Cesar Melhem
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Cesar Melhem (
Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
: سيزار ملحم) (born 4 January 1965) is a former State Secretary of the Victorian Branch of the
Australian Workers' Union The Australian Workers' Union (AWU) is one of Australia's largest and oldest trade unions. It traces its origins to unions founded in the pastoral and mining industries in the 1880s and currently has approximately 80,000 members. It has exerci ...
(AWU), and a former Member for
Western Metropolitan Region Western Metropolitan Region is one of the eight electoral regions of Victoria, Australia, which elects five members to the Victorian Legislative Council (also referred to as the upper house) by proportional representation. The region was created ...
in the Legislative Council, Parliament of Victoria, between 2013 and 2022.


Background

Born in
Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...
, Melhem migrated to
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
at the age of 23. Completing a Diploma of Electronics in 1986, he worked as a process operator before being elected as a union organiser for the Federated Ironworkers Association of Australia (FIA). In 1990 he stood for and was subsequently elected as a full-time union organiser. He remained in this role until the FIA amalgamated with the AWU in the 1990s. He was elected to the role of Assistant Secretary of the AWU in 2001 after its amalgamation with the FIA. Melhem went on to be elected State Secretary in 2006 following
Bill Shorten William Richard Shorten (born 12 May 1967) is an Australian politician currently serving as Minister for Government Services and Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme since 2022. He previously served as leader of the opposition a ...
's resignation. During his time as State Secretary, Cesar led a campaign to secure the entitlements of AJAX members when the car component company was placed in the hands of administrators. More than $8 million worth of entitlements was secured for the workers. Cesar further fronted negotiations with Alcoa executives in Pittsburgh USA, successfully making the case for the
Point Henry Smelter The Point Henry aluminium smelter was located near Geelong, Victoria in the suburb of Moolap prior to its closure in 2014. The smelter had a production capacity of 185,000 tonnes of aluminium a year. It was operated by Alcoa World Alumina and Ch ...
to stay open, to re-organise and provide an ongoing source of employment for the Geelong region in the face of an international review by the company that threatened to close it down. Melhem was also director of superannuation provider to building and construction workers CBUS from 2007–2013, and of Chifley Financial Services from 2012–13, an organisation that provides advice, investments, superannuation, insurance and mortgage lending services. On 6 May 2013 Melhem announced he was resigning as AWU state secretary after 7 years, to enter the
Victorian Legislative Council The Victorian Legislative Council (VLC) is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria, Australia, the lower house being the Legislative Assembly. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The Legislative Co ...
as the member for
Western Metropolitan Region Western Metropolitan Region is one of the eight electoral regions of Victoria, Australia, which elects five members to the Victorian Legislative Council (also referred to as the upper house) by proportional representation. The region was created ...
, succeeding Shadow Attorney General
Martin Pakula Martin Philip Pakula (born 7 January 1969) is a former Australian politician. He has been a Labor Party member of the Parliament of Victoria since 2006: in the Legislative Council for Western Metropolitan Region from 2006 to 2010, and then in ...
, who resigned to contest the Legislative Assembly seat of Lyndhurst. Melhem was appointed to the vacancy on 9 May 2013. He was elected as a member in November 2014. Melhem served as Government Whip of the Victorian Legislative Council in 2014–2015. He has served on the Economy and Infrastructure Legislation Committee and Economy and Infrastructure References Committee May 2013-November 2014, the Legal and Social Issues Legislation Committee and Legal and Social Issues References Committee April–May 2015, the Economic, Education, Jobs and Skills Committee since April 2015, the Legal and Social Issues Committee May 2015-August 2016, the Environment and Planning Committee since August 2016,the Fire Services Bill Select Committee June–July 2017 and the Electoral Matters Committee appointed in April 2019. Melhem is the former chair of the Victorian Government's Western Melbourne Local Automotive Transition Taskforce. He now currently Chairs the Legislative Council Environment and Planning Committee. On 1 June 2015 Melhem was accused of negotiating an addition to an enterprise bargaining agreement that would increase the unions ability to further the unions ability to negotiate better agreements in the future. In December 2015, Melhem was one of over 40 current and former trade union officials referred by the
Royal Commission into trade union governance and corruption The Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption was a Royal Commission established by the Government of Australia to inquire into alleged financial irregularities associated with the affairs of trade unions. The Australian Worke ...
for possible prosecution. No charges were made and Melhem was found of committing no wrongdoing. Melham was not successful in his re-election to the Legislative Council at the 2022 state election.


Personal life

Melhem married his wife Jane in 1997, who together have two children. The family is settled in the western suburbs of Melbourne, where Melhem has lived since his arrival in Australia in 1988. He is a staunch supporter of the Western Bulldogs FC.


References


External links


Parliamentary voting record of Cesar Melhem at Victorian Parliament Tracker
{{DEFAULTSORT:Melhem, Cesar 1965 births Living people Australian trade unionists Lebanese emigrants to Australia Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Victoria Members of the Victorian Legislative Council 21st-century Australian politicians Labor Right politicians