HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Julian John James McGauran (born 5 March 1957) is a former
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 who served as a member of the
Australian Senate The Senate is the upper house of the Bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives (Australia), House of Representatives. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Chapter ...
, representing the state of
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...
. Elected as a member of the National Party, he resigned from the Nationals and joined the
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 ...
in February 2006. His brother,
Peter McGauran Peter John McGauran (born 16 November 1955) is a former Australian politician who served as a National Party member of the Australian House of Representatives. He represented the Division of Gippsland in Victoria from 5 March 1983 to 9 April 2 ...
, was the National member for
Gippsland Gippsland is a rural region that makes up the southeastern part of Victoria, Australia, mostly comprising the coastal plains to the rainward (southern) side of the Victorian Alps (the southernmost section of the Great Dividing Range). It covers ...
until 2008, and was Minister for Agriculture in the Howard government.


Background and early career

McGauran attended
Xavier College Xavier College is a Roman Catholic, day and boarding school predominantly for boys, founded in 1872 by the Society of Jesus, with its main campus located in Kew, an eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Classes started in 1878. Th ...
in
Kew Kew () is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its population at the 2011 census was 11,436. Kew is the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens ("Kew Gardens"), now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace. Kew is a ...
,
Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
. Before attending university he worked in the stables for racehorse trainer
Bart Cummings James Bartholomew Cummings (14 November 1927 – 30 August 2015), also known by his initials J. B. Cummings, was one of the most successful Australian racehorse trainers. He was known as the Cups King, referring to the Melbourne Cup, as he w ...
at
Flemington Racecourse Flemington Racecourse is a major horse racing venue located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is most notable for hosting the Melbourne Cup, which is the world's richest handicap and the world's richest 3200-metre horse race. The racecou ...
. At
Monash University Monash University () is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Named for prominent World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. The university has a ...
he obtained a Bachelor of
Economics Economics () is the social science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and intera ...
, then becoming a
Certified Practising Accountant Certification is the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestation or confirmation of certain characteristics of a ...
and then a company director for the McGauran Group of Companies, and a board member of the
Victorian Employers' Chamber of Commerce and Industry The Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry is the largest and most influential not-for-profit business organisation in Victoria, informing and supporting 47,000 members and clients across the state. Founded in 1851 with headquarters in Melb ...
between 1986 and 1988. He was elected to the
Melbourne City Council The City of Melbourne is a local government area in Victoria, Australia, located in the central city area of Melbourne. In 2018, the city has an area of and had a population of 169,961. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. The ci ...
1985–88, representing the Central Business District. During his time at the Council McGauran called for the popular vote of the Lord Mayor of Melbourne, instead of the traditional means of selection by fellow councillor, in an attempt to curtail the "invariable cronyism" of the Melbourne City Council at the time.


