William Robert Nuttall Maloney (12 April 1854 – 29 August 1940) was an Australian medical doctor and politician. He was a member of parliament for over 50 years, beginning his career in the Victorian Legislative Assembly as the member for the seat of West Melbourne (1889–1903). He was elected to the federal House of Representatives at the 1904 Melbourne by-election, representing the Australian Labor Party (ALP). He held the seat until his death in 1940 at the age of 86, the sixth-longest period of service in federal parliament, the longest period of service as a backbencher, and the longest period of service for a Labor member of federal parliament.
Early life
Maloney was born on 12 April 1854 in West Melbourne, Victoria. He was the son of Jane (née Dowling) and Denis Maloney; his parents arrived in the colony during the Victorian gold rush, having earlier participated in the California gold rush and originally married in Sydney.
Maloney's father abandoned his mother before his birth. His mother's brother-in-law William John Turner Clarke supported the family. Maloney began his education at primary schools in West Melbourne and Hotham. He left school at a young age and began working for the Colonial Bank of Australasia, but later returned to schooling at Scotch College for a period. In 1874 he and his mother took up a selection at Longwarry and cleared of land.
Maloney returned to Australia in 1887, serving as medical officer aboard a ship bringing immigrants to Western Australia. Accordingly, a by-election was run in 1904, which Maloney duly won.
Maloney picked up a large swing in his bid for a full term in 1906, and was comfortably returned in subsequent elections as Melbourne became one of Labor's safest seats. He even stood unopposed in 1929 and 1937. Taking into account that he was elected to Parliament almost a month before Chris Watson became the first Labor Prime Minister, Maloney was never promoted to Cabinet under the subsequent three Labor Prime Ministers who served during his tenure–Andrew Fisher, Billy Hughes, or James Scullin. Indeed, despite his long service, he was never even considered for ministerial preferment, partly because he was reckoned as a political lightweight. He did serve as temporary chairman of committees from 1914 to 1917 and as a member of the Labor caucus executive from 1914 to 1931. Forrest subsequently told a reporter that Maloney had misrepresented a debate over the age of consent in which it was eventually agree to raise the age from 10 to 16. According to Forrest's biographer, "what was extraordinary about the incident was that Maloney's interjection had nothing whatever to do with the subject then being discussed". The issue was revived in 1909 when another Labor MP William Webster drew attention to the fact that the exchange had not been recorded by Hansard, apparently due to an agreement between Maloney, Forrest, Alfred Deakin, and Speaker Sir Frederick Holder. Maloney revived his accusations against Forrest in 1915.
Maloney retired before the 1940 election, and died just a month before polling day. He was succeeded by his longtime secretary, future Opposition Leader Arthur Calwell.