James Anthony Merlino (born 19 August 1972) is an Australian retired politician who served as the member for
Monbulk
Monbulk is a town in Victoria, Australia, 42 km east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Shire of Yarra Ranges local government area. Monbulk recorded a population of 3,651 at the 2021 census.
The town is the hom ...
in the
Victorian Legislative Assembly
The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria in Australia; the upper house being the Victorian Legislative Council. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne.
The presiding ...
, as a member of the
Labor Party. He served as
Deputy Premier of Victoria
The deputy premier of Victoria is the second-most senior officer in the Government of Victoria. The deputy premier position was created in May 1932, with Robert Menzies being the first person to hold the position. The deputy premier is appointe ...
and Minister for Education from December 2014 until June 2022 in the
First
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...
and
Second Andrews Ministry.
Political career
Merlino was elected at the
2002 state election defeating
Steve McArthur
Stephen James "Steve" McArthur (born 17 November 1951) is a former Australian politician. He was the Liberal member for Monbulk in the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 1992 to 2002.
McArthur was born in Mildura to Harold Alexander and Glori ...
. Merlino comfortably retained his seat at the
state election in 2006 and became the Minister for Sport and Recreation and Youth Affairs, securing a place in cabinet. Under new Premier
John Brumby
John Mansfield Brumby (born 21 April 1953) is the current Chancellor of La Trobe University and former Victorian Labor Party politician who was Premier of Victoria from 2007 to 2010. He became leader of the Victorian Labor Party and premier ...
's government he retained that ministry and gained a new role as Minister Assisting the Premier on Multicultural Affairs. He subsequently became Police Minister following the resignation of the previous Minister.
When the ALP lost government in the
2010 state election, Merlino became Shadow Minister for Police, the TAC and Road Safety. In February 2012, he was elected unopposed as Deputy Leader of the Labor Party in Victoria, following the resignation of
Rob Hulls
Rob Justin Hulls (born 23 January 1957) is a former Australian politician who was a member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 1996 to 2012, representing the electorate of Niddrie. As well as serving as the Deputy Premier of Victoria, ...
, becoming deputy leader of the opposition
With the election of the Andrews Labor Government in late 2014, Merlino became Deputy Premier and Education Minister. On 10 June 2016, Merlino also became
Minister for Emergency Services following the resignation of Brunswick MP
Jane Garrett
Jane Furneaux Garrett (16 March 1973 – 2 July 2022) was an Australian politician. She was the Labor Party member for Brunswick in the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 2010 until 2018, when she transferred to the Victorian Legislative Cou ...
from the
Andrews Ministry.
In March 2021, Merlino became the Acting Premier of Victoria, after Daniel Andrews fell down a flight of stairs while holidaying 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 ...
, suffering several broken ribs and a broken vertebra from the fall. Merlino was Acting Premier until Andrews returned to work on June 28.
In June 2022, Merlino announced his retirement from politics and did not contest the
November state election. He stepped down from his ministerial roles on 27 June.
Merlino was a member of
Labor's right faction. He is a Catholic.
Football
In December of 2022 he was part of the successful
Andrew Gowers
Andrew Gowers (born 1957) was appointed editor of the ''Financial Times'' in October 2001. He resigned from this post in November 2005 citing "strategic differences". In March 2012 he was appointed Director of External Relations at the Association ...
ticket in the board election.
[https://www.hawthornfc.com.au/news/1257898/election-results-announced]
References
External links
James Merlino at re-member
1972 births
Living people
Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Victoria
Australian Roman Catholics
Labor Right politicians
Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly
Deputy Premiers of Victoria
Australian politicians of Italian descent
21st-century Australian politicians
Hawthorn Football Club administrators
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