Political career


National Party

McGauran won National Party preselection for a Senate seat in the 1987 double-dissolution election, and was subsequently elected. Following the announcement of the election results other senators negotiated, against McGauran's objections, to allocate him a three-year rather than a six-year Senate term. In 1990 due to the circumstances of an historic agreement forming a Coalition Senate ticket he was required to step out of Parliament for three years. In 1993 he was re-elected to the Senate on the Coalition Senate ticket. On 2 November 1989 McGauran introduced the End of War List (Private Members Bill) into the Senate. The Bill was passed unanimously in the Senate, and was aimed at recognising the "unsung heroes" of the Vietnam War. Although it was unsuccessful in the House of Representatives at the time, in 1999 the Howard Government did establish the War List and more than 80 Vietnam Vets have been honoured for their acts of bravery since this time. McGauran was a strong advocate for the freedom of
East Timor East Timor (), also known as Timor-Leste (), officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is an island country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the exclave of Oecusse on the island's north-weste ...
. He campaigned from 1993 through to 1999 for the East Timor cause against the then-policy of the major parties. Diagnosed with
malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...
following a trek along the Kokoda Trail, McGauran ignored doctor's orders and flew to Canberra to speak on the controversial Euthanasia Laws 1996 Bill – supporting the Bill to overturn Northern Territory legislation legalising
euthanasia Euthanasia (from el, εὐθανασία 'good death': εὖ, ''eu'' 'well, good' + θάνατος, ''thanatos'' 'death') is the practice of intentionally ending life to eliminate pain and suffering. Different countries have different eut ...
. The debate saw the bill narrowly passed in the Senate. The following day he collapsed in his Melbourne office and spent the next week recovering in hospital. In November 2000 McGauran called for an inquiry into an incident at the Royal Women's Hospital where an abortion was performed on a 32-week-old fetus. He argued a possible breach of the Victorian Crimes Act which creates an offence of child destruction after 28 weeks gestation had occurred. After years of public debate and argument, the issue was investigated by the Medical Practitioners Board of Victoria. In 2001 McGauran became the first Federal MP to join the
Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (Austral ...
as part of the Federal Government's MP exchange program. He Joined 2RAR on exercise at Jimma training base in Queensland. McGauran documented his experience in a diary later published. Before the 2004 election, McGauran faced a pre-selection challenge from three party members, including a former staffer to Trade Minister
Mark Vaile Mark Anthony James Vaile (born 18 April 1956) is a former deputy prime minister of Australia and former leader of the National Party of Australia. Vaile is currently a non-executive director of a number of public listed corporations. Early li ...
. McGauran retained National Party pre-selection after media reports suggested the federal coalition agreement would be endangered if he lost, and thus gained the guaranteed second position on the joint Liberal-National ticket and was re-elected. On 11 August, after the Liberal-National Coalition narrowly won a vote in the Senate, he gave
the finger In Western culture, "the finger", or the middle finger (as in giving someone the (middle) finger, the bird or flipping someone off) is an obscene hand gesture. The gesture communicates moderate to extreme contempt, and is roughly equivalent i ...
to Labor Party senators on the floor of the Senate in response to comments. This prompted calls from Labor senators and Greens Senator
Bob Brown Robert James Brown (born 27 December 1944) is a former Australian politician, medical doctor and environmentalist. He was a senator and the parliamentary leader of the Australian Greens. Brown was elected to the Australian Senate on the Tasman ...
that he be sacked as Deputy Government Whip in the Senate. Senate President Paul Calvert ruled that the gesture was "unseemly but not
obscene An obscenity is any utterance or act that strongly offends the prevalent morality of the time. It is derived from the Latin ''obscēnus'', ''obscaenus'', "boding ill; disgusting; indecent", of uncertain etymology. Such loaded language can be use ...
." In 2004 the McGauran family bankrolled the Democratic Labor Party's High Court challenge against the Australian Electoral Commission which was forcing the political party under threat of deregistration to disclose party membership details. Although the legal challenge was unsuccessful, the DLP survived, largely due to the support of Julian McGauran, who commented, "We had a serious interest in the outcome of the case, and our heart was with the DLP. I wouldn’t want to see them fade away". McGauran's links to the DLP stem from his first Senate election win in 1987 when DLP preferences were critical in his narrow win over former Communist
John Halfpenny John Francis Halfpenny AM (7 April 1935 – 20 December 2003) was an Australian unionist. Biography Halfpenny was born in Donald in Victoria and joined the Communist Party, travelling to Moscow in 1960 as head of the Eureka Youth League. A ...
. In 2005 McGauran was accused of releasing to ''
The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...
'' newspaper the private patient records of a woman who had had an abortion, in breach of a
Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
suppression order; however, he denies this accusation. The then Victoria Health Minister,
Bronwyn Pike Bronwyn Jane Pike (born 25 January 1956) is a former Australian politician. She was Minister for Education in Victoria in the Brumby Government, and was the Member of Parliament for Melbourne from 1999 to 2012. Early life Prior to enterin ...
, is quoted in the article as saying that McGauran was "exploiting this woman in pursuit of his own ideological agenda", describing the act as an assault on the doctor-patient relationship.


