Martin Philip Pakula (born 7 January 1969) is a former Australian politician. He has been a
Labor Party member of the
Parliament of Victoria
The Parliament of Victoria is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of Victoria that follows a Westminster-derived parliamentary system. It consists of the King, represented by the Governor of Victoria, the Legislative Assembly and ...
since 2006: in the
Legislative Council for
Western Metropolitan Region
Western Metropolitan Region is one of the eight electoral regions of Victoria, Australia, which elects five members to the Victorian Legislative Council (also referred to as the upper house) by proportional representation. The region was created ...
from 2006 to 2010, and then in the
Legislative Assembly for
Lyndhurst (2013–2014) and
Keysborough
Keysborough is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 27 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Greater Dandenong local government area. Keysborough recorded a population of 30,018 at the .
...
(2014–2022).
Pakula has served as a minister in the
First Andrews Ministry and
Second Andrews Ministry. Most recently until June 2022, Pakula was the Minister for Industry Support and Recovery, Minister for Trade, Minister for Business Precincts from June 2020, the Minister for Tourism, Sport & Major Events from November 2018, and the Minister for Racing from December 2014. He previously served as the Minister for Jobs, Innovation & Trade (2018–2020),
Attorney-General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general.
In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...
(2014–2018). He also served as Minister for Industrial Relations (2008–2010), Minister for Industry and Trade (2008–2010) and Minister for Public Transport (2010) in the
Brumby Ministry
The Brumby Ministry was the 66th ministry of the Government of Victoria. It was led by the Premier of Victoria, John Brumby, and Deputy Premier, Rob Hulls. It succeeded the Bracks Ministry on 3 August 2007, following the retirement of former P ...
.
Early life
Pakula was born in Melbourne in 1969, the son of
immigrants
Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...
from
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
who were deported during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
to
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked cou ...
. Pakula's mother, a school teacher, arrived in Australia as a 6 year old with no knowledge of English, while his father, a lawyer, spoke no English at home. He attended Ormond Primary School and then
Haileybury. Following this, he was accepted to study economics and law 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 ...
. During his time at Monash he became a leading member of Victorian Young Labor, joining the
Labor Party in 1987. He completed his
Bachelor of Economics
The Bachelor of Economics (BEc or BEcon),
or the "Bachelor of Applied Economics", is a bachelor's degree awarded by many universities and colleges for completion of an undergraduate program in economics, econometrics, or applied economics;
the ...
in 1989 and an Honours Degree in Law in 1991. In his final year, he won the Industrial Relations Law prize.
Professional career
After graduating from university, Pakula began work at Macpherson and Kelley Solicitors. In 1993, he became an Industrial Officer at the
National Union of Workers
The National Union of Workers was an Australian trade union formed in 1989.
History
The National Union of Workers of Australia was formed by a progressive amalgamation of unions from 1989 onwards in a time when all Australian unions were merging ...
. He went on to become State Secretary and National Vice President.
In 2005, Pakula unsuccessfully challenged
Simon Crean
Simon Findlay Crean (born 26 February 1949) is an Australian politician and trade unionist. He was the Member of Parliament for Hotham from 1990 to 2013, representing the Labor Party, and served as a Cabinet Minister in the Hawke, Keating, R ...
in the ALP preselection for the seat of
Hotham. Pakula was then preselected for ALP's third spot for the
Western Metropolitan Region
Western Metropolitan Region is one of the eight electoral regions of Victoria, Australia, which elects five members to the Victorian Legislative Council (also referred to as the upper house) by proportional representation. The region was created ...
and was elected at the
2006 Victorian state election. Following the election, he was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Roads and Ports under
Tim Pallas
Timothy Hugh Pallas (born 7 January 1960) is an Australian politician. He has been a Labor Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly since 2006, representing the electorate of Tarneit until 2014 and Werribee thereafter. He has served ...
.
After the resignation of Minister
Theo Theophanous
Theo Charles Theophanous (born 16 June 1948) is a former Australian politician. He entered politics in 1988 as a member of the Victorian Legislative Council. Theophanous served from 1988 to 2006 as one of the two members for Jika Jika Province, ...
in December 2008, Pakula was appointed Minister for Industry and Trade and Minister for Industrial Relations. In January 2010, he replaced
Lynne Kosky
Lynne Janice Kosky (2 September 1958 – 4 December 2014) was an Australian politician and senior minister in the Government of Victoria. She represented the electoral district of Altona in the Victorian Legislative Assembly for the Labor Part ...
as Minister for Public Transport following her resignation.
On 18 March 2013 he was endorsed as the Labor candidate for the
Lyndhurst by-election held on 27 April, caused by the February 2013 resignation of shadow treasurer
Tim Holding
Timothy James Holding (born 21 August 1972) is a former Australian politician. He was a Labor Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 1999 to 2013. He served as minister for water; minister for finance, WorkCover and the Transp ...
. Pakula resigned from the Legislative Council on 26 March 2013 to contest Lyndhurst and was successful in retaining the seat for Labor.
On 4 December 2014 he was sworn in as the Victorian Attorney-General, and was replaced by
Jill Hennessy
Jillian Noel Hennessy (born November 25, 1968) is a Canadian actress and singer. She is most known for her roles on the American television series '' Law & Order'', on which she played prosecutor Claire Kincaid for three seasons, and ''Crossin ...
following the
2018 Victorian state election
Eighteen or 18 may refer to:
* 18 (number), the natural number following 17 and preceding 19
* one of the years 18 BC, AD 18, 1918, 2018
Film, television and entertainment
* ''18'' (film), a 1993 Taiwanese experimental film based on the short ...
. He continued to be a minister in a number of portfolios, with the racing portfolio being held the longest since 2014.
In June 2022, Pakula announced he would retire at the
November state election. He stepped down from his ministerial roles on 27 June 2022.
Personal life
Pakula is married with two children and is a supporter of the
Carlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club, nicknamed the Blues, is a professional Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's top professional competition.
Founded in 1864 in Carlton, an inner suburb of Mel ...
. He lives in Black Rock. Pakula is Jewish.
References
External links
Parliamentary profileMartin Pakula in Victorian HansardParliamentary voting record of Martin Pakula at Victorian Parliament Tracker
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pakula, Martin
1969 births
Living people
People educated at Haileybury (Melbourne)
Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Victoria
Labor Right politicians
Politicians from Melbourne
Australian people of Uzbekistani descent
Australian people of Polish descent
Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly
Members of the Victorian Legislative Council
Monash Law School alumni
Australian Jews
21st-century Australian politicians