parents = Percy Spender
Jean Spender

| children = Bianca Spender
Allegra Spender

| residence =

| alma_mater = Yale University

| occupation =

| profession = Barrister

| religion =

| signature =

| website =

| footnotes =

}}

John Michael Spender {{post-nominals|country=AUS|size=100%|KC}} (2 December 1935 – 13 October 2022) was an Australian politician, diplomat and barrister. He was a member of the House of Representatives from 1980 to 1990, representing the Liberal Party, and was a shadow minister under Andrew Peacock and John Howard. He later served as Ambassador to France from 1996 to 2000.

Early life

Spender was born in Sydney on 2 December 1935.{{cite book |title=Who's who in Asian and Australasian Politics |date=1991 |publisher=Bowker-Saur |isbn=978-0-86291-593-3 |page=293 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ge25AAAAIAAJ |language=en}} He was the son of Jean (née Henderson) and Percy Spender. His mother was a novelist and his father was a politician, diplomat and judge who served as Ambassador to the United States in the 1950s.{{cite news |last1=Crowe |first1=David |title=Allegra Spender pays tribute to father John Spender after his death |url=https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/allegra-spender-pays-tribute-to-father-john-spender-after-his-death-20221014-p5bpyf.html |access-date=15 October 2022 |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=14 October 2022 |language=en}}

Spender was educated at Cranbrook School, Sydney, Yale University and Gray's Inn. He returned to Australia and practised as a barrister in Sydney from 1961 to 1980. He was appointed Queen's Counsel (QC) in 1974.{{cite news|url=https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/media/pressrel/FYZ20/upload_binary/FYZ20.pdf;fileType=application%2Fpdf#search=%22media/pressrel/FYZ20%22|title=Diplomatic appointment: Ambassador to France|first=Alexander|last=Downer|publisher=Department of Foreign Affairs|date=19 July 1996|access-date=19 April 2020}} In 1978, he represented the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA) in a lawsuit against the Australian Workers' Union (AWU).{{Cite news|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/131861509|title='$100,000 bill' for unionist|newspaper=The Canberra Times|date=28 June 1978}}

Spender was commissioned by the Government of New South Wales to report on the collapse of Gollin Holdings Limited. He found that the company's managing director Keith Gale had falsified accounts to cover a $10.8 million loss in 1975,{{cite news|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/110848339|title=$10.8m Gollin loss hidden, QC says|newspaper=The Canberra Times|date=1 June 1977}} and had also misappropriated company funds.{{cite news|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/110885469|title=Gollin executive 'misused funds'|newspaper=The Canberra Times|date=1 March 1978}} His final report was tabled in state parliament in March 1979, and recommended changes to company laws and practices.{{cite news|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/110936295|title=Gollin report tabled by QC|newspaper=The Canberra Times|date=22 March 1979}}

Politics

Spender served as treasurer and metropolitan vice-president of the Liberal Party of Australia (New South Wales Division). In 1979, he and state president David Patten conducted an inquiry into Lyenko Urbanchich, a Liberal Party official who had been accused of collaboration with the Nazis in war-time Slovenia. They found no clear evidence to verify the allegations but recommended he be barred from holding party office with the permission of the state executive. However, the state executive subsequently voted that Urbanchich be expelled from the party.{{cite news|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/110578162|title='Nazi' accusation being investigated|newspaper=The Canberra Times|date=27 August 1979}}{{Cite news|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/137012722|title=Liberals told to expel Urbanchich|newspaper=The Canberra Times|date=2 February 1980}}

Spender unsuccessfully sought Liberal preselection at the 1969 federal election (in Warringah) and the 1973 Parramatta by-election.{{Cite news|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/131783169|title=21 seek Liberal Party backing for seat|date=8 May 1969|newspaper=The Canberra Times}}{{cite news|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/110739783|title=Nominations for preselection|date=27 July 1973|newspaper=The Canberra Times}} He was eventually elected to the House of Representatives at the 1980 federal election, succeeding Bill Graham in North Sydney. After the Coalition's defeat in 1983, he was appointed to Andrew Peacock's shadow ministry with responsibility for aviation and defence support.{{Cite news|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/116373949|title=Opposition team|newspaper=The Canberra Times|date=17 March 1983}} He was later removed for opposing the Costigan Commission.{{cite news|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/122535089|title=New team|newspaper=The Canberra Times|date=18 December 1984}}

