Rex 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.

Rex Jackson
Member for Bulli
In office
1955–71
Preceded byLawrence Kelly
Succeeded bySeat abolished
Member for Heathcote
In office
1971–86
Preceded byNew seat
Succeeded byIan McManus
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[1]
SpouseIrene Jackson
Rex Jackson
Criminal statusReleased
MotiveGambling debts[2]
Conviction(s)Guilty
Criminal chargeConspiring over the release of prisoners[2]
PenaltyTen years custody with a five years non-parole period
(on appeal by The Crown to the Court of Criminal Appeal)[2]

Biography

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 became a rail employee, professional boxer and printer. He married his wife, Irene, in 1949.[3]

Jackson 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 and then Minister for Corrective Services from October 1981 to October 1983. He was also Minister for Roads from February to October 1983.[4]

Jackson 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.[2] 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,[2][5][6] serving time at Berrima Correctional Centre.[7]

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.[8]

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.[7]

Minister for Youth and Community Services

From May 1976 to October 1981, Jackson held the post of Minister of Youth and Community Services (DoYCS).[4] Under his tenure, the Department began funding youth refuges located in NSW, including Caretakers Cottage, Young People's Refuge and Taldamunde Youth Services.[9]

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. "Rex Jackson dies aged 83". ABC News. Australia. 1 January 2012. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
  2. "Appeal court increases Jackson's sentence". The Age. 24 June 1988. p. 3. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
  3. Tarrant, Deborah (10 July 1993). "Rex and the Good Life". The Sun-Herald. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
  4. "Mr Rex Frederick Jackson (1928–2011)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
  5. Report on investigation into the Silverwater filling operation. Independent Commission Against Corruption. 1 February 1990. ISBN 0-7305-7436-9. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
  6. R v Jackson (1988) 33 A Crim R 413, Court of Criminal Appeal (NSW). LawCite search.
  7. "Time runs out for disgraced prisons minister". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2 January 2012. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.

 

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