Greg Moran

Interviewed by
Sue Yarrow
Apr 01 2013
Greg Moran

ALP member Greg Moran worked as an ALP State Organiser (1984-91) before taking up positions advising the Brisbane Lord Mayor, Jim Soorley (1991-92) and as Policy Advisor to Ministers during the Goss Government (1992-95). He is an ALP activist, very involved in party and factional activities. He discusses the 1980 federal intervention in the Queensland ALP.

Biography
Time Summary Keywords
00:00:00

Sue Yarrow introduces Greg Moran, outlining his early history and his involvement in the ALP.
00:02:11

Greg Moran discusses living in the northern suburbs of Brisbane and the sectarian underpinnings of life in those days. He recalls starting work as a clerk in the Queensland Railways, a full union shop, and remembers joining the ALP, Brisbane Young Labor, at age 17 in meetings at Arch and Kathy Bevis' house where there was a big focus on issues like anti-uranium and anti-nuclear power.

 Archie Bevis, Kathy Bevis, Queensland Rail, uranium mining
00:05:50

Greg Moran discusses the 1971 Springboks visit to Brisbane when he was eleven when he admired the ALP stand against apartheid, establishing it as a party for social justice.

 social justice, Springboks Rugby tour 1971
00:06:57

Greg Moran remembers his reaction to the sacking of Gough Whitlam when he was in Grade 10 at Gregory Terrace College, Brisbane, and students marching after school down to King George Square to join a protest rally.

 Gough Whitlam, protest
00:08:57

Greg Moran remembers meeting Neal Kane who became a mentor at the Anzac Club on Wickham Terrace, Brisbane, and his belief that Kane spoke with George Georges and Ian McLean to arrange a deal for Moran to win his State Organiser position with the ALP. 

 George Georges, Ian McLean, Neal Kane
00:11:08

Greg Moran discusses another of his mentors, Jack Camp, and meetings between ALP reformers and the Old Guard which finished at the Caxton Hotel, Brisbane, with rival groups drinking on opposite sides of the bar. He recalls Old Guard members including: Jack Camp (senior and junior), Brian Davis and Jeannie Davis.

 Jack Camp
00:13:30

Greg Moran discusses other Young Labor contacts including Arch Bevis, David and Meg Hinchliffe, John Shepley, Pat Hickey and Jackie Lewis (married to Wally Lewis).

 Archie Bevis, David Hinchliffe, Margaret Hinchliffe, Young Labor
00:14:40

Greg Moran discusses his memories of factions and Young Labor and the need for reform.

 Archie Bevis, factions, Young Labor
00:17:08

Greg Moran discusses his early contacts within the ALP including Bart Lourigan, Gerry Jones, Brian Davis, Charlie Rowlands, Joe St Ledger, Ben Humphreys, Pat Comben, Manfred Cross and Moran's uncle Bryan Walsh the Brisbane City alderman for Ashgrove.

 Bryan Walsh, Gerry Jones, Manfred Cross, Pat Comben
00:18:32

Greg Moran recalls that the 1957 split in the ALP was a very big issue in the Moran family with the community split across Catholic parishes between the ALP and the DLP.

 Brisbane City Council, Catholics, DLP, sectarianism
00:20:21

Greg Moran remembers the divisions following the split went very deep and suspicion remained especially among the industrial unions.

 Amalgamated Metal Workers Union, Catholics, DLP, sectarianism
00:21:35

Greg Moran discusses the presence of Masons in the ALP Old Guard faction and mentions Eric Shaw, Nev Warburton, Ken Leese and Roy Harvey.

factions, Masons, Neville Warburton, Roy Harvey
00:23:40

Greg Moran discusses the threat from the police in Queensland.

 Police
00:25:09

Greg Moran discusses the leaders of the THG including Neal Kane and the Masonic THG members. He states that they thought of themselves as left wing but were just exclusionary, sexist, sectarian, and deep down racist individuals.

