Richard Dalla-Riva

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Richard Alex Gordon Dalla-Riva (born April 6, 1963) is an Australian politician. He has been a Liberal member of the Victorian Legislative Council since November 2002, representing East Yarra Province and then Eastern Metropolitan Region. He currently serves as Shadow Minister for Industry & State Development, Shadow Minister for Major Projects and Freedom of Information

Dalla-Riva was born in the regional town of Orbost, but grew up in Beechworth, before moving to Melbourne. After graduating from the Macleod High School (now Macleod College), he joined the police force, and was promoted to the rank of detective in 1988. He worked in a number of areas associated with financial crime, including the major fraud and asset recovery squads, and also spent time working for the National Crime Authority.

While still working in the police force, he studied business at the Phillip Institute of Technology (now part of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology). In 1995, after seven years as a detective, Dalla-Riva left the police force, and took up a position as a manager with Woolworths Limited. He worked in a variety of management positions through the late 1990s, and received an MBA from the University of Southern Queensland in 1998.

In 2000, Dalla-Riva began to take an active political role, becoming chairman of the Liberal Party's electorate council for East Yarra Province.

His active role was rewarded when he won Liberal pre-selection to contest the seat at the 2002 election. He was elected amidst a major swing against the Liberal Party, with the loss of many seats across the state. Dalla-Riva was appointed Shadow Minister for the corrections portfolio, covering the state's prison system. In this role, he attacked alleged overcrowding in prisons.

In January 2004, Dalla-Riva was given the additional portfolio of scrutiny of government, replacing David Davis, who had been recently promoted. This saw Dalla-Riva handed the responsibility of investigating government mismanagement and playing a major role in the opposition's attacks on the government. Following a period on the backbench, Dalla Riva was re-appointed in 2007 to the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Minister for Community Development, Innovation and Freedom of Information.

In February, 2008, he was allocated the positions of Shadow Minister for Industry & State Development, Shadow Minister for Major Projects and Freedom of Information.


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