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Russell Broadbent

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Russell Broadbent
MP
Member of the Australian Parliament
for Monash
Incumbent
Assumed office
18 May 2019
Preceded byDivision created
Member of the Australian Parliament
for McMillan
In office
9 October 2004 – 18 May 2019
Preceded byChristian Zahra
Succeeded byDivision abolished
In office
2 March 1996 – 3 October 1998
Preceded byBarry Cunningham
Succeeded byChristian Zahra
Member of the Australian Parliament
for Corinella
In office
24 March 1990 – 13 March 1993
Preceded byDivision created
Succeeded byAlan Griffin
President of the Shire of Pakenham
In office
1984–1985
Councillor of the Shire of Pakenham
In office
1981–1987
Personal details
Born (1950-12-25) 25 December 1950 (age 74)
Koo Wee Rup, Victoria, Australia
Political partyLiberal (to 2023)
Independent (from 2023)
SpouseBronwyn
Children3
ResidencePakenham, Victoria
OccupationCompany director

Russell Evan Broadbent (born 25 December 1950) is an Australian politician who is a member of the House of Representatives, representing the Division of Monash (previously McMillan). 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.

Early life

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Broadbent was born on 25 December 1950 in Koo Wee Rup, Victoria.[1] He was a company director and self-employed retailer before entering politics.[2] In the 1970s he was a "jumpsuit-wearing singer of show band The Trutones, which reportedly once opened for John Farnham".[3]

Broadbent served on the Pakenham Shire Council from 1981 to 1987, including as shire president from 1984 to 1985. He also served as a commissioner of the Dandenong Valley Authority from 1984 to 1987 and as chairman of the Western Port Development Council from 1985 to 1990.[1]

Politics

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Broadbent was an unsuccessful candidate for the Division of Streeton in the 1984 and 1987 federal elections. He first entered parliament for the marginal Division of Corinella at the 1990 federal election, but lost to Labor's Alan Griffin at the 1993 election. At the 1996 federal election, he challenged Barry Cunningham in what was then the suburban-rural seat of McMillan, and won it after a very close race, but was defeated by Labor's Christian Zahra at the 1998 election. Broadbent contested and was elected for McMillan again at the 2004 election, after a redistribution erased the Labor majority and made it notionally Liberal. He was re-elected at the 2007 federal election, at the same time as the Coalition lost government, and has held the seat ever since. He supported changing the name of his electorate to commemorate John Monash rather than Angus McMillan.[4]

Broadbent served on the speaker's panel from 2013 to 2019. He has served on a wide range of parliamentary committees, including as chair of the standing committees on privileges and members' interests (2013–2019) and treaties (2018–present), and of the select committee into intergenerational welfare dependence (2018–2019).[1] In May 2017, Broadbent announced he would be resigning from the speaker's panel and his committee chairmanship to protest against the Turnbull government's inaction on aged care. He stated that ministers Greg Hunt and Ken Wyatt had misled him over the construction of a facility at Bunyip, within his electorate.[5]

On 12 November 2023, Broadbent lost Liberal preselection for the next federal election to Mary Aldred,[6] who is the daughter of his late parliamentary colleague Ken Aldred. Two days later, he resigned from the Liberal Party.[7]

Broadbent was factionally unaligned during his time in the Liberal Party.[8][9]

Political views

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Asylum seekers

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During the Howard government, he came to national prominence after siding with Liberal dissident Petro Georgiou in advocating better treatment of detainees.[10] He supports not charging long-term detainees for their detention.[11] In 2017 he was described by The Sydney Morning Herald as "an outspoken critic of harsh asylum seeker policies", after delivering a speech in which he called the Manus Regional Processing Centre "unacceptable" and publicly opposed the Turnbull government's policy of re-settling asylum seekers in the United States.[12]

Climate change

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Broadbent has said that global warming is "an issue for Australia and an issue for the world."[10] He is also an advocate for bike paths as a benefit to community health, transport and the environment.[10] He has expressed interest in improving funding for Landcare Australia.[11]

Indigenous Australians

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In January 2021 he stated that the Morrison government should support the Uluru Statement from the Heart and move towards constitutional recognition of Indigenous Australians.[13] Indeed, in February 2023, Broadbent and conservative Liberal powerbroker Karina Okotel wrote a book in support of constitutional recognition of Indigenous Australians.[14] However, in September 2023, Broadbent ‘backflipped’ and announced that he would vote No in the subsequently unsuccessful referendum.[15]

Same-sex marriage

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In December 2017, Broadbent was one of only four members of the House of Representatives to vote against the Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Bill 2017, which legalised same-sex marriage in Australia.[16][17]

COVID-19

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Broadbent took a personal decision not to be vaccinated against COVID-19, with any of the available vaccines, in 2021, and stated that he neither encouraged nor discouraged constituents to get vaccinated.[18] His decision not to get vaccinated can potentially render him unable to carry out his duties as an MP, due to a state mandate that all authorised workers in the state, including federal politicians, must be vaccinated.[19] Broadbent caught COVID in January 2022 and self-administered ivermectin, a drug that is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines,[20] but whose use to cure COVID was widely promoted by anti-vaccination groups at the time.[21]

In February 2022, Broadbent made headlines after promoting ivermectin as a treatment for COVID-19 in Parliament, claiming that he and his wife had taken it after testing positive to the virus.[22] He was one of a handful of Australian MPs known to have refused COVID-19 vaccination and is against COVID-19 vaccine mandates.[23]

