Daryl Melham

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Daryl Melham 
MP
Member of the Australian Parliament
for Banks
Incumbent
Assumed office 
24 March 1990
Preceded by John Mountford
Born November 27, 1954 (1954-11-27) (age 53)
Sydney, New South Wales
Nationality Australian
Political party Labor
Alma mater Sydney University
Occupation Solicitor
Website [1]

Daryl Melham (born 27 November 1954), Australian politician, has been an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian House of Representatives since March 1990, representing the Division of Banks, New South Wales. He was born in Sydney, New South Wales, and studied Law and Economics at Sydney University. He was a barrister and solicitor and a public defender before entering politics. He has been Vice-President of the New South Wales Labor Party since 1999.

Melham worked as a solicitor with the Legal Aid Commission of New South Wales, specialising in criminal law from 1979 to 1987. He was subsequently admitted to the bar as a barrister, and was a public defender until his entry into federal politics in 1990. He is also a foundation member of the NSW Society of Labor Lawyers.

Melham entered the Opposition Shadow Ministry following Labor's electoral defeat in 1996. He served as Shadow Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs but resigned in 1998 after a policy disagreement with the then Labor leader Kim Beazley. He returned to the Opposition Shadow Ministry in 2001 and he was Shadow Minister for Housing, Urban Development and Local Government from December 2003, resigning from the front bench soon after the Labor Party's election defeat in October 2004.

Daryl Melham is a Life Member and Vice-President of the Revesby Workers' Club. He has a good sense of humour, and in 2004 on ABC program The Chaser Decides quipped that Alan Jones was a "closet socialist".

Melham and colleague Lindsay Tanner are the only Labor MPs to openly speak out against the Howard government's proposed anti-terrorism legislation which provides for harsher punishments for sedition and grants police new shoot-to-kill powers.

Melham also spoke out against the Howard government's changes to the rules concerning political donations, which allowed donations of up to $10,000 to be given to political parties without public disclosure.[1] Said Melham in May 2006:

"We're going to have the best politicians money can buy, but we won't see [how much].""[1]
Political offices
Preceded by
none		 Shadow Minister for Arms Control
1996 – 1998		 Succeeded by
none
Preceded by
Christine Gallus		 Shadow Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs and Reconciliation
1996 – 2000		 Succeeded by
Bob McMullan
Preceded by
Duncan Kerr		 Shadow Minister for Customs
2001 – 2003		 Succeeded by
Mark Bishop
Shadow Minister for Justice
2001 – 2003		 Succeeded by
Robert McClelland
Preceded by
none		 Shadow Minister for Heritage
2003 – 2003		 Succeeded by
none
Preceded by
Gavan O'Connor		 Shadow Minister for Local Government and Territories
2003 – 2004		 Succeeded by
Kerry O'Brien
Shadow Minister for Housing and Urban Development
2003 – 2004		 Succeeded by
Kelvin Thomson
Parliament of Australia
Preceded by
John Mountford		 Member for Banks
1990 – present		 Incumbent

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b How red tape strangles the ballot boxes. The Sydney Morning Herald (2007-09-01). Retrieved on 2007-09-01.
v • d • e
Current Members of the Australian House of Representatives from New South Wales
Labor
Liberal
Nationals
Independent


Persondata
NAME Melham, Daryl
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION Australian politician
DATE OF BIRTH 27 November 1954
PLACE OF BIRTH Sydney, New South Wales
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH