Kimberley Arthur Wells (born 6 August 1958) is an Australian politician. He has been a

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 ...

member of 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 presidin ...

since 1992, representing first Wantirna and then

Scoresby Scoresby may refer to: People * William Scoresby (1789–1857), British Arctic explorer, scientist and clergyman * William F. Scoresby (1840–1884), New York politician * William Scoresby Routledge (1859–1939), British ethnographer, anthropolo ...

and

Rowville Rowville is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 27 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Knox local government area. Rowville recorded a population of 33,571 at the 2021 census. R ...

. Wells was the

Treasurer of Victoria The Treasurer of Victoria is the title held by the Cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more trans ...

from December 2010 until March 2013. Wells was born in

Leongatha Leongatha is a town in the foothills of the Strzelecki Ranges, South Gippsland Shire, Victoria, Australia, located south-east of Melbourne. At the , Leongatha had a population of 5,869. Canadian dairy company Saputo which trades in Australia ...

, Victoria, and attended public schools in

Bairnsdale Bairnsdale () ( Ganai: ''Wy-yung'') is a city in East Gippsland, Victoria, Australia in a region traditionally owned by the Tatungalung clan of the Gunaikurnai people. The estimated population of Bairnsdale urban area was 15,411 at Ju ...

, graduating in 1976.

Career

Wells received a

Bachelor of Business A Bachelor of Business (BBus, BBus (Major)) is a three to four year undergraduate degree in the field of business offered by traditional and newer universities from the post-Dawkins era in Australia, New Zealand and Ireland. It is similar in form ...

, specialising in accounting, post-graduate Diploma of Business and a Master of Accounting from the Victoria University. He worked as an accountant from 1977, and joined the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

in 1984, holding various positions in the Wattle Park Branch. Wells was selected as the Liberal candidate for Wantirna before the

1992 Victorian state election The 1992 Victorian state election, held on Saturday, 3 October 1992, was for the 52nd Parliament of Victoria. It was held in the Australian state of Victoria to elect all 88 members of the state's Legislative Assembly and 22 members of the 44-me ...

, and was elected. He held the seat until 2002, when it was replaced with safe Liberal Party seat of

, which Wells held. In 2000 he was appointed Shadow Minister for Corrections, Police and Emergency Services. He was the Shadow Treasurer from December 2006 to December 2010 and Treasurer of Victoria in the Baillieu Coalition Government from December 2010 to March 2013, when on Premier Ted Baillieu’s resignation, Wells became Minister for Police and Emergency Services and Minister for Bushfire Response in the Napthine Coalition Government. Wells’ division of Scoresby was abolished and effectively replaced by the new Division of Rowville for the 2014 Victorian Election, but remained a safe Liberal seat. Wells retained the seat at both the 2014 Victorian State Election and the 2018 Victorian state election. In September 2021, Wells was dropped from the Shadow Ministry on the return of

Matthew Guy Matthew Jason Guy (born 6 March 1974) is an Australian politician. He has been a Liberal Party of Australia Member of the Parliament of Victoria since 2006, representing Northern Metropolitan Region in the Legislative Council (2006–2014) ...

to the Liberal Party leadership.

References

External links

Parliamentary voting record of Kim Wells at Victorian Parliament Tracker
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wells, Kim 1958 births Living people Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Victoria Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly Victoria University, Melbourne alumni Treasurers of Victoria People from Leongatha 21st-century Australian politicians Victoria (Australia) politicians