Matthew Donald Andrew Bach is a Victorian Member of Parliament, representing the Eastern Metropolitan Region in the Legislative Council. Bach is currently serving as the Shadow Minister for Transport Infrastructure, Shadow Minister for Child Protection and Youth Justice, and Shadow Minister for Youth Affairs. 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 Council The Victorian Legislative Council (VLC) is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria, Australia, the lower house being the Legislative Assembly. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The Legislative Co ...

since March 2020, when he was appointed to fill a vacancy caused by the resignation of

Mary Wooldridge Mary Louise Newling Wooldridge (born 29 July 1967) is a former Australian politician. She was a Liberal Party member of the Parliament of Victoria from 2006 to 2019. She was a member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly, representing the seat ...

. He made his inaugural speech on 18 March 2020. Bach attended Melbourne Grammar School, graduating in 2001.

Personal life

Bach holds a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

from the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

(with First Class Honours in Politics), a Graduate Diploma of Teaching and Learning from

Charles Darwin University Charles Darwin University (CDU) is an Australian public university with a main campus in Darwin and eight satellite campuses in some metropolitan and regional areas. It was established in 2003 after the merger of Northern Territory University, ...

, and a PhD in History from the University of Melbourne. Prior to his election to Parliament, he had served as a senior leader, staff board representative and teacher of History and Politics at

Carey Baptist Grammar School Carey Baptist Grammar School, commonly known as Carey, is an Independent school, independent and co-educational, Baptists, Baptist day school in Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. The institution consists of five campuses: Kew, Victoria, ...

, and was the Deputy Principal and Head of the Senior School at

Ivanhoe Girls' Grammar School , motto_translation = Christ my light , established = 1903 , type = Independent, single-sex, day school , denomination = Anglican , slogan = , principal ...

, where he also taught English and History. Bach campaigned for the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

in the

2010 United Kingdom general election The 2010 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday 6 May 2010, with 45,597,461 registered voters entitled to vote to elect members to the House of Commons. The election took place in 650 constituencies across the United Kingdom unde ...

; in his candidacy for the Eastern Metropolitan Region, he cited his experience campaigning in the United Kingdom and his success in winning back seats from opposition while successfully campaigning in marginal seats as a strength in support of his candidacy. In 2020 Bach published a book based on his doctoral thesis titled "Combating London's Criminal Class", which explores whether the criminal class within a sub-section of

Victorian London During the 19th century, London grew enormously to become a global city of immense importance. It was the largest city in the world from about 1825, the world's largest port, and the heart of international finance and trade. Railways connecting ...

's population actually existed, and the effectiveness of the measures brought against it.

Political career

He was appointed to the vacancy caused by the resignation of

in March 2020, for whom he had worked as a Ministerial Advisor when she was the Minister for Community Services, Mental Health, and Women's Affairs. In October 2021, Bach replaced

Tim Smith Tim, Timothy or Timmy Smith may refer to: Musicians * T. V. Smith (born 1956), British singer and songwriter *Tim Smith (Cardiacs) (1961–2020), English singer-songwriter and frontman of Cardiacs *Timmy Trumpet (born 1982), Australian DJ and prod ...

as Shadow Attorney-General after the latter crashed his car while driving under the influence of alcohol. Bach, like Smith, was never a lawyer, so he vacated the shadow attorney-general role in February 2022. However, he was appointed as Shadow Minister for Transport Infrastructure, in addition to his other existing portfolios of Child Protection, Youth Justice, and Youth Affairs.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bach, Matthew Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Victoria Members of the Victorian Legislative Council 21st-century Australian politicians