# Lewis Kent > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Lewis_Kent > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Lewis_Kent.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_Kent > Source revision: 1353354985 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Australian politician}} {{For|the American runner|Beer mile}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2016}} {{Use Australian English|date=January 2016}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = | name = Lewis Kent | honorific_suffix = | image = | constituency_MP = [Hotham](/source/Division_of_Hotham) | parliament = Australian | majority = | predecessor = [Roger Johnston](/source/Roger_Johnston) | successor = [Simon Crean](/source/Simon_Crean) | term_start = 18 October 1980 | term_end = 24 March 1990 | birth_name = Lajco Kopolnai | birth_date = {{birth date|1927|9|8|df=y}} | birth_place = [Subotica](/source/Subotica), [Vojvodina](/source/Vojvodina), [Kingdom of Yugoslavia](/source/Kingdom_of_Yugoslavia) (now [Serbia](/source/Serbia)) | death_date = {{Death date and age|2014|6|22|1927|9|8|df=yes}} | death_place = [Melbourne](/source/Melbourne), Victoria, Australia | spouse = | party = [Australian Labor Party](/source/Australian_Labor_Party) | other_party = [Maki](/source/Maki_(historical_political_party)) (Israel) | relations = | children = | alma_mater = | occupation = [Stationmaster](/source/Stationmaster), [politician](/source/politician) | profession = | signature = | website = | footnotes = }} '''Lewis "Bata" Kent''' (born '''Lajco Kapolnai'''; 8 September 1927 – 22 June 2014) was an Australian politician. He was a member of the [Australian Labor Party](/source/Australian_Labor_Party) (ALP) and represented the [Division of Hotham](/source/Division_of_Hotham) in federal parliament from 1980 to 1990. He was born in Yugoslavia and came to Australia via Israel after the Second World War. ==Early life== Kent was born on 8 September 1927 in [Subotica](/source/Subotica), [Yugoslavia](/source/Yugoslavia), in present-day [Serbia](/source/Serbia).{{Cite news|url=https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id%3A%22handbook%2Fallmps%2FPH4%22;querytype=;rec=0|title=Biography for KENT, Lewis|publisher=Parliament of Australia|access-date=15 June 2020}} His birth name was Lajco Kapolnai, which he later anglicised.{{cite news|url=http://www.smh.com.au/national/harrys-truman-show-on-the-air-20100312-q48g.html|title=Harry's Truman Show on the air|last=Wright|first=Tony|work=Sydney Morning Herald|date=13 March 2010|access-date=9 June 2016}} Kent was raised in [Sombor](/source/Sombor). His parents were [non-practising Jews](/source/non-practising_Jews); he received a [bar mitzvah](/source/bar_mitzvah) but later identified as an atheist.{{cite news|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/263216945|title=Lewis Kent – dedicated to fighting for freedom from racism|first=Bernard|last=Freeman|work=The Australian Jewish Times|date=19 January 1990}} Following the German [invasion of Yugoslavia](/source/invasion_of_Yugoslavia), Kent's family and other Jews in Sombor were caught up in [the Holocaust in German-occupied Serbia](/source/the_Holocaust_in_German-occupied_Serbia). In a 1987 interview, he recalled that all but five of his Jewish high school classmates were killed and described witnessing "Hungarian troops blow a retired teacher's brains out with a grenade as the teacher answered a call at his front door".{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/120505905/|title=MP gives names of 'war criminals'|date=27 November 1987|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald}} He narrowly escaped being captured by the [SS](/source/Schutzstaffel), and due to curfews and bombings an elderly relative he was assisting starved to death.{{cite news|url=https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id%3A%22chamber%2Fhansardr%2F9c18a223-4397-465e-bb44-fdddfbae3cf2%2F0291%22;src1=sm1|title=Kent, Mr Lewis and Mrs Vera|first=Alan|last=Griffin|work=Hansard|publisher=Parliament of Australia|date=17 July 2014|access-date=15 June 2020}} In 1943, Kent and his family escaped to [Budapest](/source/Budapest) with the aid of false identity papers. His elderly grandmother was assisted by [Raoul Wallenberg](/source/Raoul_Wallenberg) in finding a safe house, but died shortly after the war's end. Following the Soviet [siege of Budapest](/source/siege_of_Budapest), Kent and a cousin were treated as Hungarian nationals by the Soviet Army, which made them participate in an 11-day forced march to a prison camp. His cousin died of typhoid in the camp, but he was able to escape after a few months and made his way to [Belgrade](/source/Belgrade). Kent subsequently completed high school and enrolled to study fine arts at [Belgrade University](/source/Belgrade_University). He married in 1948. Kent found life in post-war Yugoslavia difficult and made ''[aliyah](/source/aliyah)'' to Israel later in 1948, shortly after [the country's declaration of independence](/source/Israeli_declaration_of_independence). He was required to renounce his Yugoslav citizenship as a condition of departure. Kent and his wife lived in Israel for five years, where he worked for the national forestry commission in northern Israel. He also joined the [Israeli Communist Party](/source/Maki_(historical_political_party)) and stood unsuccessfully for public office. ==Move to Australia== After moving to Australia in 1954, Kent worked on the railways for 26 years and attained the rank of [stationmaster](/source/stationmaster). He joined the [Victorian Labor Party](/source/Victorian_Labor_Party) and in the late 1960s served as president of the party's New Australian Committee. He expressed concerns that the party's platform was still sympathetic to the [White Australia policy](/source/White_Australia_policy) and called for non-discriminatory immigration to be made an explicit policy plank.