Julian Hill

Julian Christopher Hill (born 4 June 1973) is an Australian politician who is the Member of Parliament for Bruce in the House of Representatives, representing the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne. A member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), he succeeded Alan Griffin at the 2016 federal election.

Julian Hill MP
Member of Parliament for Bruce
Incumbent
Assumed office 2 July 2016
Preceded by	Alan Griffin
Mayor of Port Phillip
In office 2000–2002
Preceded by	Dick Gross
Succeeded by	Darren Ray
Personal details
Born	Julian Christopher Hill 4 June 1973 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Nationality	Australian
Political party	Labor
Alma mater	Monash University Deakin University
Occupation	Politician Public servant

Hill is the Deputy Chair of the Australian Parliament's Joint Statutory Committee of Public Accounts and Audit. This Committee oversees the Commonwealth Auditor-General, the Parliamentary Budget Office and interrogates the Australian Government's expenditure, performance and financial statements.[1]

Before entering Parliament, Hill was the youngest Councillor elected to the City of Port Phillip in 1999, and in 2000 became the City's youngest Mayor, serving two terms from 2000-2002. Hill was re-elected to serve another term as Councillor of the City in 2002 and served until 2005.[2] Hill then forged a senior executive career in the Victorian Public Service, serving under Labor and Liberal Governments.

In his first speech Hill stated: "I am conscious that as a Rainbow Labor member my election is a very small step to adding to the diversity of this parliament, and I am proud to see more LGBTI Australians in this parliament than the last."[3] He is a member of Labor's Left faction.[4] Hill has championed Australian multiculturalism and spoken up about the importance of Australia embracing its human diversity to ensure future success; whether that be on the grounds of race, gender, sexuality or religion. [5]

Early life and education

Hill grew up in the south-east Melbourne suburb of Burwood, and attended Wesley College from 1985 to 1990. He obtained Bachelor of Science (Chemistry) and Bachelor of Laws degrees from Monash University in 2000, and a Graduate Certificate of International Relations from Deakin University in 2015. He became a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and was elected a Fellow of the Institute of Public Administration Australia in 2012.[6][7]

Personal life

Hill has spoken of being raised by a single parent, his mother, after the death of his father, a medical doctor when he was aged four.[8] He has described how his mother, a nurse and midwife by profession, instilled in him the values of "responsibility, hardwork and compassion".[9] Hill spoke up in Parliament during National Palliative Care Week about "the enormous privilege and authentic human experience" he had nursing his mother at home for the 10 months before her death, after she was diagnosed with an incurable cancer in 2008.[10][11] He has one daughter, Elanor, who graduated in 2018 from the University of Melbourne with an Arts degree majoring in psychology and Spanish language. Elanor is completing her Masters degree in applied psychology. Hill and his daughter have publicly campaigned for Australia to amend its prescription drug laws following an incident in 2017 which left Elanor with a 64cm blood clot after she was prescribed a dangerous acne drug, Diane-35, for a purpose it was not approved for by the Therapeutic Goods Administration..[12]Hill's brother and only sibling is acclaimed independent filmmaker Damian Hill, best known for his film Pawno.[13] Damian Hill passed away on 22 September 2018. Hill presented the inaugural Damian Hill Independent Film Award named in honour of his brother at the 2019 MIFF [14] Hill has also spoken of two former long-term partners, Lorien and David.[8]

Career

Hill started his career as an electorate officer and adviser for his predecessor Alan Griffin in 1995. From 2002 until his election to parliament in 2016, he worked as a senior public servant for the Victorian Government in the Departments of Transport, Sustainability and Environment, Planning and Community Development, and Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources.[6]

Councillor and Mayor of Port Phillip

In 1999 Hill was elected a Councillor of the City of Port Phillip and re-elected for a second term in 2002. In 2000 he was elected as the youngest ever Mayor of the City at the age of 25 and served 2 terms. http://www.portphillip.vic.gov.au/your_mayor.htm

As Mayor, Hill led the City of Port Phillip through a period of enormous and rapid change, including a development boom as inner city bayside suburbs rapidly gentrified. Hill led high profile initiatives in the municipality which generated metropolitan attention, including in transport planning, parking management, complex social policy reforms and the Greening Port Phillip program. As Mayor, Hill signed the first friendship agreement between an Australian local government and an East Timorese town. Founded on the principles of community development, the Friends of Suai celebrated its 20th year in 2020.http://www.portphillip.vic.gov.au/friendsofsuai.htm

http://www.portphillip.vic.gov.au/default/CommunityGovernanceDocuments/Annual_report.pdf

http://www.portphillip.vic.gov.au/default/CommunityGovernanceDocuments/1999-2000_annual_report.pdf

http://www.portphillip.vic.gov.au/friendsofsuai.htm

A 2000 article in The Age newspaper states that "Far from hiding his light in local government Hill is fast becoming the most outspoken Mayor in Melbourne". Questioned about being a young high profile Councillor and Mayor, Hill commented "There is something insidious about saying, 'Aren't you too young to be doing this job?" It is the other end of the scale from saying, 'Oh, you're 60, your brain must be soft.'" The Age, 2000. 'Who is afraid of the local government brat pack?' Sally Finlay https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/123558733/

Health Policy - Drug use treatment and law reform advocacy

Hill was a strong advocate for the establishment of a supervised injecting centre in St Kilda, Melbourne.Hill has continued his advocacy for reform in the Federal Parliament where he spoke his strong conviction that: "Drug addiction is a health issue. It's a health issue. It's a health issue! Addiction must be treated like a health issue, like other health issues. The evidence is clear: making it a moral issue does not help. It might make you feel good in your Liberal partyroom meeting, in government, but it doesn't actually help anyone in the community suffering from addiction. Addiction cuts across every class and hits every suburb and every family in this country."

