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19-460: Established in 1984 by businessman and philanthropist, the late Sir Peter Abeles AC. Lady (Sonia) McMahon was also a founding Board member until her death in 2010. A Board of Trustees, composed of prominent and influential Australian business people, administers the organisation. The current chairman is Mr Tom Dery AO, Worldwide Chairman of M&C Saatchi . A Medical Research Advisory Committee (MRAC) assesses all grant applications and advises

38-443: A fellow Hungarian immigrant. The pair bought two trucks, which they named "Samson" and "Delilah," and set up a transport company, Alltrans . In 1967, Alltrans merged with Thomas Nationwide Transport , the combined companies trading as TNT-Alltrans. Under Abeles' guidance as managing director , TNT quickly expanded, and by the 1980s had established a presence in 180 countries and was termed "the second biggest transport empire in

57-624: A new centrist political party to seize power from the Whitlam government , but that this did not eventuate because of the events of 1975 . During Hawke's time as Prime Minister , Abeles was Hawke's witness to the Kirribilli Agreement of 1988 in which he agreed to hand over the Prime Ministership to Paul Keating if and after Hawke had won the 1990 election . Abeles was knighted in 1972 for services to business and

76-746: A number of "strikes, shootings and bombings." These stopped when Tham intervened. It was Tham who introduced Abeles to Fratianno, and Mangano, associate of Frank Tieri , who was then the boss of New York's Genovese family. Abeles' denial of any knowledge of mafia involvement in his business is supported in an interview conducted by the Australian Federal Police with Fratianno in San Francisco in 1979 when he told them that "I don't think that he knew these guys had connections." The payments, Fratianno said, were all legal, paid to corporations to ensure there would be no Union trouble on

95-529: A seat at the board of TNT and 110,000 shares. He has been accused of being an associate of crime boss Abe Saffron and of being involved in drug trafficking with the Nugan Hand Bank . Abeles admitted to having common business interests with US West Coast Mafia boss Jimmy "The Weasel" Fratianno , but claimed that he did not know that Fratianno was a Mafioso. He did, however, admit to having given another mafioso, Venero Frank "Benny Eggs" Mangano (later

114-538: A stepdaughter. He is buried in Section 23E of Rookwood Cemetery , in Sydney. Sir Peter occasionally cut a controversial figure with alleged business tactics, and was seen as unsympathetic towards minority shareholders. He was also caught up in the allegations of corruption that centred on then NSW Premier Sir Robert Askin , from whom journalist David Hickie accused him of buying his 1972 knighthood , giving Askin

133-593: The underboss for the Genovese crime family ), a 'consultancy fee' of $ US300,000 for 'advice' on how to acquire an east coast shipping line, Seatrain , and other matters related to the New York waterfront ." Abeles was also connected to Rudy Michael Tham , leader of Local 856, "the second largest Teamsters ' branch in San Francisco and mafia 'associate'." In the 1970s, TNT's US operations were besieged by

152-774: The ACRF Board of Trustees on which research institutes will have the highest impact in cancer prevention, diagnosis and/or treatment. Membership of the MRAC is authorised by the Department of Health and Ageing with each appointment being three years. The current Chairman of the MRAC is Professor Ian Frazer , co-creator of the cervical cancer vaccine Gardasil . The Foundation awards grants between $ 1.5 million and $ 10 million, based on scientific excellence. To date, $ 159.8 million has been awarded in 75 grants to 54 research institutes, universities and hospitals in every Australian state and

171-629: The Australian Capital Territory, for research into all cancers. The ACRF is a privately funded charity—receives no government funding. Financial statements are publicly available on the Foundation's website. Peter Abeles Sir Peter Emil Herbert Abeles , AC (25 April 1924  – 25 June 1999) was an Australian transportation magnate. A refugee from Hungary , he became a businessman in Australia, and

