Daryl Melham (born 26 November 1954) is a former Australian politician. He was a

Labor Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the la ...

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 o ...

representing the

Division of Banks The Division of Banks is an Australian electoral division in the state of New South Wales. History The division was created in 1949 and is named for Sir Joseph Banks, the British naturalist and botanist who accompanied James Cook on his voy ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

from March 1990 until September 2013.

Early life and education

Melham was born in Sydney, to a family of Lebanese descent and studied law and economics at the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's ...

, earning an LL.B. and a B.Ec.

Career

Legal career

Melham was a barrister and solicitor and a public defender before entering politics. He was Vice-President of the New South Wales Labor Party from 1999 until 2002. Melham worked as a solicitor with the

Legal Aid Commission of New South Wales Law is a set of rules that are created and are law enforcement, enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. ...

, specialising in criminal law from 1979 to 1987. He was subsequently admitted to the bar as a barrister, and was a public defender until his entry into federal politics in 1990. He is also a foundation member of the NSW Society of Labor Lawyers. Melham is a Life Member and has served as President of the Revesby Workers' Club.

Political career

Elected to Parliament in 1990, Melham entered the Opposition Shadow Ministry following Labor's electoral defeat in 1996. He served as Shadow Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs but resigned in 2000 after a policy disagreement with the then Labor leader

Kim Beazley Kim Christian Beazley (born 14 December 1948) is an Australian former politician and diplomat. He was leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and leader of the opposition from 1996 to 2001 and 2005 to 2006, having previously been a cabine ...

. He returned to the Opposition Shadow Ministry in 2001 and he was Shadow Minister for Housing, Urban Development and Local Government from December 2003, resigning from the front bench soon after the Labor Party's election defeat in October 2004. Melham and colleague

Lindsay Tanner Lindsay James Tanner (born 24 April 1956) is a former Australian politician. A member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), he represented the seat of Melbourne in the House of Representatives from 1993 to 2010 and served as Minister for Finance ...

were the only Labor MPs to openly speak out against the Howard Government's proposed

anti-terrorism legislation Anti-terrorism legislation are laws with the purpose of fighting terrorism. They usually, if not always, follow specific bombings or assassinations. Anti-terrorism legislation usually includes specific amendments allowing the state to bypass its ...

which provides for harsher punishments for sedition and grants police new shoot-to-kill powers. Melham also spoke out against the Howard government's changes to the rules concerning

political donations Campaign finance, also known as election finance or political donations, refers to the funds raised to promote candidates, political parties, or policy initiatives and referendums. Political parties, charitable organizations, and political ac ...

, which allowed donations of up to 10,000 to be given to political parties without public disclosure. Melham was quoted as saying in May 2006: "We're going to have the best politicians money can buy, but we won't see ow much. Melham resigned as the Federal Labor caucus chair on 30 October 2012. Following the 2010 election, Melham's usually high margin in Banks was reduced to a low 1.5%. He lost the seat at the 2013 federal election against the

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

candidate,

David Coleman David Robert Coleman OBE (26 April 1926 – 21 December 2013) was a British sports commentator and television presenter who worked for the BBC for 46 years. He covered eleven Summer Olympic Games from 1960 to 2000 and six FIFA World Cups from ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Melham, Daryl 1954 births Australian people of Lebanese descent Australian barristers Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Australia Labor Left politicians Australian solicitors Members of the Australian House of Representatives Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Banks Sydney Law School alumni Living people Public defenders 21st-century Australian politicians 20th-century Australian politicians Members of the Order of Australia National Library of Australia Council members