Taxation

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In 2022 Broadbent opposed plans by Labor Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to continue with a series of tax cuts on high-income earners due to kick in in 2024 in contrast to his party's stance, arguing that cutting taxes on wealthy individuals in the poor economic situation following the COVID-19 pandemic was not appropriate.[24]

Superannuation

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In 2023, Broadbent defended Prime Minister Albanese after plans to remove tax breaks on Superannuation, which would add roughly $54 billion in tax revenue to government pockets. The removal of the tax cut has been suggested by social services groups to allow for more funding to be directed to Australians living in poverty.[25]

Broadbent stated that if the funds can be used wisely to help the Australian people he would support the policy despite Albanese stating that he would not tax Superannuation before the next election.[25]

Personal life

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Broadbent has three children. As of 2021 he and his wife lived outside his electorate in Pakenham, Victoria, in the Division of La Trobe.[26][27] In 2017 he bought an investment property in Palm Cove, Queensland.[28]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Mr Russell Broadbent MP". Parliament of Australia. Archived from the original on 5 April 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  2. ^ Geoff, Strong (11 October 2004). "Three times lucky for seasoned campaigner". The Age. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 17 August 2007.
  3. ^ "Liberal taste in music". Pakenham Gazette. 23 February 2015. Archived from the original on 11 April 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  4. ^ Watson, Emma (4 April 2016). "Broadbent backs McMillan name change". Latrobe Valley Express. Archived from the original on 9 May 2018.
  5. ^ Grattan, Michelle (31 May 2017). "Liberal MP confronts Turnbull over aged care decisions". The Conversation. Archived from the original on 11 April 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  6. ^ Spencer, Millicent (12 November 2023). "Veteran Liberal MP Russell Broadbent loses Monash preselection battle to Mary Aldred". ABC News. Archived from the original on 13 November 2023. Long-serving MP for the federal seat of Monash Russell Broadbent has lost his preselection battle to Mary Aldred, a government relations executive at Fujitsu
  7. ^ Sakkal, Paul; Rooney, Kieran (14 November 2023). "Veteran Liberal Party MP Russell Broadbent quits party, moves to crossbench". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ Massola, James. "How Morrison's shattering defeat gave Dutton a seismic shift in factional power". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  10. ^ a b c Kulich, William (29 January 2010). "Interview – Video> Liberal MP for McMillan Mr. Russell Broadbent Speaks to OCSN (29/1/2010)". One Cuckoo Short of a Nest. Archived from the original on 12 January 2011. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
  11. ^ a b Kulich, William (13 August 2010). "Interview> Member for McMillan Mr Russell Broadbent: OCSN 2010 Election Coverage (13/8/2010)". One Cuckoo Short of a Nest. Archived from the original on 13 January 2011. Retrieved 18 August 2010.
  12. ^ Koziol, Michael (23 September 2017). "'Unacceptable': Liberal MP Russell Broadbent slams own government over refugees". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 11 April 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  13. ^ Harris, Rob (26 January 2021). "'So much to gain and nothing to lose': Veteran Liberal MP says Uluru vision is only path towards healing". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 11 April 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  14. ^ McIlroy, Tom (20 February 2023). "Veteran Liberal MP adds to pressure on Dutton over Voice". Australian Financial Review. Archived from the original on 13 November 2023.
  15. ^ Howard, William; Schapova, Natasha; Hook, Mim (4 September 2023). "Veteran Liberal MP Russell Broadbent backflips on Yes vote in Voice to Parliament referendum". ABC News. Archived from the original on 13 November 2023.
  16. ^ "Same-sex marriage bill passes House of Representatives after hundreds of hours of debate". ABC News. 7 December 2017. Archived from the original on 24 March 2019. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
  17. ^ "House of Representatives Hansard THURSDAY, 7 DECEMBER 2017". Retrieved 8 December 2017.
  18. ^ "Why Russell Broadbent MP Won't Get Vaccinated - South Gippsland Sentinel-Times". sgst.com.au. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
  19. ^ Curtis, Katrina (October 2021). "Unvaccinated veteran Liberal MP risks being locked out of office". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  20. ^ https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WHO-MHP-HPS-EML-2021.02
  21. ^ "Liberal MP Russell Broadbent promotes personal use of a drug banned for COVID-19 treatment - ABC News".
  22. ^ "Unvaccinated Liberal MP promotes taking banned COVID-19 treatment ivermectin". ABC News. 14 February 2022. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  23. ^ Curtis, Katina (1 October 2021). "Unvaccinated veteran Liberal MP risks being locked out of office". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  24. ^ Wright, Shane (29 August 2022). "Time to 'bite the bullet' and axe stage three tax cuts, veteran Liberal MP says". The Age. Nine Entertainment. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  25. ^ a b Crowe, David (27 February 2023). "Liberal MP defends Albanese over any broken promises on superannuation". The Age. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
  26. ^ "About Russell". Russell Broadbent MP. Archived from the original on 11 April 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  27. ^ "The private interests of Russell Broadbent MP".
  28. ^ Smethurst, Annika (25 June 2017). "Liberal MPs buy upmarket properties as retirements loom". Daily Telegraph. Sydney. Archived from the original on 29 June 2017. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
[edit]
Parliament of Australia
New division Member for Corinella
1990–1993 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Member for McMillan
1996–1998 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Member for McMillan
2004–2019 		Division abolished
Division created Member for Monash
2019–present 		Incumbent
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