190-670: The ailing Ansett, but just two months later he stepped down from the airline as well. In addition to his work for TNT and Ansett, Abeles served from August 1984 to August 1994 on the board of the Reserve Bank of Australia , and was chairman of the Australian Cancer Research Foundation . Abeles was close friends with Bob Hawke and acted as his de facto adviser on economic matters. The historian C. J. Coventry has shown that in 1974 Abeles, along with Rupert Murdoch , supported Hawke's idea of forming

209-630: The arts, on the recommendation of the New South Wales government led by Sir Robert Askin . He was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia in 1991, and was named "Australian of the Year" by The Australian in 1987. Abeles died in Sydney on 25 June 1999 at the age of 75, of cancer . He was survived by his second wife, Kitty; his two adopted daughters with his first wife Claire Dan ; and

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228-689: The docks; nothing was given "under the table." Kirribilli Agreement of 1988 The Kirribilli Agreement of 1988 was a secret meeting between the Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke and Treasurer Paul Keating . The two men met at Kirribilli House , the Prime Minister's official Sydney residence, to make an agreement as to when Hawke would hand over the leadership of the Australian Labor Party . Several years earlier, while Labor

247-839: The entire agreement would be terminated. As the years went on, the relationship between Keating and Hawke deteriorated. Hawke won the 1990 federal election with a very slim majority. After securing a fourth term in March 1990, Hawke reneged on the agreement in January 1991 following a "treacherous" speech by Keating, called the Placido Domingo speech , delivered to the National Press Club in December 1990 which belittled Hawke's leadership. During his final two years in office, Hawke's popularity collapsed. Unemployment from

266-665: The global recession was continually rising, and the economy was being battered. In June 1991 Keating decided to challenge for the leadership of the Labor party , which Hawke decided to contest. Keating's leadership bid failed and he moved to the backbench. During the final months of the Hawke Government, the economy weakened, and the government's popularity was falling, which prompted many high-profile Labor caucus members to throw their support behind Keating. Keating decided to challenge Hawke once more in December 1991. Keating won

285-410: The leadership against Hawke, with 56 votes to 51. Keating was sworn in as Prime Minister of Australia on 20 December 1991. Hawke delivered his farewell address at Parliament House a day earlier. In recent times there has been continued tension between Hawke and Keating, which has been deliberately made public. In a biography of Hawke by Blanche d'Alpuget , Hawke's later second wife, d'Alpuget outlines

304-503: The media often. Treasurer Keating wanted to make a formal agreement, with witnesses. Prime Minister Hawke invited ACTU Secretary Bill Kelty and Sir Peter Abeles to Kirribilli House, so that proper arrangement could be made. The two men came to an agreement, that presuming Hawke won the 1990 Australian election (which he did), he would step down as Prime Minister and hand over power to Keating – sometime during that term. Hawke made clear that if any details of their deal were made public,

323-506: The world, operating by road, rail, sea and air". He and Claire Dan adopted two daughters in the 1950s, and divorced around 1970. In 1979, Abeles entered into an agreement with media mogul Rupert Murdoch to take over Ansett Transport Industries . In 1989, he was involved as managing director of Ansett Australia in the 1989 Australian pilots' dispute . He served as chief executive and joint managing director from 1982 until 1992. In September 1992 he left TNT to concentrate his efforts on

342-579: Was in opposition, Hawke was seeking the leadership. Keating was a primary figure of the New South Wales right faction, a key sector of the Labor Party. It is believed that Hawke told Keating that "two terms should do him". This resulted in Keating throwing his support behind Hawke, causing then-Leader Bill Hayden to resign and make way for Hawke to become Leader. In 1988, Hawke was enjoying high approval ratings, and leadership questions were not covered in

361-688: Was knighted in 1972. Abeles was born in Vienna , in Austria , but grew up in Budapest . When Germany occupied Hungary in 1944, Abeles, who was Jewish , was sent to a Nazi work camp. He later became a cabaret entrepreneur, working in Romania, where in 1947 he met and married his first wife, Claire Dan , a cabaret performer. In 1949 they migrated to Australia . After doing small business by selling books and clothing, he quickly befriended George Rockey,

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