Liberal Party

On 23 January 2006 McGauran announced that he was resigning from the National Party and would apply to join the Liberal Party. He said there was no longer any significant policy difference between the Nationals and Liberals in Victoria at a federal level, and that he would be best able to represent rural Victorians as a member of the Liberal Party. His application was accepted by the Liberals on 3 February. Rumours abounded that Liberal deputy leader and Treasurer
Peter Costello Peter Howard Costello (born 14 August 1957) is an Australian businessman, lawyer and former politician who served as the treasurer of Australia in government of John Howard from 1996 to 2007. He is the longest-serving treasurer in Australia' ...
, himself a Victorian, lobbied McGauran to switch parties. However, Costello and Howard denied this. Nonetheless, federal Nationals leader
Mark Vaile Mark Anthony James Vaile (born 18 April 1956) is a former deputy prime minister of Australia and former leader of the National Party of Australia. Vaile is currently a non-executive director of a number of public listed corporations. Early li ...
condemned McGauran's defection as a betrayal while state Nationals leader Peter Ryan claimed that McGauran would be "treated and reviled" as a deserter "for the rest of his days." One of the few Liberals who didn't welcome McGauran to the party was former Victorian premier
Jeff Kennett Jeffrey Gibb Kennett (born 2 March 1948) is a former Australian politician who was the 43rd Premier of Victoria between 1992 and 1999, and currently a media commentator. He was previously the president of the Hawthorn Football Club, serving ...
, who called it "a gross act of disloyalty." McGauran's defection highlighted the historically strained relationship between the non-Labor parties in Victoria. The Liberals and Nationals sat separately for most of the second half of the 20th century; while they governed as a Coalition under Kennett, they had gone their separate ways after their shock defeat in 2002. In 2009 McGauran was the first to speak up against the Liberal policy supporting the Government's
Emissions Trading Scheme Emissions trading is a market-based approach to controlling pollution by providing economic incentives for reducing the emissions of pollutants. The concept is also known as cap and trade (CAT) or emissions trading scheme (ETS). Carbon emission t ...
. He said he would not vote for the scheme in any form, in defiance of the then-Liberal leader
Malcolm Turnbull Malcolm Bligh Turnbull (born 24 October 1954) is an Australian former politician and businessman who served as the 29th prime minister of Australia from 2015 to 2018. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. Turnbull grad ...
. In April 2010 McGauran, a long time campaigner on censorship issues, called for the sacking of the
Australian Classification Board The Australian Classification Board (ACB or CB) is an Australian government statutory body responsible for the classification and censorship of films, video games and publications for exhibition, sale or hire in Australia. The ACB was establis ...
Chairman for the Board's release of the formerly banned film ''
Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom ''Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom'' ( it, Salò o le 120 giornate di Sodoma, billed on-screen ''Pasolini's 120 Days of Sodom'' on English-language prints and commonly referred to as simply ''Salò'' []) is a 1975 horror film, horror art film dir ...
'' by Pier Paolo Pasolini. McGauran described the movie as "a paedophile's treat" and a "handbook for deviants". In the 2010 Australian federal election, 2010 election, McGauran lost his Senate seat to the DLP. His term in the Senate expired 30 June 2011. On 12 May 2011 ''The Age'' newspaper reported that "Senator Julian McGauran has accused Professor Graham Burrows of giving concocted evidence at the trial of Arthur Freeman, the man serving a life sentence for the murder of his daughter Darcey." ''The Age'' reported on McGauran's speech in the Australian Senate, saying "Senator McGauran said defence lawyers used Professor Burrows as a 'gun for hire' and 'psychiatrist of last resort' and one who will sing whatever song the defence wants". On 21 June 2011 McGauran delivered his valedictory speech to the Senate. He referred to his recent performances as an extra in
Opera Australia Opera Australia is the principal opera company in Australia. Based in Sydney, its performance season at the Sydney Opera House accompanied by the Opera Australia Orchestra runs for approximately eight months of the year, with the remainder of ...
's season of ''
The Pearl Fishers ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'', saying "That is the thrill of politics: it is an opera. I hope I played it well. So now I leave the stage and the curtain must fall."


Post-political career

McGauran was, until October 2021, a religion, ethics and commerce & law teacher at
Ivanhoe Girls' Grammar School , motto_translation = Christ my light , established = 1903 , type = Independent, single-sex, day school , denomination = Anglican , slogan = , principal ...
. He currently teaches at Marcellin College in Melbourne.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McGauran, Julian Living people Australian people of Irish descent Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian Senate Members of the Australian Senate for Victoria Australian corporate directors Australian accountants Monash University alumni People educated at Xavier College 1957 births Place of birth missing (living people) Victoria (Australia) local councillors National Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia 21st-century Australian politicians 20th-century Australian politicians