Con Sciacca facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Con Sciacca
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Sciacca in 1994
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| Member of the Australian Parliament for Bowman |
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| In office 11 July 1987 – 2 March 1996 |
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| Preceded by | Len Keogh |
| Succeeded by | Andrea West |
| In office 3 October 1998 – 9 October 2004 |
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| Preceded by | Andrea West |
| Succeeded by | Andrew Laming |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Concetto Antonio Sciacca
13 June 1947 Sicily, Italy |
| Died | 21 June 2017 (aged 70) Kangaroo Point, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Nationality | Italian Australian |
| Political party | Australian Labor Party |
| Profession | Solicitor |
Concetto Antonio Sciacca AO (born 13 June 1947 – died 21 June 2017) was an Australian politician. He was a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP). Mr. Sciacca served in the Australian House of Representatives, which is part of Australia's national parliament. He represented the area called Bowman in Queensland. He was a Member of Parliament from July 1987 to March 1996, and again from October 1998 to October 2004.
Contents
Early Life and Career
Con Sciacca was born on 13 June 1947, in a village called Piedimonte Etneo in Sicily, Italy. In 1951, when he was four years old, he moved to Australia with his family. They settled in Queensland, where his father worked cutting sugar cane.
After finishing his law studies, Mr. Sciacca became a solicitor (a type of lawyer) in 1970. He started his own law practice right after law school. His law firm, Sciaccas Lawyers, was later taken over by another legal group in 2014.
Political Journey
Con Sciacca joined the Australian Labor Party (ALP) when he was just 17 years old. He became the state president of the Young Labor group in 1972. This showed his early interest in politics.
He first tried to enter parliament in 1969, at the age of 21. He tried three times to win a seat in the Queensland state parliament, starting in 1977.
Serving in Federal Parliament
Mr. Sciacca successfully ran for the federal parliament in 1987. He won the seat for the Bowman area. He won two more elections in 1990 and 1993, continuing to represent Bowman.
During his time in parliament, he held several important roles:
- From 1990 to 1994, he was a Parliamentary Secretary, helping different ministers.
- From 1994 to 1996, he was the Minister for Veterans' Affairs. In this role, he helped people who had served in Australia's military.
- He also helped the Treasurer with superannuation (retirement savings) from 1995 to 1996.
In the 1996 election, Mr. Sciacca lost his seat to Andrea West from the Liberal Party. However, he was re-elected in 1998. After his return to parliament, he was part of the Opposition Shadow Ministry from 1998 to 2001. This meant he was part of the group that would form the government if their party won the next election.
In 2004, the boundaries of the Bowman area changed. Mr. Sciacca then ran for a new area called Bonner in the 2004 election. He was narrowly defeated in this election.
Special Recognition
In 1992, Mr. Sciacca's son, Sam, sadly passed away from a type of cancer at the age of 19. To honor his son, Mr. Sciacca started the Sam Sciacca Travelling Fellowship. This program allowed health experts to visit Australia and share new research and technology related to cancer.
In 2006, Con Sciacca was given a special award called an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO). He received this award for his "service to ex-service personnel, cancer research institutions and service to the Australian parliament." He dedicated this important award to his son.
Later Life
Con Sciacca faced health challenges, including cancer. In 2015, it was reported that he had been cleared of cancer after an operation. He also had surgery for cataracts in his eyes in 2015.
Con Sciacca passed away on 21 June 2017, at the age of 70. He had been suffering from cancer for a long time. He died at St Vincent's Private Hospital in Brisbane.
