Rex Jackson

Rex Jackson
Criminal statusReleased
MotiveGambling debts[1]
Conviction(s)Guilty
Criminal chargeConspiring over the release of prisoners[1]
PenaltyTen years custody with a five years non-parole period
(on appeal by The Crown to the Court of Criminal Appeal)[1]
Rex Jackson
NSW Minister for Corrective Services
In office
2 October 1981 – 27 October 1983
PremierNeville Wran
Preceded byBill Haigh
Succeeded byPeter Anderson
NSW Minister for Roads
In office
1 February 1983 – 27 October 1983
PremierNeville Wran
Preceded byPaul Whelan
Succeeded byLaurie Brereton
NSW Minister for Youth and Community Services
In office
14 May 1976 – 2 October 1981
PremierNeville Wran
Preceded byJim Clough
Succeeded byKevin Stewart
Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
for Heathcote
In office
13 February 1971 – 13 August 1986
Preceded byNew seat
Succeeded byIan McManus
Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
for Bulli
In office
9 July 1955 – 13 February 1971
Preceded byLawrence Kelly
Succeeded bySeat abolished
Personal details
Born(1928-10-07)7 October 1928
Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia
Died31 December 2011(2011-12-31) (aged 83)
New South Wales[2]
SpouseIrene Jackson

Rex Frederick Jackson (7 October 1928 – 31 December 2011) was an Australian politician, elected as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly and subsequently imprisoned for conspiracy.

Early life

Jackson was born in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, the son of a railway fettler. He was educated at Harefield Public School and Junee, and Sutherland High Schools. He married his wife, Irene, in 1949.[3]

Career

Jackson was a rail employee, professional boxer and printer. He was the member for Bulli from 1955 to 1971, and the member for Heathcote from 1971 to 1986, representing the Labor Party. He was Minister for Youth and Community Services from May 1976 to October 1981.[4] Under his tenure, the department began funding youth refuges located in NSW, including Caretakers Cottage, Young People's Refuge and Taldamunde Youth Services.[5]

Jackson was then Minister for Corrective Services from October 1981 to October 1983. He was also Minister for Roads from February to October 1983.[4] He resigned his ministerial portfolios on 27 October 1983 and from parliament on 13 August 1986. He was charged with corruption and sent to trial in 1987. The District Court found that Jackson accepted a bribe of A$12,000 in 1983 and that he conspired to organise the early release of three prisoners from Broken Hill Correctional Centre to meet gambling debts.[1] He was initially sentenced to serve seven and a half years in custody (with three years without parole). However, in 1988 The Crown appealed to the Court of Criminal Appeal against the leniency of the sentence. Jackson was subsequently sent to prison for ten years, with a non-parole period of five years,[1][6][7] serving time at Berrima Correctional Centre.[8]

Later years

Following his early release from prison in November 1990, after serving three years and two months of his 10-year term, he returned to his Helensburgh home and was welcomed back by many in his community.[9]

For some years, Jackson operated an ice cream van with business partner Col Alexander, called "Col and Rex's Hot Dogs and Ice Cream" which regularly parked at the top of Bald Hill, a popular hang-gliding spot in Stanwell Tops, south of Sydney. Jackson's wife Irene suffered from arthritis and diabetes, and had a stroke just six weeks after his homecoming. She was hospitalised and then placed in a nursing home, dying in early 1993.[3]

Jackson died on 31 December 2011, aged 83.[8]

Further reading

  • Bottom, Bob (1984). "A Minister Resigns". Without Fear or Favour. Melbourne: Sun Books Pty Limited. ISBN 0-7251-0453-8.
  • Whitton, Evan. "Two Cases That Raised Queries". netk.net.au. Retrieved 5 September 2014.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Appeal court increases Jackson's sentence". The Age. 24 June 1988. p. 3. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
  2. ^ "Rex Jackson dies aged 83". ABC News. Australia. 1 January 2012. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
  3. ^ a b Tarrant, Deborah (10 July 1993). "Rex and the Good Life". The Sun-Herald. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
  4. ^ a b "Mr Rex Frederick Jackson (1928–2011)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
  5. ^ Coffey, Michael. "What Ever Happened to the Revolution? Activism and the Early Days of Youth Refuges in NSW." Parity. Volume 19, Issue 10. Another Country: Histories of Homelessness. Council to Homeless Persons. (2006): 23-25.
  6. ^ Report on investigation into the Silverwater filling operation. Independent Commission Against Corruption. 1 February 1990. ISBN 0-7305-7436-9. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
  7. ^ R v Jackson (1988) 33 A Crim R 413, Court of Criminal Appeal (NSW). LawCite search.
  8. ^ a b "Time runs out for disgraced prisons minister". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2 January 2012. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
  9. ^ Macey, Richard (10 November 1990). "Back Home in Helensburgh, Rex Jackson is Still a Hero". Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 23 August 2011. Retrieved 15 October 2020.

 

New South Wales Legislative Assembly
Preceded by Member for Bulli
1955–1971 		Succeeded by
Seat abolished
Preceded by
New seat
 Member for Heathcote
1971–1986 		Succeeded by