Keith Wolahan

Last updated

Keith Wolahan
MP
Keith wolahan diwali 4.jpg
Wolahan in 2023
Member of the Australian Parliament
for Menzies
Assumed office
21 May 2022
Years of service1996–2014
Rank Captain
Commands 1st Commando Regiment
Battles/wars
Awards Commendation for Distinguished Service

Keith Wolahan (born 30 September 1977) is an Australian politician. He is a member of the Liberal Party and has served in the House of Representatives since the 2022 federal election, representing the seat of Menzies. [1] Prior to entering politics he was an Australian Army officer, serving three tours of Afghanistan as a commando officer, and also practiced as a commercial barrister for twelve years. [2] [3]

Contents

Early life

Family background

Wolahan was born in Dublin, Ireland, migrating to Australia with his parents and two brothers in 1988. [4] He became an Australian citizen in 1993. [4] He was educated at local public schools, including Ringwood Secondary College [2] where he was elected School Captain. He worked part-time at McDonald's in Eastland, Ringwood. [5]

Wolahan studied at the University of Melbourne where he graduated with Bachelor degrees in Arts (Politics) and Commerce (Economics). [4] He continued studying at Monash University, completing a Bachelor of Law (Honours). He was awarded the Sir Charles Lowe Moot Prize. [6]

Wolahan began his career in law with the national firm, Mallesons Stephen Jacques where he specialised in mergers and acquisitions. [7] [3] In 2010 he became a barrister, specialising in commercial and consumer trials. [8] Some of Wolahan's clients included multinational resource company, Glencore, as well as individuals accused of war related crimes. [9] [10] [11]

In 2013, Wolahan graduated from University of Cambridge with a master's degree in International Relations. [4]

Military service

When asked why he had joined the military, Wolahan explained that "Australia had been very good to me and my family, and I couldn't think of a better way to give back." [11] He began his service at University, eventually joining 2 Commando Company, 1st Commando Regiment. [12] Wolahan was promoted to Captain in 2004 and saw several periods of active service, including four postings overseas with 2 Commando: [7] [11]

Wolahan lost two friends in the War in Afghanistan: Marcus Case and Greg Sher. [2] [14] He joined two other Afghanistan veterans in the Australian Parliament: Andrew Hastie and Phillip Thompson. [14]

Political career

Wolahan's electoral office in Doncaster, Victoria KW Office.jpg
Wolahan's electoral office in Doncaster, Victoria

Preselection

Wolahan defeated the sitting member Kevin Andrews in a preselection contest, 181 votes to 111. [15] [16] Andrews entered the contest with written endorsements from then Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, and Prime Minister Scott Morrison. [17] [18] It was the first time a sitting Victorian Liberal MP had been ousted by their members in more than 20 years. [17]

2022 election

The 2022 federal election saw a 6% swing against the Liberals in Menzies. [1] One of the contributing factors was a large swing in suburbs with higher proportions of Chinese ancestry, including Box Hill and Doncaster. [1]

47th Parliament

Wolahan is a member of the House Economics and Joint Standing National Anti-Corruption Commission Committees. [19]

Views

Wolahan has rejected suggestions he is a member of the moderate or conservative factions of the Liberal Party. [20] He has been reported to be aligned to a Centrist group in the party room, along with the majority of Victorian Liberals. [21]

Same-sex marriage

Wolahan stated that he voted "yes" in the 2017 same-sex marriage plebiscite. [22]

Home ownership

Wolahan has cited plummeting home ownership rates amongst young Australians as one of his party's top political and societal challenges. [23]

Indigenous Voice to Parliament

In a speech given to the Samuel Griffith Society in 2017, Wolahan expressed his opposition to a constitutionally enshrined Indigenous Voice to Parliament, and called instead for "minimalist" reforms that "removes race from the Constitution". [24] .

Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan

When asked about his views on the war in Iraq, Wolahan said that, with the benefit of hindsight, the invasion by the United States-led coalition was a "mistake". [20] In response to allegations of war crimes by Australian special forces in Afghanistan, Wolahan has urged "truth telling over myth making." [13]

Protests in Iran

Wolahan has given several speeches in support of the protests that began in Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini, citing pride in his electorate having the largest Iranian diaspora in Australia. [25]

Robodebt

In a widely reported speech to parliament, Wolahan was highly critical of the scheme, noting: "As someone who's a Liberal and believes in the sanctity of the individual, due process and the presumption of innocence, it offended all of those, … it was illiberal, it reversed the onus, and it hurt people." [26]

Personal life

Wolahan is married to his wife Sarah and has two children, Leo and Eva. He and Sarah were married at Heide Museum of Modern Art. [27]

Honours and awards

Commendation for Distinguished Service (Aust) ribbon.png Australian Active Service Medal ribbon.png Afghanistan Medal (Australia) ribbon.png Australian Service Medal ribbon.png Australian Defence Medal (Australia) ribbon.png NATO Medal ISAF ribbon bar v2.svg AUS Meritorious Unit Citation with Federation Star.png TLSM.jpeg

