Brian Harradine (born January 9 1935), Australian politician, has been an independent member of the Australian Senate since 1975, representing the state of Tasmania. He was born in Quorn, South Australia before moving to Tasmania in 1959.
Harradine worked as an official for the Federated Clerks Union and then went on to serve as Secretary General of the Tasmanian Trades and Labour Council between 1964 and 1976 and by virtue of this position, a member of the executive of the Australian Council of Trade Unions. While a member of the Australian Labor Party, Harradine's socially conservative politics driven by his Catholic background made him a prime target for accusations of sympathy for the Democratic Labor Party and he was expelled from the ALP by the Federal Executive.
He decided to contest the 1975 election as an independent for the Senate and he won comfortably. Harradine then went on to win a seat at every Senate election until deciding to retire prior to the 2004 election. He is currently the longest-serving member of the Senate. His term will expire on 30 June, 2005.
