Tuesday, 4 April, 2023 - 08:47
Liberal MP calls for free vote on Indigenous voice
Ahead of a key party room meeting about the Indigenous voice, Peter Dutton faces pressure to allow MPs a free vote on supporting the proposal.
Julian Leeser is an Australian politician and a member of the Liberal Party, representing the NSW Division of Berowra since 2016.
At age 19, Mr Leeser was estimated to be the youngest local councillor elected in NSW history. In 1999 he was a member of Prime Minister John Howard's No campaign during the republic referendum. In 2000, he was an associate to Justice Ian Callinan of the High Court of Australia.
Mr Leeser was an advisor to the Minister for Workplace Relations Tony Abbott in 2001, and to Philip Ruddock between 2004 and 2006. He was a solicitor for Mallesons Stephen Jaques, and joined the Menzies Research Centre as executive director before becoming a director of government policy & strategy at the Australian Catholic University in July 2012.
In June 2022, following the Liberal Party's defeat at the federal election, Mr Leeser became the Shadow Minister for Indigenous Affairs and Shadow Attorney General in the Dutton shadow ministry. In April 2023, he resigned from the opposition cabinet after the Liberal Party resolved to oppose the Voice to Parliament referendum.
Mr Leeser has written several articles defending the legacy of Prime Minister William McMahon, as well as an obituary of his wife Sonia for The Australian. He authored Mr McMahon's entry in the Australian Dictionary of Biography, and was working on a full-length biography.
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NEWS: Tagged in Mettam to vote yes on Voice referendum | 05 Apr 2023 |
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NEWS: Tagged in Liberal MP calls for free vote on Indigenous voice | 04 Apr 2023 |
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NEW ROLE: Shadow Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Shadow Attorney General, Parliament of Australia | 07 Jun 2022 |
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NEW ROLE: Member for Berowra, NSW, Parliament of Australia | 07 Jun 2022 |
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NEW ROLE: Member, Liberal Party of Australia | 07 Jun 2022 |
Ahead of a key party room meeting about the Indigenous voice, Peter Dutton faces pressure to allow MPs a free vote on supporting the proposal.
All of the state's major party leaders will support a constitutionally enshrined Voice to Parliament with Libby Mettam declaring she will personally back a ‘yes’ vote at the upcoming referendum.
Support for constitutional change is firming in business and political circles despite hesitancy in some quarters to take a stance on the issue.
Both sides of politics are pledging to focus on closing the Indigenous disadvantage gap after a referendum to constitutionally enshrine an advisory body failed.
Position | Company | Year | Company's current rank | WA staff |
---|---|---|---|---|
Member for Berowra, NSW
|
2016 | |||
Member
|
Position | Company | Year | Company's current rank |
---|---|---|---|
Shadow Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Shadow Attorney General
|
2022 - 2023 |