Steven Leigh Martin (born 3 October 1960)
is an Australian politician who was a
Senator
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
for
Tasmania
)
, nickname =
, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdi ...
from February 2018 to June 2019, when he lost his seat at the
2019 federal election. Martin was declared elected to the Senate on a recount when
Jacqui Lambie was caught up in the
parliamentary eligibility crisis. He took his seat as an independent, before joining the
National Party in May 2018 as its first Tasmanian member since the 1920s.
He was previously the mayor of the
City of Devonport
Devonport City Council (or City of Devonport) is a local government body located in the city and surrounds of Devonport in northern Tasmania. The Devonport local government area is classified as urban and has a population of 25,415, which als ...
from 2011 to 2018.
Early life
Martin was born in
Devonport, Tasmania. Prior to entering politics he was a newsagent operator and
restaurateur
A restaurateur is a person who opens and runs restaurants professionally. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who owns a restaurant, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspec ...
.
Local government career
In 2009, Martin was elected as an alderman to the
Devonport City Council
Devonport City Council (or City of Devonport) is a local government body located in the city and surrounds of Devonport in northern Tasmania. The Devonport local government area is classified as urban and has a population of 25,415, which als ...
. He was also an unsuccessful candidate for
Mersey in the
Tasmanian Legislative Council elections. He was involved in the campaign to save the
Mersey Community Hospital. Martin began his mayoral term in 2011, survived a non-binding
motion of no confidence
A motion of no confidence, also variously called a vote of no confidence, no-confidence motion, motion of confidence, or vote of confidence, is a statement or vote about whether a person in a position of responsibility like in government or mana ...
in 2013, and was re-elected to a four-year term as Mayor in 2014.
Senate
Martin ran as a Senate candidate for the newly formed
Jacqui Lambie Network
The Jacqui Lambie Network (JLN) is a political party in Australia, formed in May 2015. Bearing the name of its founder, Tasmanian Senator Jacqui Lambie, it has served as the political vehicle for the former independent.
The JLN was formed to al ...
(JLN) in the
2016 federal election, second on the JLN ticket behind party founder and incumbent Senator
Jacqui Lambie. The party
won enough votes for Lambie to be reelected. However, she resigned in November 2017 during the
parliamentary eligibility crisis after discovering that she held dual British-Australian citizenship and was thus ineligible under
section 44 of the Constitution of Australia. Due to Lambie being found ineligible by the High Court, the High Court ordered a
countback be conducted to fill the seat. After JLN votes above the line flowed to Martin, he was declared elected. Kate McCulloch, an unsuccessful Tasmanian Senate candidate at the 2016 federal election for
One Nation, argued that Martin was also constitutionally ineligible because his mayoral role amounted to an "
office of profit under the Crown", but the
High Court of Australia
The High Court of Australia is Australia's apex court. It exercises Original jurisdiction, original and appellate jurisdiction on matters specified within Constitution of Australia, Australia's Constitution.
The High Court was established fol ...
rejected this challenge and confirmed Martin's eligibility on 6 February 2018.
Lambie expected Martin to immediately resign, which would have cleared the way for her to be appointed to fill the resulting casual vacancy and return to the Senate. She claimed that "personal morality" and loyalty dictated that Martin stand down. A party spokesman contended that Tasmanians intended for Lambie to hold the seat, and there was "an opportunity for that vote to be restored" if Martin resigned. When Martin refused to do so, Lambie expelled him later in the week. He resigned as Mayor of Devonport on 9 March 2018.
Joining the Nationals
Martin joined the Nationals on 28 May 2018.
Martin became the first
Tasmanian Nationals
The Tasmanian Nationals are a political party in the Australian state of Tasmania, aligned with the National Party of Australia. The party is not currently registered with the Tasmanian Electoral Commission, and is not separately registered with ...
senator and the party's first Tasmanian member of parliament since
Llewellyn Atkinson
Llewellyn Atkinson (18 December 1867 – 1 November 1945) was an Australian politician. He was a member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1906 to 1929 and a member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly from 1931 to 1934, representing ...
, who sat as a member of the then-Country Party in
Wilmot (now
Lyons
Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of th ...
) from 1921 to 1928 before returning to the
Nationalists. Martin wants to reestablish a Nationals branch in Tasmania, where the party has historically not done well;
it has only existed sporadically since Federation. He stood for re-election at the
2019 federal election, with ''
The Sydney Morning Herald
''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...
'' reporting that the Nationals are "throwing a modest level of resources behind his bid". He was not successful, polling just over one percent of the statewide Senate vote.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Steve
1960 births
Living people
Members of the Australian Senate for Tasmania
Independent members of the Parliament of Australia
National Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia
Mayors of places in Tasmania
People from Devonport, Tasmania
21st-century Australian politicians