Julian Leeser
MP
Leeser in 2020
Member of the Australian Parliament
for Berowra
Assumed office
2 July 2016
Preceded byPhillip Ruddock
Councillor of Woollahra Municipal Council for Bellevue Hill Ward
In office
9 September 1995 – 11 September 1999
Personal details
Born (1976-05-25) 25 May 1976 (age 47)
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Political partyLiberal
Residence(s)Thornleigh, New South Wales[1]
EducationCranbrook School, Sydney
Alma materUniversity of New South Wales
OccupationSolicitor
ProfessionLawyer and politician
Websitewww.liberal.org.au/member/julian-leeser

Julian Martin Leeser (born 25 May 1976) 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.

Early life

Leeser was born in Sydney.[2] His father John, an accountant, was the son of Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany, while his mother Sylvia is a fifth-generation Australian whose father was a survivor of the Burma Railway.[3]

Leeser attended Cranbrook School, Sydney.[4] He holds the degrees of Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) and Bachelor of Laws from the University of New South Wales.[2] He sat on Woollahra Council for Bellevue Hill Ward from 1995 to 1999 as an independent. Aged 19 at the time, he was estimated to be the youngest local councillor elected in NSW history.[5][6] In 1999 he served as 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.[7]

Career

Leeser worked as an adviser for Minister for Workplace Relations Tony Abbott in 2001 and for Philip Ruddock between 2004 and 2006. He worked as a solicitor for Mallesons Stephen Jaques between 2002 and 2004. In 2006 he joined the Menzies Research Centre as executive director, before becoming Director of Government Policy & Strategy at the Australian Catholic University in July 2012.[8][9]

Leeser has written several articles defending the legacy of Prime Minister William McMahon,[10][11] as well as an obituary of McMahon's wife Sonia for The Australian.[12] He authored McMahon's entry in the Australian Dictionary of Biography,[13] and as of 2016 was working on a full-length biography.[14]

Parliament

Leeser joined the Liberal Party in 1992 and served as vice-president of the Liberal Party of Australia (New South Wales Division) from 2015 to 2016.[2] In April 2016 he won Liberal preselection for the safe seat of Berowra.[15] He was elected to parliament at the 2016 federal election, succeeding the retiring Philip Ruddock in Berowra.[2] In his maiden speech he spoke of the impact of his father's suicide when he was 20 years old.[16]

After the 2019 election Leeser became chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Migration and the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Indigenous Affairs.[2]

After the 2022 election, Leeser was elevated to Peter Dutton's shadow ministry as the Shadow Attorney-General and Shadow Minister for Indigenous Australians.[17][18] He resigned from shadow cabinet in April 2023 after the Liberal Party resolved to support the "No" vote at the 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum.[19]

Political views

Leeser has been identified as a member of either the moderate or centre-right faction of the Liberal Party.[20][21][22]

Leeser supports Australian recognition of West Jerusalem as capital of Israel, as implemented by the Morrison government in 2018. In October 2022, he described the Albanese government's decision to reverse the Morrison government's stance as "shambolic".[23] The following month, he and deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley travelled to Israel to "reaffirm the Coalition's commitment to West Jerusalem as the nation's capital", in a trip organised by the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council.[24]

Following the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel and resulting Israel–Hamas war, Leeser called on Australia to suspend its diplomatic relations with Iran, which he said had been "deeply involved" in the attack and was a "criminal regime".[25] He subsequently announced that he would wear a kippah in federal parliament for one week as a statement against increased anti-semitism in Australia.[26] In November 2023, in response to protests in Australia against the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, Leeser called for the New South Wales state government to ban vehicle convoys from carrying Palestinian flags, stating that drivers who participate in pro-Palestinian vehicle convoys should have their licences cancelled and their vehicles impounded.[27]

Personal life

Leeser is married to Joanna Davidson and has two children; James, born in 2018 and Ruth, born in 2022. He lives with his family in Thornleigh.[18][28] Leeser is the first Jewish Liberal member of the House of Representatives from New South Wales and a member of the Emanuel Synagogue in Woollahra.[29]

References

  1. ^ "Meet Julian – Julian Leeser".
  2. ^ a b c d e "Mr Julian Leeser MP". Senators and Members of the Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  3. ^ "Maiden speech". Hansard. Parliament of Australia. 14 September 2016. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  4. ^ Hare, Julie (22 April 2021). "Atlassian founder's Cranbrook co-ed push finds support". The Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  5. ^ Wainwright, Robert (11 September 1995). "Red tape worry inspired youngest councillor". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 4.
  6. ^ Liberal candidate Julian Leeser follows in the footsteps of neighbour and political giant Philip Ruddock. Retrieved 3 July 2016
  7. ^ "Julian Leeser Wins Liberal Preselection For Berowra; Succeeds Philip Ruddock | AustralianPolitics.com". australianpolitics.com. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
  8. ^ Julian Leeser Archived 22 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine Mercy Health
  9. ^ Julian Lesser to head government relations at ACU Australian Catholic University August 2012
  10. ^ Julia has nothing on Billy, The Spectator, 11 February 2012. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  11. ^ How McMahon was beaten by Whitlam and the Coalition, The Sydney Morning Herald, 1 January 2003. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  12. ^ Gracious, stylish and steadfast, The Australian, 5 April 2010. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  13. ^ McMahon, Sir William (Billy) (1908–1988), Australian Dictionary of Biography, 2012.
  14. ^ ABC Guide to the Federal Election 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  15. ^ Federal election 2016: Julian Leeser wins Liberal Party preselection for seat of Berowra Hills News 18 April 2016
  16. ^ Henderson, Anna (14 September 2016). "Liberal MP Julian Leeser devotes maiden speech to the memory of his dad, who took his own life". ABC News. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  17. ^ Doran, Matthew (5 June 2022). "Opposition Leader Peter Dutton unveils new shadow ministry, demoting two of Scott Morrison's lieutenants". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  18. ^ a b "About Julian Leeser". Julian Leeser MP. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  19. ^ "'I believe the time for the Voice has come': Leeser resigns from opposition frontbench". 11 April 2023.
  20. ^ Clark, Andrew (24 July 2017). "Fear and loathing in the NSW Liberal Party after democratic plebiscite push". The Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  21. ^ Massola, James (20 March 2021). "Who's who in the Liberals' left, right and centre factions?". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  22. ^ Massola, James. "How Morrison's shattering defeat gave Dutton a seismic shift in factional power". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  23. ^ Dziedzic, Stephen (18 October 2022). "Labor reverses decision to recognise West Jerusalem as Israel capital". ABC News. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  24. ^ Hurst, Daniel (3 November 2022). "US group campaigning against Australia's reversal of recognition of West Jerusalem as Israeli capital". Guardian Australia. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  25. ^ Narunsky, Gareth (9 October 2023). "Federal MP Julian Leeser takes aim at Iran". Australian Jewish News. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  26. ^ Knott, Matthew (17 November 2023). "'It's off the charts': how antisemitism surged after October 7". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  27. ^ Burke, Helena (18 November 2023). "NSW government rejects federal MP Julian Leeser's call for ban on 'anti-Semitic' car convoys". ABC News. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  28. ^ "New baby bliss for the Leeser family". The Post. 1 April 2022. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  29. ^ Zlatkis, Evan (15 September 2016). "Leeser: 'I draw strength from my faith'". Australian Jewish News. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
Non-profit organization positions Preceded byJason Bryant Executive Director of Menzies Research Centre 2006–2012 Succeeded byProfessor Donald Markwell Parliament of Australia Preceded byPhilip Ruddock Member for Berowra 2016–present Succeeded byIncumbent
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