In a speech to the House of Representatives a year later Hill reflected on his experience in his mid-20s "as the Mayor and leader of an inner-city council where the heroin epidemic saw people dying every day, every week around the city, in shops, in front yards, in laneways. The evidence then remains true: criminalising or demonising someone's addiction, whether or not they need income support, doesn't actually help."

Member for Bruce in the Australian Parliament

Hill was elected in 2016 with a swing of + 2.28%.

In 2018, as part of a redistribution altering electoral boundaries, media reports suggested Hill was the biggest beneficiary.[15] He was subsequently reelected in 2019 [16]

Australian Head of State

Hill made it clear in his maiden speech that he held strong views against the monarchy. In December 2019, he addressed the chamber on the issue, stating that when he was first elected it was a confronting moment for him to take an oath of allegiance to a foreigner. He spoke of feeling like a cheap traitor, going as far as stating that he crossed his fingers when taking his oath of allegiance.[17]

Controversies

Marriage Equality

In 2017 AFD (anotherday) held a national survey on whether Australian's supported same sex marriage. The national survey came back with 61.6% of the 79.5% of the surveyed Australian population supporting an amendment to the Marriage Act. When debate on the final proposal to amend The Marriage Act was before Parliament, Hill described the national survey "as an optional, Dolly-Doctor style, 'answer and tell us only if you want to' kind of quiz, to obstruct, delay and stymie". Hill's own electorate Bruce returned a result of 53.1% not in favour of a change to the Marriage Act. [18]

In a blistering speech to the House of Representative Hill stated the following in defence of his decision to vote in favour of reform:

"I want to make it very clear, as I have done since the moment I was preselected to run for the seat of Bruce, that equality is a core and overriding principle that I am, and will be, guided by. In representing such a diverse community, I will always keep to my word and vote to back equality under the laws of Australia for everyone, every time, every day of the week. I do so now in this parliament on this matter, and I assure my constituents and this House that I will do so in the future should one part of our community ever suffer, or be at risk of, discrimination under Australian law. We are one of the most diverse nations on earth, and I don't believe that politicians should pick and choose on equality, including in relation to love and marriage. People love who they love”[19]

Media

In February 2019, Hill sparked controversy on social media by attacking the former Australian Foreign Minister only minutes after she delivered her resignation speech, labeling it 'pathetic' and 'a good fist of a chum bucket'. He also tweeted that the 'grandiose claim that Julie Bishop was Australia's finest Foreign Minister is nonsense'.[20]

See also

• Members of the Australian House of Representatives, 2016–2019

References

1. corporateName=Commonwealth Parliament; address=Parliament House, Canberra. "Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit". www.aph.gov.au. Retrieved 13 June 2020.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
2. "Your Mayor - City of Port Phillip Website". www.portphillip.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
3. "First Speech". Hansard. 2019.
4. "Federal Election 2019". The Poll Bludger. 2019.
5. "First Speech". Hansard. 2019.
6. "Bruce - Australia Votes". Election 2016. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
7. "Graduation Ceremonies, Geelong: October 2015" (PDF). Deakin University. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
8. "Julian Hill (ALP-Bruce) – Maiden Speech | AustralianPolitics.com". australianpolitics.com. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
9. https://www.facebook.com/JulianHillMP/posts/2214444495351437. Missing or empty |title= (help)
10. https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Hansard/Hansard_Display?bid=chamber/hansardr/8cdbd385-6fa0-4f98-a538-0bc61118fa6c/&sid=0091. Missing or empty |title= (help)
11. https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Hansard/Hansard_Display?bid=chamber/hansardr/e7532c53-e1d5-41c8-9850-0276a375cca2/&sid=0184. Missing or empty |title= (help)
12. McCauley, Dana (24 February 2019). "Labor MP Julian Hill calls for crackdown on drug safety". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
13. [Pawno.https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/pawno_2015 Pawno.https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/pawno_2015]. Missing or empty |title= (help)
14. [https://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/movies/damian-hill-the-absent-star-of-measure-for-measure-world-premiere-at-miff-20190803-p52dj0.html https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/australian-actor-damian-hill-star-of-pawno-dead-at-42-20180924-p505l3.html [https://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/movies/damian-hill-the-absent-star-of-measure-for-measure-world-premiere-at-miff-20190803-p52dj0.html%20https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/australian-actor-damian-hill-star-of-pawno-dead-at-42-20180924-p505l3.html https://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/movies/damian-hill-the-absent-star-of-measure-for-measure-world-premiere-at-miff-20190803-p52dj0.html https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/australian-actor-damian-hill-star-of-pawno-dead-at-42-20180924-p505l3.html%5D] Check |url= value (help). Missing or empty |title= (help)
15. Karp, Paul (6 April 2018). "Greens accuse Labor of 'gerrymander' in draft seat redistribution". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
16. "Federal Election 2019 Results - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)". ABC News. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
17. corporateName=Commonwealth Parliament; address=Parliament House, Canberra. "Hansard Display". www.aph.gov.au. Retrieved 16 February 2020.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
18. Massola, Eryk Bagshaw, James (16 November 2017). "Labor MPs to ignore huge 'no' votes in their multicultural electorates". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
19. Hansard https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Hansard/Hansard_Display?bid=chamber/hansardr/72ab0aa3-c3f2-48e1-b365-7e7ac525ceb6/&sid=0284. Missing or empty |title= (help)
20. "'Wait until the political corpse is cold': Labor MP is slammed for ridiculing Julie Bishop after her resignation - claiming she left no real legacy and 'just hung out in the office'". www.msn.com. Retrieved 15 February 2020.