Rex Jackson

Rex Frederick Jackson (7 October 1928 – 31 December 2011) was a long-serving Labor member of the NSW Parliament who lived in Helensburgh for much of his adult life. He represented the northern Illawarra in the Legislative Assembly for 31 years and became one of the state’s most controversial ministers before conviction and imprisonment in the 1980s.

Today his name survives in local geography: Rex Jackson Park on Walker Street, home of the Helensburgh Tigers rugby league club.

Helensburgh connections

• ALP branch — foundation member of the Helensburgh branch; delegate to the Bulli state electorate council
• Marriage — married Irene Sneyd on 5 November 1959 at Helensburgh
• Rex Jackson Park — council sportsground on Walker Street, named in his honour; home of the Tigers RLFC
• Return home — after early release from prison in November 1990, Jackson returned to Helensburgh and was welcomed by many locals
• Bald Hill — in later years operated Col and Rex’s Hot Dogs and Ice Cream, a van that regularly parked at Bald Hill lookout above Stanwell Park

Political career

Jackson entered parliament in 1955 as member for Bulli, covering the northern Illawarra including Helensburgh. When boundaries changed he held the new seat of Heathcote from 1971 until his resignation in 1986.

Under Premier Neville Wran he served in several ministries:

Community roles included Justice of the Peace, president of the Bulli Pass Scenic Reserves, chairman of the Royal National Park advisory committee, and secretary of the Waterfall Bushfire Brigade. He was also a delegate to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association conference in Trinidad in 1969.

For the full parliamentary service record, see the NSW Parliament former members page.

Controversy and conviction

In 1983 allegations emerged that Jackson had accepted payments in return for granting early release to certain prisoners. He resigned from the ministry on 27 October 1983 for misleading Parliament over the corruption claims.

A special commission of inquiry reported in July 1984 that Jackson should be charged. He was subsequently convicted of conspiracy over the early release of prisoners and imprisoned. On appeal his sentence was increased to ten years with a five-year non-parole period. He was released in November 1990 after serving roughly three years.

Later life and death

After returning to Helensburgh, Jackson ran the Bald Hill ice-cream and hot-dog van with business partner Col Alexander. His wife Irene, who had suffered arthritis, diabetes, and a stroke soon after his release, died in early 1993.

Jackson died on 31 December 2011 on the NSW south coast, aged 83. Obituaries noted his long parliamentary service and his enduring local profile — both as a minister and as a figure who divided public opinion.

• ABC News — Rex Jackson dies aged 83
• Sydney Morning Herald — Time runs out for disgraced prisons minister