Michael Stephen Photios (born 26 September 1960) is an
Australian
Australian(s) may refer to:
Australia
* Australia, a country
* Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia
** European Australians
** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists
** Aboriginal Au ...
former politician who was Minister for Multicultural and Ethnic Affairs and Minister Assisting the Minister for Justice from 1993 to 1995 in the
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
Government.
Parliamentarian
Photios was the member representing the constituencies of
Ryde
Ryde is an English seaside town and civil parish on the north-east coast of the Isle of Wight. The built-up area had a population of 23,999 according to the 2011 Census and an estimate of 24,847 in 2019. Its growth as a seaside resort came af ...
(1988–91) and
Ermington (1991–99) in the
New South Wales Parliament
The Parliament of New South Wales is a bicameral legislature in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW), consisting of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly (lower house) and the New South Wales Legislative Council (upper house). Each ...
for the
New South Wales Division of 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 ...
.
[
]
Liberal Party
Photios joined the New South Wales Division of the Liberal Party
The New South Wales Liberal Party, officially called the Liberal Party of Australia, New South Wales Division, and colloquially known as the NSW Liberal Party, is the state division of the Liberal Party of Australia in New South Wales. The party ...
in November 1975, holding many party executive roles including New South Wales Young Liberal Vice President from 1980 to 1981 and then President from 1982 to 1984. He held and holds various positions within the Liberal Party, he has held the positions of NSW Vice President and Urban Representative on the Liberal Party State Executive, and is a leader of the Moderate faction of the party known as "The Group".[
In 1999, Ermington was abolished, and Photios opted to transfer to a recreated Ryde. Although Ryde was a marginally Liberal seat on paper, Photios lost to the former ]Labor
Labour or labor may refer to:
* Childbirth, the delivery of a baby
* Labour (human activity), or work
** Manual labour, physical work
** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer
** Organized labour and the labour ...
member for Gladesville
Gladesville is a suburb in the Lower North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Gladesville is located 10 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Ryde a ...
, John Watkins, amid Labor's convincing victory that year.
In 2011, Photios was identified as a key member of both Liberal leader Barry O'Farrell's kitchen cabinet and inner circle going into government.
Personal life
Photios was born to Henry Basil Photios and Helen Marjorie Photios. He was educated at Beecroft Primary School and The King's School, Parramatta
The King's School is an Education in Australia#Non-government schools, independent Anglican Church of Australia, Anglican, Pre-school education, early learning, primary school, primary and secondary school, secondary day and boarding school, boardi ...
from 1972 to 1978. Photios married Janice Mullcay on 23 April 1994, and had two children. After five years, Michael separated from Janice and married fashion designer Mela Purdie, with whom he has one son.[ Michael and Mela separated in 2007 and later divorced.
On 21 October 2009, the '']Daily Telegraph
Daily or The Daily may refer to:
Journalism
* Daily newspaper, newspaper issued on five to seven day of most weeks
* ''The Daily'' (podcast), a podcast by ''The New York Times''
* ''The Daily'' (News Corporation), a defunct US-based iPad new ...
'' reported that Photios was dating younger woman, Kristina Iantchev. Photios, then 50, was reported as commenting in response that "There is too much mediocrity and boredom in politics...we should all get a life...If I've been known to go to a party or two, I'm happy to go to another. My advice would be for everyone to try it". A year later, Photios announced his engagement to Iantchev and they married on 2 October 2011 in Phuket
Phuket (; th, ภูเก็ต, , ms, Bukit or ''Tongkah''; Hokkien:普吉; ) is one of the southern provinces (''changwat'') of Thailand. It consists of the island of Phuket, the country's largest island, and another 32 smaller islands of ...
, Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
. They have two children together.
References
;General
* The Liberals, the NSW Division 1945-2000 Author: Ian Hancock Federation Press 2007
* The Education of a Young Liberal Author: John Hyde Page Melbourne University Press 2006
;Citations
{{DEFAULTSORT:Photios, Michael
1960 births
Living people
Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of New South Wales
Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
Australian people of Greek descent