Parker Moloney

Who was Parker Moloney?

Parker John Moloney was an Australian politician, teacher and public servant. He was born at Port Fairy, Victoria to Maurice Moloney and Mary, née Bowe. He became a teacher at John O'Hara's South Melbourne College in 1902 and then at University High School. Around this time he began to be interested in Labor politics and attended the Catholic Young Men's Association. In 1906 he became principal of Beechworth College.

In 1910 Moloney won the Victorian seat of Indi for Labor. He lost it in 1913, but regained it in 1914, in which year, on 15 April, he was married to Margaret Mary Mills. However, it was his opposition to conscription which lost him the seat for good in 1917. He relocated to New South Wales and in 1919 became the first Labor representative for Hume. Despite representing a New South Wales seat, he continued to live in Melbourne, but built up a strong support base in Hume. He was one of only a small number of people who have represented more than one state or territory in the Parliament.

Moloney was Minister for Markets and Transport from 1929 to 1931 as part of the Scullin government.