| The Honourable Robert Hill BA LLB LLM |
|
|---|---|
| Senator for South Australia | |
| In office 20 July 1986 – 15 March 2006 |
|
| Preceded by | Sir Condor Laucke |
| Succeeded by | Cory Bernardi |
| 49th Australian Defence Minister | |
| In office 12 November 2001 – 17 January 2006 |
|
| Preceded by | Peter Reith |
| Succeeded by | Brendan Nelson |
| Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations | |
| In office 27 March 2006 – May 2009 |
|
| Preceded by | Caroline Millar (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Gary Quinlan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 25 September 1946 Adelaide, South Australia |
| Political party | Liberal Party of Australia |
| Spouse(s) | Diana Marie Hill (née Jacka) |
Robert Murray Hill (born 25 September 1946) is Chancellor of the University of Adelaide and a former Australian politician. He also currently heads the Australian Carbon Trust.
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Born in Adelaide, Hill studied at the University of Adelaide where he took degrees in Arts and Law, and later the University of London, where he gained a Masters degree in Law. Robert Hill was a barrister and solicitor before entering politics. He was Vice-President of the Liberal Party in South Australia 1977–79 and President 1985–87. Like many South Australian Liberals, Hill belonged to the liberal or moderate wing of the Liberal Party. He was also a member of the Liberal Party's Federal Executive 1985–87 and 1990–93.
His daughter, Victoria, is an Australian actress.
Hill came from a traditional of conservative politics, and his father, Murray Hill, was a prominent Liberal member of the South Australian Legislative Council from 1965 to 1988. Robert Hill was elected as a Senator for the State of South Australia, representing the Liberal Party, at the 1980 Federal election. He took his seat in the Senate on 1 July 1981, and served until 15 March 2006.
After the Liberals' defeat (their fifth consecutive loss) at the 1993 federal election, Hill became Leader of the Opposition in the Senate (1993–96), and held appointments as Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs (1993) and Defence (1993–94), Public Administration (1993–94), and Education, Science and Training (1994–96). In 1994 he was Chairman of the Senate's Policy Review Committee.
Following the landslide election victory of the Liberals under John Howard in 1996, Hill became Leader of the Government in the Senate (1996–2006) and Minister for the Environment (1996–98). He was subsequently appointed Minister for the Environment and Heritage (1998–2001) and Minister for Defence (2001–06).[1] In July 2005 the Coalition parties took control of the Senate and Hill became the first Government Leader in the Senate since 1981 to command a majority in the chamber.
In January 2006 Hill announced his resignation from the Ministry and as Leader of the Government in the Senate.[2] Hill did not specify any reason for his resignation, but said it was his decision to retire and he had not been pushed into it by the Prime Minister. However, one of The Age's senior journalists, Michelle Grattan, said on 31 March 2008 "Hill had not really wanted to leave Parliament, but John Howard was anxious to get him out."
On 15 March 2006 Hill resigned from the Senate, and two days later was appointed Permanent Representative to the United Nations for Australia, replacing Caroline Millar. He served in that position until May 2009.[3]
Following his return to Australia in 2009, Hill accepted an appointment as Adjunct Professor in Sustainability at the US Studies Centre at the University of Sydney[4] where he was involved in the development of the $2 million Dow Sustainability Program, funded by the US-based Dow Chemical Company Foundation, to bring together academic and policy experts from Australia and the US to develop action-oriented solutions to a range of sustainability challenges concerning energy, water, food and biodiversity that are technologically innovative, commercially scalable and politically viable.[5]
In July 2009, Hill was appointed by the Australian Government to head the Australian Carbon Trust.[6]
The University of Adelaide announced on 9 April 2010 that Hill had been appointed Chancellor of the University. He commenced his two year role on 26 July 2010.[7]
Media related to [//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Robert_Hill_(Australian_politician) Robert Hill] at Wikimedia Commons
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John Faulkner |
Minister for the Environment (and Heritage) 1996–2001 |
Succeeded by David Kemp |
| Preceded by Peter Reith |
Minister for Defence 2001–2006 |
Succeeded by Brendan Nelson |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by Fred Chaney |
Leader of the Liberal Party in the Senate 1990–2006 |
Succeeded by Nick Minchin |
| Diplomatic posts | ||
| Preceded by Caroline Millar (acting) |
Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations 2006 – 2009 |
Succeeded by Gary Quinlan |