# Rex Jackson

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**Rex Frederick Jackson** (7 October 1928 – 31 December 2011) was an Australian politician, elected as a member of the [New South Wales Legislative Assembly](/source/New_South_Wales_Legislative_Assembly) and subsequently imprisoned for [conspiracy](/source/Conspiracy_(crime)).

## Early life

Jackson was born in [Wagga Wagga](/source/Wagga_Wagga), [New South Wales](/source/New_South_Wales), the son of a railway [fettler](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fettler). He was educated at [Harefield](/source/Harefield,_New_South_Wales) Public School and [Junee](/source/Junee,_New_South_Wales), and [Sutherland](/source/Sutherland,_New_South_Wales) High Schools. He married his wife, Irene, in 1949.[3]

## Career

Jackson was a rail employee, professional boxer and printer. He was the member for [Bulli](/source/Electoral_district_of_Bulli) from 1955 to 1971, and the member for [Heathcote](/source/Electoral_district_of_Heathcote) from 1971 to 1986, representing the [Labor Party](/source/New_South_Wales_Labor_Party). He was [Minister for Youth and Community Services](/source/Minister_for_Youth_and_Community_Services) from May 1976 to October 1981.[4] Under his tenure, the department began funding youth refuges located in NSW, including [Caretakers Cottage](/source/Caretakers_Cottage), Young People's Refuge and Taldamunde Youth Services.[5]

Jackson was then [Minister for Corrective Services](/source/Minister_for_Corrections_(New_South_Wales)) from October 1981 to October 1983. He was also [Minister for Roads](/source/Minister_for_Roads_(New_South_Wales)) from February to October 1983.[4] He resigned his ministerial portfolios on 27 October 1983 and from parliament on 13 August 1986. He was charged with corruption and sent to trial in 1987. The [District Court](/source/District_Court_of_New_South_Wales) found that Jackson accepted a bribe of A$12,000 in 1983 and that he conspired to organise the early release of three prisoners from [Broken Hill Correctional Centre](/source/Broken_Hill_Correctional_Centre) to meet gambling debts.[1] He was initially sentenced to serve seven and a half years in custody (with three years without parole). However, in 1988 [The Crown](/source/The_Crown) appealed to the [Court of Criminal Appeal](/source/New_South_Wales_Court_of_Criminal_Appeal) against the leniency of the sentence. Jackson was subsequently sent to prison for ten years, with a non-parole period of five years,[1][6][7] serving time at [Berrima Training Centre](/source/Berrima_Gaol).[8]

## Later years

Following his early release from prison in November 1990, after serving three years and two months of his 10-year term, he returned to his [Helensburgh](/source/Helensburgh,_New_South_Wales) home and was welcomed back by many in his community.[9]

For some years, Jackson operated an [ice cream van](/source/Ice_cream_van) with business partner Col Alexander, called "Col and Rex's Hot Dogs and Ice Cream" which regularly parked at the top of [Bald Hill](/source/Bald_Hill_(Australia)), a popular hang-gliding spot in [Stanwell Tops](/source/Stanwell_Tops,_New_South_Wales), south of Sydney. Jackson's wife Irene suffered from arthritis and diabetes, and had a stroke just six weeks after his homecoming. She was hospitalised and then placed in a nursing home, dying in early 1993.[3]

Jackson died on 31 December 2011, aged 83.[8]

## Further reading

- Bottom, Bob (1984). "A Minister Resigns". *Without Fear or Favour*. Melbourne: Sun Books Pty Limited. ISBN 0-7251-0453-8.
- Whitton, Evan. ["Two Cases That Raised Queries"](http://netk.net.au/Whitton/Worms20.asp). *netk.net.au*. Retrieved 5 September 2014.

## References

1. ["Appeal court increases Jackson's sentence"](https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=AzopAAAAIBAJ&sjid=9JYDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2797,1883669&dq=rex-jackson+sentenced&hl=en). *The Age*. 24 June 1988. p. 3. Retrieved 2 January 2012.

1. ["Rex Jackson dies aged 83"](http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-01-01/rex-jackson-dies-aged-83/3754114). *ABC News*. 1 January 2012. Retrieved 2 January 2012.

1. Tarrant, Deborah (10 July 1993). ["Rex and the Good Life"](http://newsstore.smh.com.au/apps/viewDocument.ac?page=1&sy=smh&kw=%22rex+jackson%22&pb=all_ffx&dt=selectRange&dr=entire&so=relevance&sf=text&sf=headline&rc=200&rm=200&sp=adv&clsPage=1&docID=news930710_0267_9300#). *The Sun-Herald*. Retrieved 2 January 2012.

1. "Mr Rex Frederick Jackson (1928–2011)". 1878. Retrieved 13 May 2019.

1. Coffey, Michael. ["What Ever Happened to the Revolution? Activism and the Early Days of Youth Refuges in NSW."](http://www.drbilldayanthropologist.com/resources/Freedom%20to%20Sleep.pdf) *Parity*. Volume 19, Issue 10. Another Country: Histories of Homelessness. Council to Homeless Persons. (2006): 23-25.

1. [*Report on investigation into the Silverwater filling operation*](http://www.icac.nsw.gov.au/dmdocuments/pub2_3i.htm). [Independent Commission Against Corruption](/source/Independent_Commission_Against_Corruption_(New_South_Wales)). 1 February 1990. ISBN 0-7305-7436-9. Retrieved 5 January 2012.

1. *R v Jackson* (1988) 33 [A Crim R](/source/Australian_Criminal_Reports) 413, [Court of Criminal Appeal](/source/New_South_Wales_Court_of_Criminal_Appeal) (NSW). [LawCite search](http://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/LawCite?cit=(1988)%2033%20A%20Crim%20R%20413).

1. ["Time runs out for disgraced prisons minister"](http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/time-runs-out-for-disgraced-prisons-minister-20120101-1ph9s.html). *The Sydney Morning Herald*. 2 January 2012. Retrieved 2 January 2012.

1. Macey, Richard (1990-11-10). ["Back Home in Helensburgh, Rex Jackson is Still a Hero"](http://newsstore.smh.com.au/apps/viewDocument.ac?page=1&sy=smh&kw=%22rex+jackson%22&pb=all_ffx&dt=selectRange&dr=entire&so=relevance&sf=text&sf=headline&rc=200&rm=200&sp=adv&clsPage=1&docID=news901110_0063_1423). *Sydney Morning Herald*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20110823061520/http://newsstore.smh.com.au/apps/viewDocument.ac?page=1&sy=smh&kw=%22rex+jackson%22&pb=all_ffx&dt=selectRange&dr=entire&so=relevance&sf=text&sf=headline&rc=200&rm=200&sp=adv&clsPage=1&docID=news901110_0063_1423) 2011-08-23 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2020-10-15.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Rex Jackson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rex_Jackson) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rex_Jackson?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.