{{cite news|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/136954582|title=Immigration policy based 'on race'|newspaper=The Canberra Times|date=11 November 1968}}{{cite news|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/131783790|title=Policy change wanted in ALP|date=12 May 1969|newspaper=The Canberra Times}} Kent also served as chairman of the Yugoslav Welfare Society. In December 1977, he attributed the bombing of the [Jat Airways](/source/Jat_Airways) offices in Melbourne to Croatian separatists in the [Ustaše](/source/Usta%C5%A1e). He warned of possible inter-ethnic violence if the police did not intervene, stating "ninety percent of Croats are good citizens but a small percentage are terrorist types".{{cite news|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/110881196|title=Yugoslavs' spokesman warns of violence|newspaper=The Canberra Times|date=5 December 1977}} ==Parliament== Kent was elected to parliament at the [1980 federal election](/source/1980_Australian_federal_election), defeating the incumbent [Liberal](/source/Liberal_Party_of_Australia) member [Roger Johnston](/source/Roger_Johnston) in the [Division of Hotham](/source/Division_of_Hotham).Lyle Allan (1985), 'Ethnic Politics in the ALP,' in P.R.Hay, J. Halligan, J.Warhurst and B.Costar (eds.), ''Essays on Victorian Politics'', Warrnambool Institute Press, Warrnambool, Victoria, page 141. {{ISBN|0-949759-06-6}} He was re-elected at the [1983](/source/1983_Australian_federal_election), [1984](/source/1984_Australian_federal_election) and [1987 elections](/source/1987_Australian_federal_election). He served on several parliamentary committees and joined a number of parliamentary delegations to other countries. Kent was a member of the [Labor Left](/source/Labor_Left) faction and came into conflict with the [Hawke government](/source/Hawke_government) on a number of occasions. In 1986, he walked out of [Paul Keating](/source/Paul_Keating)'s budget speech, along with [Peter Milton](/source/Peter_Milton_(politician)) and [John Scott](/source/John_Scott_(South_Australian_politician)), when it was announced that the government would resume uranium sales to France.{{Cite news|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/131837732|title=Ryan, Kelly condemned on uranium|date=10 September 1986|newspaper=The Canberra Times}} During the debate over the introduction of the [Australia Card](/source/Australia_Card), Kent said that it was [un-Australian](/source/un-Australian) and that it would be more appropriate to call it a Hitlercard or Stalincard.{{cite news|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/130634679|title=Role reversal in Australia Card debate|date=13 December 1986|newspaper=The Canberra Times}} In 1989, Kent was deselected as Labor candidate for Hotham in favour of former [ACTU](/source/Australian_Council_of_Trade_Unions) president [Simon Crean](/source/Simon_Crean). In November that year, [Liberal](/source/Liberal_Party_of_Australia) MPs [Ken Aldred](/source/Ken_Aldred) and [Jim Short](/source/Jim_Short_(politician)) alleged that Kent was "an agent of a foreign power" and had ties to the [UDBA](/source/UDBA), the Yugoslav secret police. Their allegations were based on a statutory declaration from a member of Melbourne's Yugoslav community. Kent vigorously denied their claims, describing them as a smear campaign. He was suspended from parliament for 24 hours for using [unparliamentary language](/source/unparliamentary_language).{{Cite news|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/120862086|title=Labor MP 'agent of foreign power'|newspaper=The Canberra Times|date=24 November 1989}} The House of Representatives later voted on party lines to suspend Aldred for two days, following a report from the privileges committee.{{Cite news|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/120868131|title=Aldred banned for two days|date=22 December 1989|newspaper=The Canberra Times}} Kent's political career ended at the [1990 federal election](/source/1990_Australian_federal_election), when he attempted to transfer to the newly created [Division of Corinella](/source/Division_of_Corinella_(1990-96)). He was defeated by the Liberal candidate [Russell Broadbent](/source/Russell_Broadbent).{{cite web|last=Carr |first=Adam |title=Australian Election Archive |work=Psephos, Adam Carr's Election Archive |url=http://psephos.adam-carr.net/countries/a/australia |year=2008 |access-date=2008-06-15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070717093439/http://psephos.adam-carr.net/countries/a/australia/ |archive-date=17 July 2007 }} ==Later life== Kent died in June 2014.[http://tributes.theage.com.au/obituaries/theage-au/obituary.aspx?pid=171486888 "Lewis Kent Obituary"] The Age. Retrieved 30 July 2014. He had two children with his wife Vera, who died a few years earlier. ==References== {{Reflist}} {{s-start}} {{s-par|au}} {{succession box | title=Member for [Hotham](/source/Division_of_Hotham) | before=[Roger Johnston](/source/Roger_Johnston)| after=[Simon Crean](/source/Simon_Crean)| years=1980–1990}} {{s-end}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Kent, Lewis}} Category:Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Australia Category:Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Hotham Category:Members of the Australian House of Representatives Category:1927 births Category:2014 deaths Category:Australian anti–nuclear power activists Category:Australian people of European-Jewish descent Category:Australian people of Serbian descent Category:People of Serbian-Jewish descent Category:Yugoslav emigrants to Israel Category:Israeli emigrants to Australia Category:Maki (historical political party) politicians Category:Australian MPs 1980–1983 Category:Australian MPs 1983–1984 Category:Australian MPs 1984–1987 Category:Australian MPs 1987–1990 --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Lewis Kent](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_Kent) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_Kent?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.