Abe Landa facts for kids

Abram "Abe" Landa (born 10 November 1902 – died 7 October 1989) was an important Australian politician. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, which is like the state parliament, from 1930 to 1932 and again from 1941 to 1965.

Abe Landa was part of the Australian Labor Party. He held several important jobs as a minister in the government between 1953 and 1965.

Early Life and Education

Abe Landa was born in Belfast, Ireland. When he was about eight years old, he moved to Sydney, Australia, with his mother in 1910.

He went to school at Christian Brothers, Waverley. Abe was very smart and won a special scholarship to study law at the University of Sydney. After finishing his studies, he became a solicitor, which is a type of lawyer. He mostly worked on cases related to industrial law, which deals with rules for workers and businesses.

In 1919, he joined the Australian Labor Party (ALP). Later, he even advised a famous Australian, Doc Evatt, at important United Nations meetings. Abe Landa was also a well-known member of Sydney's Jewish community. His nephew, Paul Landa, also became a politician.

Time in State Parliament

Abe Landa was first elected to the New South Wales Parliament in 1930. He represented the area called Bondi. His win helped the Labor Party form a government led by Jack Lang.

However, he lost his seat in the 1932 election. This election was a big loss for the Labor Party. Abe Landa won his seat back in the 1941 election, which saw the Labor Party return to power under William McKell. He continued to win the Bondi seat in the next eight elections.

Abe Landa held several important jobs as a minister. He worked under different premiers (leaders of the state government), including Joseph Cahill, Robert Heffron, and Jack Renshaw.

From 1953 to 1956, he was the Minister for Labour and Industry and Minister for Social Welfare. This meant he helped make rules for workers and looked after people's well-being. From 1956, he became the Minister for Housing. He also became the Minister for Co-operative Societies in 1959. He held both these jobs until the Labor government lost the election in 1965.

Later Career

After the Labor government lost the 1965 election, Abe Landa was offered a special job. He became the Agent-General for New South Wales in London. This job meant he represented New South Wales in the United Kingdom.

This offer was a bit controversial. The new leader, Robert Askin, hoped that by offering Landa this job, Landa would leave parliament. This would cause a special election called a by-election. Askin hoped his party would win the by-election and get more seats in parliament.

When Abe Landa accepted the job, he was removed from the Labor Party. However, Askin's plan didn't work out. The by-election in Bondi was won by another Labor politician, Syd Einfeld.

In 1965, Abe Landa was allowed to keep the title "Honourable." In 1968, he was also given a special award called the Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) for his public service.