Commendation for Distinguished Service (Aust) ribbon.png Commendation for Distinguished Service Awarded in 2011 Australia Day Honours for service in Afghanistan. [17]
Australian Active Service Medal ribbon.png Australian Active Service Medal With clasp for East Timor
Afghanistan Medal (Australia) ribbon.png Afghanistan Medal Operation SLIPPER
Australian Service Medal ribbon.png Australian Service Medal With clasp for CT/SR (Counter Terrorism / Special Recovery)
Australian Defence Medal (Australia) ribbon.png Australian Defence Medal
NATO Medal ISAF ribbon bar v2.svg NATO Medal for the Non-Article 5 ISAF Operation in Afghanistan With clasp ISAF
AUS Meritorious Unit Citation with Federation Star.png Meritorious Unit Citation with Federation Star Awarded to Task Force 66 in the 2015 Australia Day Honours
Infantry Combat Badge
TLSM.jpeg Timor Leste Solidarity Medal (East Timor)

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Andrews (politician)</span> Australian politician (born 1955)

Kevin James Andrews is an Australian former politician and member of the Liberal Party of Australia. He was the Member of House of Representatives for the seat of Menzies from a by-election in 1991 until the 2022 Australian federal election. Andrews is a conservative and a Catholic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brendan Nelson</span> Australian politician

Brendan John Nelson is an Australian business leader and former politician. He served as the federal Leader of the Opposition from 2007 to 2008, going on to serve as Australia's senior diplomat to the European Union and NATO. He now has a global leadership role with Boeing, an aerospace company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russell Broadbent</span> Australian politician (born 1950)

Russell Evan Broadbent is an Australian politician who is a member of the House of Representatives, representing the Division of Monash. He is one of the longest-serving current members of parliament, having been in parliament from 1990 to 1993, from 1996 to 1998, and since 2004. In November 2023, he stood down from the Liberal Party and its parliamentary party room and joined the crossbench in response to losing his party endorsement ahead of a federal election due by September 2025.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New South Wales Liberal Party</span> Political party in New South Wales

The New South Wales Liberal Party, officially called the Liberal Party of Australia, New South Wales Division, and colloquially known as the NSW Liberal Party, is the state division of the Liberal Party of Australia in New South Wales. The party is currently in Opposition in New South Wales in a coalition with the National Party. The party is part of the federal Liberal Party which is in opposition on the mainland of Australia, with Tasmania being the exception.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex Hawke</span> Australian politician

Alexander George Hawke is an Australian politician who served as Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs from 2020 to 2022 in the Morrison government. Hawke has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Mitchell since 2007, representing the Liberal Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josh Frydenberg</span> Australian former politician (born 1971)

Joshua Anthony Frydenberg is an Australian former politician who served as the treasurer of Australia and deputy leader of the Liberal Party from 2018 to 2022. He also served as a member of parliament (MP) for the division of Kooyong from 2010 to 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Constance</span> New South Wales politician

Andrew James Constance is an Australian politician who represented Bega for the Liberal Party in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly between 2003 and December 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julian Leeser</span> Australian politician

Julian Martin Leeser is an Australian politician. He is a member of the Liberal Party and has represented the Division of Berowra since the 2016 federal election. He was a shadow minister under Peter Dutton from 2022 to 2023.

Marcus Bastiaan is an Australian businessman and political power broker. He is a former vice-president of the Victorian Division of the Liberal Party of Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Victorian state election</span> Election for the 60th Parliament of Victoria

The 2022 Victorian state election was held on Saturday, 26 November 2022 to elect the 60th Parliament of Victoria. All 88 seats in the Legislative Assembly and all 40 seats in the Legislative Council were up for election at the time the writs were issued, however the election in the district of Narracan was deferred due to the death of a candidate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 New South Wales state election</span>

The 2023 New South Wales state election was held on 25 March 2023 to elect the 58th Parliament of New South Wales, including all 93 seats in the Legislative Assembly and 21 of the 42 seats in the Legislative Council. The election was conducted by the New South Wales Electoral Commission (NSWEC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josh Burns (politician)</span> Australian politician (born 1987)

Joshua Solomon Burns is an Australian politician. Representing the Australian Labor Party, he was elected as the member for the division of Macnamara in Melbourne at the 2019 Australian federal election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gladys Liu</span> Hong Kong-born Australian politician

Gladys Liu is a Hong Kong-born Australian former politician, who represented the Division of Chisholm in Victoria for the Liberal Party of Australia from her election in May 2019 to her defeat at the 2022 Australian federal election. Liu was the first ethnically Chinese woman ever elected to the House, defeating the Australian Labor Party's Jennifer Yang. Liu was defeated by Carina Garland in the 2022 Australian federal election.