 Masons, Neal Kane, racism, sectarianism, sexism, Trades Hall Group
00:28:45

Greg Moran discusses communists in the union movement including Hugh Hamilton from the BWIU.

BWIU, Communism, Hugh Hamilton, Trades and Labor Council
00:30:41

Greg Moran describes factions in the ALP and Young Labor.

factions, Young Labor
00:32:25

Greg Moran discusses his view of the ALP intervention and the role of Ed Casey, Keith Wright, Manfred Cross and Jack Camp.

 Ed Casey, Jack Camp, Keith Wright, Manfred Cross
00:34:27

Greg Moran discusses the motivations of Denis Murphy in the intervention.

 Denis Murphy
00:35:00

Greg Moran discusses the motivations of those in the Old Guard of the ALP.

00:36:45

Greg Moran discusses his election as Party Organiser at the June 1984 Townsville ALP Conference and the reaction of Peter Beattie and his factional members.

 factions, George Georges, Ian McLean, Neal Kane, Nic Bos, Peter Beattie
00:45:02

Greg Moran reflects on the role of the ALP New South Wales right faction and their opinion of Bill Hayden.

Bill Hayden, factions
00:46:44

Greg Moran discusses strike action for the 38 Hour Week when he worked as a clerk at the railways. He recalls that during the SEQEB strike, he worked with SEQEB families supporting the strikers and unions.

 Rockhampton, SEQEB dispute
00:49:00

Greg Moran discusses the Peter Beattie and Con Sciacca plebiscite in Redlands.

Con Sciacca, Lindsay Jones, Nic Bos, Peter Beattie
00:51:36

Greg Moran reflects on the role of the ALP Old Guard contributing to intervention.

 Rockhampton
00:53:36

Greg Moran discusses AWU alliances and the positions of Errol Hodder, Bill Ludwig, John Black, Gerry Jones and Wayne Goss.

 AWU, Bill Ludwig, Errol Hodder, Gerry Jones, John Black, Wayne Goss
00:58:59

Greg Moran reflects on the culture of traditionalism in Queensland, the gerrymander and the Fitzgerald Inquiry.

 corruption, Fitzgerald Inquiry, gerrymander
01:01:13

Greg Moran discusses proportional representation and his changing attitude to affirmative action within the ALP, especially with high calibre candidates like Di Farmer and Kate Jones.

 affirmative action, Di Farmer, Kate Jones, women
01:04:25

Greg Moran discusses the ALP campaign strategy after the Fitzgerald Inquiry, and the role of Wayne Goss and Wayne Swan.

 campaign strategy, Wayne Goss, Wayne Swan
01:05:31

Greg Moran considers the role of factions in the ALP today and the current state of the party.

 factions
01:09:04

Greg Moran reflects on the outcomes of the ALP intervention and its relationship to the current malaise in the party.

factions
01:11:33

Greg Moran discusses the return of the AWU to the ALP and the influence of the Trades Hall unions.

 AWU, unions
01:13:03

Greg Moran considers what the ALP should learn from the years of reform.
01:14:54

Interview ends
Position:
Other
Bailiwick:
Ministerial Advisor
Decade:
1980s, 1990s
Sound byte: 

Greg Moran

Biography

Greg Moran

Gregory Stephen Moran was born in Brisbane on 13 September 1960. He attended Newmarket Primary School and then St Joseph’s, Gregory Terrace during his high school years. His first employment was as a clerk with Queensland Rail in 1978.

Moran joined Queensland Young Labor in 1977, and the main Australian Labor Party in 1978.  Always politically involved, from 1984 to 1991 he was the ALP Party Organiser. Moran held the position of Government Relations Advisor for the Brisbane Lord Mayor, Jim Soorley from 1991-92, then served as Ministerial Policy Advisor to two Goss Government Ministers from 1992-95. He established his own tour and market research companies, in which he continues to participate and also works with the National Union of Workers Superannuation Fund. He remains an ALP activist, very involved in party and factional activities.

Moran continues to hold his ALP membership.

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