Richard Vincent Riordan (born 11 April 1972) is an Australian politician and businessman. He was elected to 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 ...
as a
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.
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This is a li ...
member for
Polwarth at
a by-election held on 31 October 2015. This was the first Liberal Party by-election win in Victoria in thirty-five years.
Riordan is from a prominent family in Polwarth. His great-grandfather came to Polwarth as a young Englishman in the 1800s to make a new start and create a better life for his family. His paternal great-grandfather W. T Parker established himself in the community and was involved in farming, education and the environment.
During 1989, he completed his Year 12 education in
Calgary, Alberta, Canada as a Rotary Exchange Student and completed his
Victorian Certificate of Education
The Victorian Certificate of Education (often abbreviated VCE) is one credential available to secondary school students who successfully complete year 11 and 12 in the Australian state of Victoria. The VCE is the predominant choice for students ...
at Trinity College
Colac in 1990. Riordan was a prefect and admitted to
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 h ...
to undertake a Bachelor of Business Management. During this time he was very active in university politics and the Young Liberal Movement.
Upon completion of his degree in 1994 he was appointed managing director of his family hardware business. In 1999, Riordan nominated for pre-selection in the seat of Polwarth, made vacant by Ian Smith. Terry Mulder was successful and Riordan resumed his position within the family company and numerous executive positions within the Liberal Party.
He experienced one more defeat in pre-selection in 2010 before being successful in 2015.
He was re-elected at the 2018 state election. Despite the Liberal Party experiencing a swing against it, Riordan increased his primary vote, receiving in excess of 50% of the vote. Riordan was appointed Assistant Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Regional Development and Deputy Chair of The Public Accounts and Estimates Committee.
He has been very vocal about wire rope barriers and their effectiveness as a life saving measure on country roads. He recently came under fire for his comments after the death of a truck driver in Clifton Springs where he was accused of using a fatality for political gain. His views were supported by some road transport groups.
He was managing director of his family company, which had varied retail interests. He is active in the local community, having served as director of the board of Colac Area Health.
After the Liberal party loss during the
2022 Victorian state election
The 2022 Victorian state election was held on Saturday, 26 November 2022 to elect the 60th Parliament of Victoria. All 88 seats in the Legislative Assembly (lower house) and all 40 seats in the Legislative Council (upper house) were up for el ...
, Riordan announce his candidacy for the
. A few days later he would withdraw and announce his support for
Brad Battin for the leadership election.
References
External links
*
Parliamentary biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Riordan, Richard
1972 births
Living people
Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly
Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Victoria
Australian businesspeople
Monash University alumni
People from Colac, Victoria
21st-century Australian politicians