At the close of nominations a total of 1,624 candidates had stood for the 2022 Australian federal election, of whom 1,203 were House of Representatives candidates and 421 were Senate candidates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Next Australian federal election</span> Election for the 48th Parliament of Australia

The next Australian federal election will be held on or before 27 September 2025 to elect members of the 48th Parliament of Australia. All 150 seats in the House of Representatives and likely 40 of the 76 seats in the Senate will be contested. It is expected that at this election, the Labor government of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will be seeking re-election to a second term in office, opposed by the Liberal/National Coalition under Leader of the Opposition Peter Dutton.

Timothy Charles James is an Australian politician. He was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly at the 2022 Willoughby state by-election. James was appointed Shadow Minister for Fair Trading, Work Health and Safety and Building in 2023.

Jennifer Leslie Ware is an Australian politician and a member of the Liberal Party. She was elected to the House of Representatives in the 2022 election, gaining the New South Wales seat of Hughes.

Aaron Violi is an Australian politician who was elected as the Liberal Party member for the Division of Casey in Victoria in May 2022, succeeding Tony Smith.

Henry Jon Pike is an Australian politician who is a member of the House of Representatives representing the Division of Bowman, Queensland, for the Liberal National Party of Queensland from 2022. He sits with the Liberal Party in federal parliament.

Roshena Campbell is an Australian barrister and politician. Since 2020, she has served as a member of the City of Melbourne council. Campbell unsuccessfully contested the Division of Aston for the Liberal Party of Australia in the 2023 by-election.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "AEC Tallyroom". Australian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 Harris, Benjamin Preiss, Rob (14 March 2020). "Battle for Liberal hearts and minds in Menzies". The Age. Retrieved 12 October 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. 1 2 Tongol, Robyn (8 April 2022). "Meet the barrister standing for the Liberals in Menzies". www.lawyersweekly.com.au. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Meet Keith". www.keithwolahan.com.au. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  5. ↑ "Keith Wolahan MP, Federal Member for Menzies". Keithwolahan.com.au. 9 June 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  6. ↑ "2002 Prize Winners". Faculty of Law. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  7. 1 2 "Menzies - Federal Electorate, Candidates, Results". abc.net.au. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  8. ↑ "Keith Wolahan". Liberal Party of Australia. 18 July 2021. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  9. ↑ Fredenburgh, Cat (28 January 2022). "Court finds Viterra engaged in deceit during $420M Joe White sale". Lawyerly. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "Liberals' new star was shaped by an endless war". Australian Financial Review. 5 February 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Life on the Line: #109 Keith Wolahan on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  12. ↑ Napier-Raman, Noel Towell, Kishor (12 September 2022). "Queen's man Abbott in a league on his own". The Age. Retrieved 12 October 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  13. 1 2 Bannister, Maeve (5 September 2022). "Liberal MP urges truth on Afghanistan war". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  14. 1 2 Crowe, David (5 September 2022). "The dress that spoke louder than words". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  15. ↑ Ilanbey, Paul Sakkal, Sumeyya (31 January 2021). "Kevin Andrews toppled in preselection battle for Menzies". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 12 October 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  16. ↑ Sakkal, Paul (5 February 2021). "How an ex-special forces captain beat 'the hacks' to win the battle for Menzies". The Age. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  17. 1 2 3 "Keith Wolahan, the ex-commando who unseated Liberal Party stalwart Kevin Andrews, insists he's 'not a moderate'". ABC News. 1 February 2021. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  18. ↑ Ferguson, Richard (1 February 2021). "Liberal stalwart Kevin Andrews loses Menzies preselection to Keith Wolahan". The Australian. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  19. ↑ "Mr Keith Wolahan MP". Parliament of Australia. Canberra: Parliament of Australia. 24 March 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  20. 1 2 Harris, Rob (1 February 2021). "Kevin Andrews' replacement to prioritise economics, not social issues". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  21. ↑ Massola, James (9 April 2023). "How Morrison's shattering defeat gave Dutton a seismic shift in factional power". The Sydney Morning Herald. Nine Entertainment Co. Volant Media UK Ltd. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  22. ↑ Harris, Rob (1 February 2021). "Kevin Andrews' replacement to prioritise economics, not social issues". The Sydney Morning Herald. The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  23. ↑ Booker, Tarric (4 December 2022). "House price vs. income exposes a brutal reality for Millennials". News.com.au. news.com.au. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  24. ↑ "Keith Wolahan at the 29th Conference of the Samuel Griffith Society". YouTube. Samuel Griffith Society. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  25. ↑ "Australian MP Expresses Solidarity With Iranian Protesters". Iran International. Washington D.C: Volant Media UK Ltd. 11 March 2022. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  26. ↑ "Liberal backbencher owns what others in his party don't: A spine". 13 August 2023.
  27. ↑ Wolahan, Keith, Member for Menzies (5 September 2022). "Governor-General's Speech - Address-in-Reply". Parliamentary Debates. Parliament of Australia: House of Representatives.
Parliament of Australia
Preceded by Member for Menzies
2022–present		Incumbent
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.