Murray Hill (politician)

Charles Murray Hill AM (2 July 1923 – 24 March 2003), generally known as Murray Hill, was a real estate agent and politician in the State of South Australia.

The Honourable Murray Hill AM
Hill on ABC's 'This Day Tonight', 1972.
Minister for Local Government
In office 17 April 1968 – 1 June 1970
Premier	Steele Hall
Preceded by	Stan Bevan
Succeeded by	Geoff Virgo
In office 18 September 1979 – 10 November 1982
Premier	David Tonkin
Preceded by	John Bannon
Succeeded by	Terry Hemmings
Member of the South Australian Legislative Council
In office 4 December 1965 – 4 July 1988
Personal details
Born	2 July 1923 Glenelg, South Australia, Australia
Died	24 March 2003 (aged 79) , Australia
Political party	Liberal and Country League Liberal Party
Spouse(s)	Eunice Greenslade
Children	The Hon. Robert Hill

Biography

Hill was born in Glenelg, South Australia, a son of Theodore Charles Hill and his wife Heloise Margery Hill (née Winterbottom); later at Millswood Estate. He enlisted in the Royal Australian Navy in 1941 and served as a seaman during World War II. In 1946 he established Murray Hill & Co., real estate agents, with offices in Grenfell Street.[1]

In 1972 after the alleged murder of University of Adelaide law lecturer Dr George Duncan at a known gay beat at the hands of police officers, and the significant public outrage that followed, Hill proceeded to introduce a private member's bill, with implicit support from the Labor Party, on 26 July 1972 to amend the Criminal Law Consolidation Act that criminalised homosexuality, thus being the first serious attempt to decriminalise homosexuality in Australia.[2][3] While Hill's amendment was assented to on 9 November 1972, a further amendment weakened it to only allow a legal defense for homosexual acts committed in private. Labor member Peter Duncan went further however when, following an unsuccessful attempt to strengthen Hill's bill in 1973, introduced on 27 August 1975 an unaltered bill to the parliament, which was defeated twice and then reintroduced a third time before passing, making South Australia the first Australian State to fully decriminalise homosexuality.[4]

He served as Minister for Transport, Local Government and Roads from April 1968 to June 1970, then as Minister for Arts, Local Government and Housing from September 1979 to November 1982. He retired in July 1988.[5] In the 1990 Australia Day honours list, Hill was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for "service to the South Australian Parliament and to the community."[6]

Family

He married Eunice Greenslade of Colonel Light Gardens on 21 June 1944.

His son, Robert Hill, was a federal MP and Minister for Defence.[7]

References

1. "Advertising". The Advertiser. Adelaide. 12 February 1946. p. 8. Retrieved 19 December 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
2. Altman, Dennis (11 December 2012). "From a drowning to a celebration". Inside Story. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
3. "This Day Tonight: Violent death at gay beat in Adelaide triggers homosexual law reform" (Video). abc/archives/80days. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 19 July 1972. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
4. "The Radical Dream: Social Reform in South Australia > Gay Rights". SA Memory. Government of South Australia. May 2007. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
5. "Hon Murray Hill AM - Former Member of the Parliament of South Australia". parliament.sa.gov.au. Parliament of South Australia. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
6. "Australia Day 1990 Honours" (PDF). Commonwealth of Australia Gazette (S 17): 4. 26 January 1990.
7. Wroe, David & Debelle, Penelope (31 July 2004). "Hill defends his record". The Age. Retrieved 20 December 2014.