Don Farrell

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Don Farrell (born 1954), Australian trade unionist and Australian Labor Party powerbroker. Farrell is the South Australian secretary of the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA) union and the unofficial leader of the state's right faction. His influence in the South Australian branch of the Labor Party is one of the major factors in its relative factional stability and recent electoral prosperity.

Farrell was born in Murray Bridge to a family of Irish-Catholic origins in 1954, and attended St Theresa's Primary School and Blackfriars Priory School while living in the Adelaide suburb of Daw Park. His father, Edward, ran as a Democratic Labor Party candidate throughout the 1960s and 70s and had a guiding influence on the young Farrell. While studying a law degree at the University of Adelaide Farrell was not entertained by the student radicalism of the era and was unimpressed with the Whitlam government.

Farrell joined the SDA as a lawyer after completing his degree and attained the position of assistant secretary in 1980. His sole, and unsuccessful, attempt at gaining political office was a by-election for the Division of Adelaide in 1988. He has, however, been instrumental in the election of various figures in South Australia, notably Kate Ellis, the present Federal Member for Adelaide and Linda Kirk, a Federal Senator for South Australia. Farrell was responsible for the internal deal that saw Premier Mike Rann become leader of the state Labor Party in 1994, with his position guarenteed for at least two terms; Rann's position is reliant upon Farrell's continued support. Farrell's devout Catholicism and factional ruthlessness have earned him the nicknames of 'The Pope' and 'The Don', respectively. He has been the leading driver in the marginalisation of the left since the 1980s; this culminated in the defection of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union in early 2006, giving the right a majority in the state caucus.

Farrell lives in the Adelaide Hills suburb of Waterfall Gully with his wife Nimfa and three daughters.

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