Joe Berinson

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The Honourable
Joe Berinson
QC
Black and white portrait of Berinson
Berinson in 1970
Minister for the Environment
In office
14 July 1975 – 11 November 1975
Prime MinisterGough Whitlam
Preceded byGough Whitlam
Succeeded byAndrew Peacock
Attorney-General of Western Australia
In office
25 February 1983 – 16 February 1993
PremierBrian Burke
Peter Dowding
Carmen Lawrence
Preceded byIan Medcalf
Succeeded byCheryl Edwardes
Member of the Australian House of Representatives
In office
25 October 1969 – 13 December 1975
Preceded byFred Chaney
Succeeded byRoss McLean
ConstituencyPerth
Member of the Western Australian Legislative Council
In office
21 May 1989 – 30 April 1993
ConstituencyNorth Metropolitan
Member of the Western Australian Legislative Council
In office
22 May 1983 – 21 May 1989
Serving with Sam Piantadosi
ConstituencyNorth Central Metropolitan
Member of the Western Australian Legislative Council
In office
22 May 1980 – 21 May 1983
Serving with Lyla Elliott
Preceded byDon Cooley
Succeeded byFred McKenzie
ConstituencyNorth-East Metropolitan
Personal details
Born
Joseph Max Berinson

(1932-01-07)7 January 1932
Highgate, Western Australia, Australia
Died2 June 2018(2018-06-02) (aged 86)
Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Resting placeKarrakatta Cemetery
Political partyAustralian Labor Party
Spouse
Jeanette Bekhor
​
(m. 1958)​
Children4
Parents
  • Sam Berinson (father)
  • Rebecca Finklestein (mother)
EducationHighgate Primary School
Perth Modern School
Alma materUniversity of Western Australia
ProfessionPharmacist
Lawyer

Joseph Max Berinson (7 January 1932 – 2 June 2018) was an Australian politician who represented the Australian Labor Party (ALP) in the Australian House of Representatives and the Western Australian Legislative Council. He was Minister for the Environment in the Whitlam government for several months in 1975, later serving a decade as Attorney-General of Western Australia.

Early life[edit]

Berinson was born on 7 January 1932 in his family home in Highgate, Western Australia, a suburb of Perth.[1][2]: 3  His parents were Shulem (Samuel) Berinson, a master baker, and Rivka (Rebecca) née Finkelstein,[3][4] both of whom were Palestinian Jews from the city of Safed. His father migrated to Australia in the early 1910s and his mother migrated to Australia in the early to mid 1920s.[1][2]: 5  Berinson had two older sisters, Goola (born 1924) and Ethel (born 1925).[1]

Berinson attended Highgate Primary School and won a scholarship to attend Perth Modern School.[3][4][5] After matriculating in 1948, he studied pharmacy at Perth Technical College. He did training at a pharmacy in Forrest Place, where he gained his formative political experience. Forrest Place was the location of many political speeches and rallies, including by Prime Ministers Ben Chifley and Robert Menzies. Berinson labelled Menzies' speech as "very off-putting".[2]: 3 [3][4] In 1953, he graduated, began working as a pharmacist in Mount Lawley, and jointed the Mount Lawley branch of the Australian Labor Party.[3][5] Over the years, he would have various executive roles in the Mount Lawley branch and the state executive.[2]: 3 [3][5]

On 9 September 1958, Berinson married Jeanette Bekhor, whom he met at the Zionist Youth League, at the Perth Synagogue. They had three daughters and one son together.[3][5][4] Through the 1950s and 1960s, Berinson built a high profile within Perth's Jewish community, eventually becoming the co-editor of the Jewish newspaper The Maccabean.[3][4]

Federal politics[edit]