Following the 1985 leadership spill, the new opposition leader John Howard appointed Spender as shadow attorney-general.{{cite news|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/128254388|title=Seven new front benchers|newspaper=The Canberra Times|date=10 September 1985}} In June 1986, he strongly criticised proposals for a bill of rights.{{cite news|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/118127601|title=Bill of Rights: a view from the Opposition|newspaper=The Canberra Times|date=25 June 1986}} In April 1987, he succeeded Peter Baume as the Coalition's spokesman on the status of women, in the absence of any women in the shadow ministry.{{Cite news|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/118187340|title=Spender backs women's rights|newspaper=The Canberra Times|date=27 April 1987}} After the 1987 federal election Spender was given the foreign affairs portfolio.{{cite news|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/132153043|title=Opposition team|newspaper=The Canberra Times|date=15 August 1987}} In August 1988, he called for all Australian sanctions against South Africa to be removed, stating they had slowed reform.{{cite news|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/102043363|title=Drop sanctions against South Africa: Spender|newspaper=The Canberra Times|date=14 August 1988}}

Spender held the seat until his defeat by prominent independent Ted Mack at the 1990 election. He lost over 18 percent of his primary vote from 1987, allowing Mack to win when Democrat and Labor preferences flowed overwhelmingly to him.{{cite web|last=Carr |first=Adam |title=Australian Election Archive |work=Psephos, Adam Carr's Election Archive |url=http://psephos.adam-carr.net/countries/a/australia |year=2008 |access-date=24 May 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070717093439/http://psephos.adam-carr.net/countries/a/australia/ |archive-date=17 July 2007 |url-status=dead }}

Ambassador

In 1996, Spender was appointed Australian Ambassador to France, a position he held until 2000.{{cite press release|url=http://www.foreignminister.gov.au/releases/1996/fa65.html|title=Diplomatic Appointment: Ambassador to France|publisher=Australian Government|date=19 July 1996|first=Alexander|last=Downer|author-link=Alexander Downer|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140427010714/http://www.foreignminister.gov.au/releases/1996/fa65.html|archive-date=27 April 2014}} He was also non-resident ambassador to Portugal (1996–1998) and special envoy to Cyprus (1996–2000).{{cite news|url=http://news.domain.com.au/domain/real-estate-news/seeking-a-real-big-spender-20120203-1qw2z.html|title=Seeking a real big Spender|first=Margie|last=Blok|date=4 February 2012|newspaper=Domain|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130609054602/http://news.domain.com.au/domain/real-estate-news/seeking-a-real-big-spender-20120203-1qw2z.html|archive-date=9 June 2013}} He was awarded a Legion D'honneur by the French government for the work he did to build French and Australian relations.{{cite web |title=130130_Speech_Decoration_John_Spender_ENG |url=https://au.ambafrance.org/IMG/pdf/130130_Speech_Decoration_John_Spender_ENG.pdf |access-date=14 October 2022 |website=Ambassade de France en Australie}}

Personal life and death

Spender married fashion designer Carla Zampatti in 1975 and they had two children: Bianca and Allegra. Zampatti publicly announced the end of the marriage at an event at her home in April 2010.{{cite news|last=Hornery|first=Andrew|title=Designer puts her best foot forward despite separation |url=http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/fashion/designer-puts-her-best-foot-forward-despite-separation-20100428-tsh0.html|access-date=21 March 2012|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=29 April 2010}} He then married Catherine Spender.{{cn|date=October 2024}}

Bianca Spender is a fashion designer. Allegra Spender was elected to the House of Representatives at the 2022 federal election, standing as a teal independent against an incumbent Liberal MP. Her father publicly endorsed her candidacy.{{cite news |url=https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/election-2022-liberal-john-spenders-blessing-for-daughters-bid-to-unseat-dave-sharma/news-story/17bec0c4c9f511a66b9ff388a5d983a6|title=Liberal's blessing for daughter's bid to unseat Sharma|newspaper=The Australian|date=8 April 2022|accessdate=23 June 2022|first=Remy|last=Varga}}

Spender died in Sydney on 13 October 2022, at the age of 86.{{cite web |url= https://www.skynews.com.au/australia-news/independent-mp-allegra-spender-pays-tribute-to-her-late-father-john-spender-remembering-him-as-warm-and-generous/news-story/714f25c179b011e20fffb2589bee682c | title= Independent MP Allegra Spender pays tribute to her late father John Spender remembering him as 'warm and generous' | author = Jack Mahony | date = 14 October 2022 | newspaper = Sky News.Com.AU | accessdate= 14 October 2022 | publisher= Australian News Channel Pty Ltd | archiveurl= |archivedate=}}