Sid Spindler

Siegfried Emil "Sid" Spindler (9 July 1932 – 1 March 2008) was an Australian politician representing the Australian Democrats in the Australian Senate for one term from 1990 to 1996.

Spindler was born in Łódź, Poland. After migrating to Australia, he studied at the University of Melbourne where he graduated LL.B. His background as a refugee from World War II Europe influenced what he described as

a personal quest to resolve issues related to the Holocaust, reaching a conclusion that a repetition can be prevented only if every human being is respected and treated equally, regardless of race, religion, gender and sexuality.^[1]

He was an administrator of the Alice Springs Community College and an organiser and candidate for the Australia Party^[2] before joining the Australian Democrats and becoming senior adviser to Don Chipp and Janine Haines.^[3][4]

Spindler was Victorian state president of the Australian Democrats from 1985 to 1989 and a national vice-president from 1987 to 1990. He was elected as a senator for Victoria in 1990, serving from 1 July 1990 to 30 June 1996 and managing a range of shadow-ministerial portfolios, as was mandatory for all Democrat parliamentarians. In parliament he spoke in support of the rights of Aborigines, refugees, prisoners, pensioners, taxpayers and the environment. He also spoke and campaigned against child labour and sexual discrimination. He retired from the Senate at the end of his term in 1996.^[3][5][6]

Spindler's relationship with Janet Powell, then leader of the Democrats, was used as leverage to remove Powell from the leadership in 1991.^[7]

Spindler and his family established the Towards a Just Society Fund in 2002, which distributes $200,000 annually to help Aboriginal students.

He died of liver cancer in the Epworth Hospital in Melbourne, on his fiftieth wedding anniversary. He was survived by his wife Julia and four children.^[4][5]

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