Julian Hill
Julian Christopher Hill 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, he succeeded Alan Griffin at the 2016 federal election.
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.
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. 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." He is a member of Labor's Left faction. 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.
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 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.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. He has described how his mother, a nurse and midwife by profession, instilled in him the values of "responsibility, hardwork and compassion". 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 .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..Hill's brother and only sibling is acclaimed independent filmmaker Damian Hill, best known for his film
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
Hill has also spoken of two former long-term partners, Lorien and David.
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.Mayor of Port Phillip
Hill served as a Councillor of the City of Port Phillip from 1999 until 2004. He was elected mayor in 2000, and held the office until 2002. Hill was 26 when elected mayor, the youngest person to hold the role in the offices history.in 2001, he announced he would step down as mayor when his term finished in March 2002, saying the personal cost and financial strain associated with the low salary and long hours made the job too difficult.
Positions on Drug use
Hill was a strong advocate for the establishment of a supervised injecting centre in St Kilda, Melbourne.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. He was subsequently reelected in 2019
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.Controversies
Marriage Equality
In 2017 Australia's Statistic Bureau 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.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”