In the 1962 state election, Berinson unsuccessfully stood for the unwinnable electoral district of Mount Lawley, being beaten by the Liberal Party's Ray O'Connor. In the 1963 federal election, Berinson stood for the seat of Swan and was beaten by Richard Cleaver.[3][5] Deciding that a law degree would help him in politics, Berinson started studying law at the University of Western Australia in 1967.[2]: 3 [3] Berinson was finally elected to a parliament on the 25 October 1969 federal election, where he was elected to the seat of Perth in the Australian House of Representatives. He defeated the sitting Liberal member, Fred Chaney Sr.[3][5]

Berinson still had yet to complete his law degree when he was elected, so he continued his studies whilst a member of parliament and got his exams deferred to 1970. He would study on the plane to and from Canberra and in the Parliament House Library late at night. His lecturers would tape their presentations that Berinson was unable to attend. He finished the degree by the end of 1970, winning the H. C. F. Keall Prize for best fourth-year law student and the J. A. Wood Prize for best student in the humanities.[2]: 3 [3][4]

Berinson was re-elected in the 1972 federal election, in which Gough Whitlam was elected prime minister. Berinson was not elected to the ministry and did not expect to either, but Whitlam was disappointed that he was not elected to the ministry.[6]

He was elected chairman of committees in February 1975.[7] He was then appointed Minister for the Environment in July 1975, serving until the government's dismissal on 11 November 1975 and then losing his seat in the December 1975 election.[8] After Berinson's defeat in 1975, he was admitted as a legal practitioner in 1977.[9]

State politics[edit]

In 1980, Berinson was elected to the Western Australian Legislative Council representing the Council electorates of North-East Metropolitan (1980–1983), North Central Metropolitan (1983–1989) and North Metropolitan (1989–1993). With the election of Brian Burke as Premier of Western Australia in 1983, Berinson was appointed Attorney-General. He served in this role under successive premiers Burke, Peter Dowding and Carmen Lawrence. While Attorney-General, he was appointed Queen's Counsel (QC) in 1988.[10]

In 1991, he was identified as one of five members of the government most associated with WA Inc transactions.[11]

Later life[edit]

From 2001 to 2005, Berinson served as the president of the Jewish Community Council of Western Australia.[3][12]

Berinson died on 2 June 2018, aged 86. His burial took place the following day at Karrakatta Cemetery. He was survived by his wife Jeanette and their four children.[13][4]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "Ethel Bercove" (PDF). Northbridge History Project. Government of Western Australia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 April 2014. Retrieved 2 March 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Hon Joe Berinson, MLC: Condolence Motion" (PDF). Parliament of Western Australia. 26 June 2018. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Oliver, Bobbie. "Berinson, Joseph Max (Joe) (1932–2018)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISSN 1833-7538. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Cornish, Patrick (13 June 2018). "Versatile, courageous". The West Australian. p. 79.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "Hon Joseph Max Berinson". Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  6. ^ McMullin, Ross (1991). The light on the hill: The Australian Labor Party, 1891-1991. Oxford University Press.
  7. ^ "Appendix 3—Deputy Speakers". House of Representatives Practice (7th ed.). Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  8. ^ The University of Western Australia. "Joe Berinson (1971)". www.law.uwa.edu.au. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  9. ^ "Alumni – Graduates – 1970s – Joe Berinson (1971)". University of Western Australia. Retrieved 1 March 2013.
  10. ^ "Members of the House of Representatives since 1901". Australian Parliament House. Retrieved 1 March 2013.
  11. ^ O'Brien P. The Origins and Development of WA's Executive State, in The Executive State —WA Inc & The Constitution, (Perth 1991), p. 132. The other main players were Burke, Dowding, deputy premier David Parker and industrial development minister Julian Grill.
  12. ^ "Joe Berinson (1971)". University of Western Australia. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  13. ^ Emery, Kate (4 June 2018). "Former A-G dies at 86". The West Australian. p. 9.

Further reading[edit]

Australian House of Representatives
Preceded by Member for Perth
25 October 1969–13 December 1975 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Minister for the Environment
14 July 1975–11 November 1975 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Attorney-General of Western Australia
25 February 1983–16 February 1993 		Succeeded by
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