▁ 1 ▁July ▁ 1 9 9 0 ▁to ▁ 3 0 ▁June ▁ 1 9 9 6 ▁and ▁man aging ▁a ▁range ▁of ▁shadow - minister ial ▁port fol ios , ▁as ▁was ▁mand atory ▁for ▁all ▁Dem ocrat ▁parliament ari ans . ▁In ▁parliament ▁he ▁spoke ▁in ▁support ▁of ▁the ▁rights ▁of ▁Ab orig ines , ▁refuge es , ▁prisoners , ▁p ension ers , ▁tax pay ers ▁and ▁the ▁environment . ▁He ▁also ▁spoke ▁and ▁campaign ed ▁against ▁child ▁labour ▁and ▁sexual ▁disc rim ination . ▁He ▁retired ▁from ▁the ▁Senate ▁at ▁the ▁end ▁of ▁his ▁term ▁in ▁ 1 9 9 6 . ▁ ▁Sp ind ler ' s ▁relationship ▁with ▁Jan et ▁Pow ell , ▁then ▁leader ▁of ▁the ▁Democr ats , ▁was ▁used ▁as ▁le verage ▁to ▁remove ▁Pow ell ▁from ▁the ▁leadership ▁in ▁ 1 9 9 1 . ▁ ▁Later ▁life ▁Sp ind ler ▁and ▁his ▁family ▁established ▁the ▁Tow ards ▁a ▁Just ▁Society ▁Fund ▁in ▁ 2 0 0 2 , ▁which ▁dist ributes ▁$ 2 0 0 , 0 0 0 ▁ann ually ▁to ▁help ▁Ab original ▁students . ▁He ▁died ▁of ▁li ver ▁cancer ▁in ▁the ▁Ep worth ▁Hospital ▁in ▁Melbourne , ▁on ▁his ▁f ift i eth ▁wed ding ▁anni versary . ▁He ▁was ▁surv ived ▁by ▁his ▁wife ▁Julia ▁and ▁four ▁children . ▁ ▁References ▁ ▁Category : Austral ian ▁Democr ats ▁members ▁of ▁the ▁Parliament ▁of ▁Australia ▁Category : De ath s ▁from ▁li ver ▁cancer ▁Category : M