Christopher John Crewther (born 6 August 1983) is an
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 ...
n politician. He was a
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is a centre-right political party in Australia, one of the two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-left Australian Labor Party. It was founded in 1944 as the successor to the United Au ...
member of the
Australian House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the upper house being the Senate. Its composition and powers are established in Chapter I of the Constitution of Australia.
The term of members of the ...
from 2016 to 2019 before being elected to the Victorian State Parliament, representing the division of Mornington in
2022
File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...
Mitcham
Mitcham is an area within the London Borough of Merton in South London, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross. Originally a village in the county of Surrey, today it is mainly a residential suburb, and includes Mitcham Common. It ha ...
and went to school in Horsham and Murtoa.
After school, Crewther graduated with a Bachelor of Laws with Honours from the
University of Canberra
The University of Canberra (UC) is a public research university with its main campus located in Bruce, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. The campus is within walking distance of Westfield Belconnen, and from Canberra's Civic Centre. UC ...
, with a Science Minor.
Crewther then added a Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice, and two master's degrees in international law and diplomacy from the
Australian National University
The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies and ...
, the latter in which he was awarded the James Ingram AO Prize for Excellence in Diplomatic Studies for achieving top student.
Career
Professionally, Crewther has worked as an associate to then ACT Magistrate
John Burns
John Elliot Burns (20 October 1858 – 24 January 1943) was an English trade unionist and politician, particularly associated with London politics and Battersea. He was a socialist and then a Liberal Member of Parliament and Minister. He was ...
AIATSIS
The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS), established as the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies (AIAS) in 1964, is an independent Australian Government statutory authority. It is a collecting, ...
, as an international lawyer through the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
Minister for Veterans' Affairs
The Minister for Veterans' Affairs is an Australian Government position. In the Government of Australia, the minister oversees income support, compensation, care and commemoration programs for more than 400,000 veterans and their widows, widower ...
Crewther was the Liberal candidate for the outer regional/rural seat of Mallee in 2013, which has been held by the National Party since its establishment in 1949. Crewther was the first Liberal Party candidate to contest the electorate since 1993, reflecting the Liberal and National Parties agreement to not contest the same seat except on the retirement of a sitting member. Crewther achieved 27% of the primary vote but the seat was held by the National Party.
Crewther was subsequently elected to parliament in 2016 in the inner regional/outer metropolitan seat of Dunkley, winning the seat with a 1.43% margin on the retirement of long serving member
Bruce Billson
Bruce Frederick Billson (born 26 January 1966) is a former politician who was a Liberal member of the Australian House of Representatives representing the Division of Dunkley in Victoria from 1996 to 2016.
Following a speech to parliament in late 2016, Crewther established the Parliamentary Friendship Group for
Tourette Syndrome
Tourette syndrome or Tourette's syndrome (abbreviated as TS or Tourette's) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder that begins in childhood or adolescence. It is characterized by multiple movement (motor) tics and at least one vocal (phonic) ...
as its Founding Chair.
Crewther was chair of the
Australian Parliament
The Parliament of Australia (officially the Federal Parliament, also called the Commonwealth Parliament) is the legislature, legislative branch of the government of Australia. It consists of three elements: the monarch (represented by the ...
's Foreign Affairs and Aid Sub-Committee, under th Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade (JSCFADT). He chaired the Sub-Committee's 'Inquiry into establishing a Modern Slavery Act in Australia', tabling to Parliament the Sub-Committee' Interim Report in August 2017 an Final Report ('Hidden in Plain Sight') in December 2017, which led to Australia's Modern Slavery Act 2018 '.
Crewther was named amongst Assent Compliance's Global Top 100 Corporate Social Responsibility Influence Leaders for 2018 and awarded a Freedom Award from Anti-Slavery Australia in October 2019.
Crewther was also Chair of the Australian Coalition Government's Policy Committee on Home Affairs and Legal Affairs, and Chair of the Australian Parliament's Ukraine-Australia Parliamentary Friendship Group.
He was defeated at the 2019 election by Labor candidate
Peta Murphy
Peta Jan Murphy (born 1 November 1973) is an Australian politician who has been a member of the House of Representatives since the 2019 federal election. She is a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and represents the Division of Dunkl ...
, after being disadvantaged by an electoral redistribution that made Dunkley notionally Labor, along with a 1.7% TPP swing to Labor.
Crewther ran again for Liberal Party preselection in Dunkley for the 2022 Federal Election, but was unsuccessful.
State parliament
In December 2021 Crewther defeated long-standing Member for Mornington David Morris to win preselection as the Liberal candidate for Mornington for the
2022 Victorian state election
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 (lower house) and all 40 seats in the Legislative Council (upper house) were up for el ...
. Crewther went on to narrowly win the seat.
In his inaugural speech to the Victorian Parliament, Crewther spoke of his opposition to vaccine mandates, and advocated for the decriminalisation of drug use and a “HECS-based system for schools”.
In December 2022, Crewther was appointed as the Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Justice and Corrections, and Liberal Party Whip in the Legislative Assembly.
Personal life
Crewther lives on the
Mornington Peninsula
The Mornington Peninsula is a peninsula located south of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is surrounded by Port Phillip to the west, Western Port to the east and Bass Strait to the south, and is connected to the mainland in the north. Geogra ...
and has two young children with his wife Grace. He has a mild form of Tourette's, which was diagnosed in his early 20s, and is Patron of the Tourette Syndrome Association of Australia.
Crewther has been a member of the Australian Government's Modern Slavery Expert Advisory Group, a non-executive director of Zoe Support Australia and Global Voices, and a member of several other committees.