Martin Flannery (Australian politician)

Martin Flannery
Secretary for Public Works
In office 17 June 1925 – 26 May 1927
Minister for Railways
In office 17 June 1925 – 26 May 1927
Member of the New South Wales Parliament for Murrumbidgee
In office 20 March 1920 – 18 May 1932 Serving with Ernest Buttenshaw (1920-1927) Arthur Grimm (1920-1925) Edmund Best (1925-1927)
Preceded by	Patrick McGarry
Succeeded by	Robert Hankinson
Personal details
Born	Martin Matthew Flannery 13 December 1885 Barmedman, New South Wales
Died	7 February 1935 (aged 49) Woollahra, New South Wales
Resting place	Waverley Cemetery
Political party	Australian Labor Party
Spouse(s)	Elizabeth Glennan
Children	2
Occupation	Compositor, Timbercutter
Religion	Roman Catholic

Martin Matthew Flannery (13 December 1885 – 7 February 1935) was an Australian politician. He served in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1920 to 1932, representing the Electoral district of Murrumbidgee for the Australian Labor Party.

Early life

He was born at Barmedman to mine manager Matthew Flannery and Johanna, née Fitzgerald. He became a compositor with the Wyalong Star before travelling to New Zealand, returning to become a timbercutter for the True Blue Mine in West Wyalong and farmer.^[1] He was a member of the Yenda branch of the Australian Labor Party and served on Bland Shire Council from 1914 to 1917. On 28 February 1922 he married Elizabeth Glennan, with whom he had two children.^[1]

Parliamentary career

In 1920 Flannery was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly as the Labor member for the multi-member seat of Murrumbidgee, serving alongside Ernest Buttenshaw, of the Country Party, and Nationalist Party members Arthur Grimm and Edmund Best.^[1] Flannery continued to represent the seat following the change to single member constituencies in 1927 and was described by the Riverine Grazier, an anti-Labor newspaper, as "a good local member, with a clean record ... and a formidable antagonist".^[2] He was Secretary for Public Works and Minister for Railways in the first Lang Ministry from 1925 to 1927, but was seen as an opponent of the controversial premier and was unsuccessfully opposed by Lang's supporters for Labor preselection in Murrumbidgee.^[3][4] Flannery served in the Assembly until the 1932 state election, when he lost his seat in a statewide swing against Labor.^[2] Flannery died at Woollahra in 1935.^[1]

Flannery's funeral on 9 February 1935

References

1. "Mr Martin Matthew Flannery (1885–1935)". Former Members. Parliament of New South Wales. 2008. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
2. Hagan, Jim (2006). People and Politics in Regional New South Wales: 1856 to the 1950s. Federation Press. p. 238. ISBN 1-86287-570-7.
3. Cunneen, Christopher (2000). William John McKell: Boilermaker, Premier, Governor-General. Sydney: University of New South Wales Press. p. 93. ISBN 0-86840-587-6. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
4. Howells, Arthur (1983). Against the Stream: the memories of a philospohical anarchist, 1927-1939. Hyland House. p. 48. Retrieved 25 May 2013.