Tim Pallas

The Honourable
Tim Pallas
MP
Treasurer of Victoria
Incumbent
Assumed office
4 December 2014
Preceded by Michael O'Brien
Member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly
for Werribee
Incumbent
Assumed office
29 November 2014
Member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly
for Tarneit
In office
25 November 2006  29 November 2014
Preceded by Mary Gillett
Succeeded by Telmo Languiller
Personal details
Born 7 January 1960
Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
Political party Australian Labor Party
Alma mater Australian National University
Occupation Trade union official
Website timpallas.com.au

Timothy Hugh Pallas (born 7 January 1960) is an Australian politician. He has been an Australian Labor Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly since 2006, representing the electorate of Tarneit until 2014 and Werribee thereafter. He has served as Treasurer in the Andrews ministry since December 2014. Pallas previously served as Minister for Roads and Ports and Minister for Major Projects in the Brumby ministry until 2010.

Before politics

Pallas, a former trade union official with the National Union of Workers, was the chief of staff to Premier of Victoria Steve Bracks before entering politics.

Political career

He first contested the open preselection for the federal seat of Melbourne Ports in 1998, but was defeated by Michael Danby. He subsequently challenged senior minister Andre Haermeyer for preselection for the state seat of Kororoit in 2001, but was again unsuccessful.

In 2005, Pallas challenged incumbent backbencher Mary Gillett for preselection in the safe seat of Tarneit, and with Bracks' backing, was successful. He was easily elected at the 2006 state election, and was immediately appointed to Cabinet, being assigned the roads and ports portfolio.

In 2010, Pallas courted controversy when whilst launching a road safety campaign he called Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton a "dickhead". Hamilton had been caught by police engaging in an act of 'hoon driving' in a $160,000 Mercedes on the previous Friday night.[1]

During his ministry, he implemented a number of measures to improve traffic flow on the major Victorian freeways including the Monash CityLink West Gate Upgrade. In February, he launched a $5 million study into traffic flow along Hoddle Street between CityLink and the Eastern Freeway.[2] The study had been previously announced in the Victorian Transport Plan in 2008.[3] In March, he approved a ban on trucks using the right-hand lane on busy sections of three-lane freeways.[4][5][6] The RACV had campaigned for the ban for two years, attracting support from an "overwhelming 83% of motorists [it] surveyed".

References

  1. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/new-road-safety-campaign/story-e6frf7jo-1225846731084
  2. Unattributed (13 February 2010). "$5m to study Hoddle St chaos". Herald Sun. p. 22.
  3. Peter Rolfe (7 December 2008). "Plan for Hoddle express". Herald Sun. p. 3. Retrieved 2011-01-17.
  4. Lucas, Clay (4 March 2010). "Trucks banned from freeway lane". The Age. p. 3. Retrieved 2010-04-19.
  5. Gardiner, Ashley (4 March 2010). "Trucks told to keep left". Herald Sun. p. 11. Retrieved 2010-04-19.
  6. Farago, Peter (4 March 2010). "Truckies face fines if they're caught driving in fast lane – Right now wrong". Geelong Advertiser. p. 4. Retrieved 2010-04-19.

External links

Victorian Legislative Assembly
Preceded by
Mary Gillett
Member for Tarneit
20062014
Succeeded by
Telmo Languiller
New seat Member for Werribee
2014present
Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by
Michael O'Brien
Treasurer of Victoria
2014–present
Incumbent