Timothy Raymond Mathieson (born 1957) is an Australian hairdresser and the former partner of
Julia Gillard
Julia Eileen Gillard (born 29 September 1961) is an Australian former politician who served as the 27th prime minister of Australia from 2010 to 2013, holding office as leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP). She is the first and only ...
, former
Prime Minister of Australia
The prime minister of Australia is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia. The prime minister heads the executive branch of the Australian Government, federal government of Australia and is also accountable to Parliament of A ...
.
He entered the public spotlight in 2006 when they became partners.
Gillard was Deputy Leader of the
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also simply known as Labor, is the major centre-left political party in Australia, one of two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. The party forms the f ...
at the time.
Early life and professional career
Mathieson was born and raised in
Shepparton
Shepparton () ( Yortayorta: ''Kanny-goopna'') is a city located on the floodplain of the Goulburn River in northern Victoria, Australia, approximately north-northeast of Melbourne. As of the 2021 census, the estimated population of Shepparton, ...
, Victoria. After leaving school he undertook a hairdressing apprenticeship in the Melbourne suburb of
South Yarra
South Yarra is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 4 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Cities of Melbourne and Stonnington local government areas. South Yarra recorded a popul ...
. Returning to Shepparton, he operated a salon for fifteen years. Mathieson next moved to the
Gold Coast
Gold Coast may refer to:
Places Africa
* Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana:
** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642)
** Dutch G ...
, Queensland, where he operated a hair salon for a further fifteen years.
For much of the 1990s Mathieson and a friend worked in California, exporting vintage
Levi's jeans and supplying marble interiors.
Returning to Melbourne in 2004, Mathieson worked for one year at a salon called Heading Out. There he met Gillard, a long-standing client of the salon. They began dating in March 2006 and became partners in 2007.
After leaving Heading Out, Mathieson returned to Shepparton and established Tim Mathieson Hair with financial support from his father and brother. However, in 2006 he returned to Melbourne, where he worked as a sales representative for PPS Hairwear, a hair products company.
In January 2010, Mathieson was appointed as a property agent for Ubertas Group, a Melbourne real estate agency, and focused on selling high-rise apartments in Melbourne to international buyers.
Mathieson would remain in that role until March 2010.
After Julia Gillard became prime minister in June 2010, Mathieson supported her by assuming an unpaid, behind-the-scenes role, as well as continuing his involvement with charitable causes.
Charity work
On 24 November 2008
Nicola Roxon
Nicola Louise Roxon (born 1 April 1967) is a former Australian politician, who was a member of the House Representatives representing the seat of Gellibrand in Victoria for the Australian Labor Party from the 1998 federal election until he ...
, the
Minister for Health and Ageing, appointed Mathieson as one of the government's Men's Health Ambassadors, an unpaid role. Mathieson says he is passionate about his volunteer role.
Mathieson is also an ambassador for Kidney Health Australia and a patron of the Australian Men's Sheds Association. He is also involved with the Indigenous Diabetes Association in Alice Springs
and with mental health group
beyondblue
Beyond Blue is an Australian mental health and wellbeing support organisation. They provide support programs to address issues related to depression, suicide, anxiety disorders and other related mental illnesses.
The organisation works in p ...
.
In December 2010, Mathieson was appointed Patron of the
National Portrait Gallery. The previous patrons were
Thérèse Rein
Thérèse Virginia Rein (born 17 July 1958) is an Australian entrepreneur who is the founder of Ingeus, an international employment and business psychology services company.
Rein is the wife of Kevin Rudd, who was the Prime Minister of Aust ...
(wife of then prime minister
Kevin Rudd
Kevin Michael Rudd (born 21 September 1957) is an Australian former politician and diplomat who served as the 26th prime minister of Australia from 2007 to 2010 and again from June 2013 to September 2013, holding office as the leader of the ...
) and
Janette Howard
Janette Howard (née Parker; born 11 August 1944) is the wife of John Howard, who was the Prime Minister of Australia from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007 and the second-longest-serving Australian Prime Minister.
Early life, education, and ...
(wife of then prime minister
John Howard
John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian former politician who served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007, holding office as leader of the Liberal Party. His eleven-year tenure as prime minister is the s ...
).
In January 2013, Mathieson attracted media attention for a joke he made while advocating for
prostate
The prostate is both an Male accessory gland, accessory gland of the male reproductive system and a muscle-driven mechanical switch between urination and ejaculation. It is found only in some mammals. It differs between species anatomically, ...
examinations, advising men to seek out "a small Asian female doctor" when receiving a rectal prostate exam. His remark was considered inappropriate and in poor taste by some commentators. He later apologised "for any offence caused".
Personal life
Mathieson is a divorcé with three adult children. He was previously married to Diane Stark, with whom he had two children. Mathieson also fathered a daughter while in his late teens.
He started dating Julia Gillard in March 2006.
When asked about marriage to Gillard, Mathieson said "We haven't talked about anything more than being spouses at this stage. Wait and see, I guess."
Their relationship ended in 2021.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mathieson, Tim
1957 births
Living people
Australian businesspeople
Australian expatriates in the United States
Australian hairdressers
Date of birth missing (living people)
People from Shepparton
Spouses of prime ministers of Australia