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Robert Roy Cameron "Rob" Maclellan AM (born 8 March 1934) is a former
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
n politician. He was 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 presiding ...
, representing the seats of Gippsland West (1970–76), Berwick (1976–92) and Pakenham (1992–2002). He was Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party from 1982 to 1985.


Background

Maclellan was born in
Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
to businessman Roy James Maclellan and Amy Catherine McMicking. He attended
Melbourne Grammar School (Pray and Work) , established = 1849 (on present site since 1858 - the celebrated date of foundation) , type = Independent, co-educational primary, single-sex boys secondary, day and boarding , denomination ...
and received a Bachelor of Law from
Melbourne University 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 no ...
in 1966. He has also studied history at
La Trobe University La Trobe University is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its main campus is located in the suburb of Bundoora. The university was established in 1964, becoming the third university in the state of Victoria an ...
. He worked in the Victorian Attorney-General's department before teaching at Sunshine and Northcote High Schools, finally becoming a farmer at San Remo jointly with his brother. Maclellan married Beverley Merrill Bonwick on 22 June 1963; they have three children. He still lives in San Remo.


Political career

In 1970, Maclellan was elected as the Liberal member for Gippsland West in 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 presiding ...
. He moved to the Berwick electorate in 1976 when Gippsland West was abolished, and in that year became Minister of Labour and Industry and Minister of Consumer Affairs. He was made Minister for Transport in 1982 Following the
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 la ...
victory in that year's election, Maclellan became Deputy Leader of the Opposition, a position he held until 1985. He was Shadow Minister for Conservation, Forests and Lands during that time, but stepped down from the front bench in 1985. He returned in 1989 as Shadow Attorney-General and Shadow Minister for Police and Emergency Services. He then held the Small Business (1990–91) and Planning (1991–92) shadow portfolios. In 1992, he moved to the short-lived electorate of Pakenham. Maclellan became Minister for Planning when the Liberals won office at the 1992 election, led by
Jeff Kennett Jeffrey Gibb Kennett (born 2 March 1948) is a former Australian politician who was the 43rd Premier of Victoria between 1992 and 1999, and currently a media commentator. He was previously the president of the Hawthorn Football Club, serving ...
. Local Government was added to his portfolio in 1996. Maclellan was an integral part of Kennett's sweeping programme to boost Victoria's economy. He was opposed to local control of planning matters deemed to be of strategic importance of the economic growth of the State. He argued: "Devolution of State planning powers to a large number of municipal councils ... resulted in an overemphasis on local aspects of planning and development at a cost to the wider community". He instituted the Victoria Planning Provisions (VPPs), which were integrated into ''all'' Victorian planning schemes. In
Crikey Crikey is an Australian electronic magazine comprising a website and email newsletter available to subscribers. Crikey was described by the former Federal Opposition Leader Mark Latham as the "most popular website in Parliament House" in ''The ...
, Stephen Rowley wrote of his role as Planning Minister: "Maclellan was notoriously and unapologetically interventionist, and despite the ultimate fate of the Kennett government, his "can-do" attitude mostly benefited him politically". After Labor won the 1999 state election, he resigned from the Liberal front bench. He retired from parliament in 2002, after his electorate of Pakenham was abolished and he failed to win Liberal preselection for new seat of
Gembrook Gembrook is a town in Victoria, Australia, south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Shire of Cardinia local government area. Gembrook recorded a population of 2,559 at the 2021 census. Gembrook is a popular ...
.


Recognition

Member of the
Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...
(AM), 2005, "For service to the Victorian Parliament, particularly in the areas of planning and transport, and to the community."


Controversy

In late 2011, Maclellan was identified as having made several personal requests to the sitting Victorian Planning Minister
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 support rezoning of farmland in Bass in 1995, later Ventnor,
Phillip Island Phillip Island ( Boonwurrung: ''Corriong'', ''Worne'' or ''Millowl'') is an Australian island about south-southeast of Melbourne, Victoria. The island is named after Governor Arthur Phillip, the first Governor of New South Wales, by explore ...
, that a family friend needed to make a possible housing development viable. The media regarded the interventions as inappropriate. Guy authorised the rezoning but it was later retracted after pressure from other Liberal Party members and the public.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maclellan, Rob 1934 births Living people Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Victoria Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly 21st-century Australian politicians