Christopher Martin Ellison (born 15 June 1954) is an Australian lawyer and former politician. He served as a Senator for Western Australia from 1993 to 2009, representing the Liberal Party. He held ministerial office in the Howard government as Minister for Customs and Consumer Affairs (1997), Schools, Vocational Education and Training (1997–1998), Special Minister of State (1998–2001), Justice and Customs (2001–2007), and Human Services (2007).
Chris Ellison | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Minister for Human Services | |
| In office 9 March 2007 – 3 December 2007 | |
| Prime Minister | John Howard |
| Preceded by | Ian Campbell |
| Succeeded by | Joe Ludwig |
| Minister for Justice and Customs | |
| In office 30 January 2001 – 9 March 2007 | |
| Prime Minister | John Howard |
| Preceded by | Amanda Vanstone |
| Succeeded by | David Johnston |
| Special Minister of State | |
| In office 21 October 1998 – 30 January 2001 | |
| Prime Minister | John Howard |
| Preceded by | Nick Minchin |
| Succeeded by | Eric Abetz |
| Minister for Schools, Vocational Education and Training | |
| In office 9 October 1997 – 21 October 1998 | |
| Prime Minister | John Howard |
| Preceded by | David Kemp |
| Succeeded by | Abolished |
| Minister for Customs and Consumer Affairs | |
| In office 18 July 1997 – 9 October 1997 | |
| Prime Minister | John Howard |
| Preceded by | Geoff Prosser |
| Succeeded by | Warren Truss |
| Senator for Western Australia | |
| In office 1 July 1993 – 30 January 2009 | |
| Preceded by | Peter Durack |
| Succeeded by | Chris Back |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 15 June 1954 Bulawayo, Southern Rhodesia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Alma mater | University of Western Australia |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Background
editEllison was born on 15 June 1954 in Bulawayo, Southern Rhodesia (present-day Zimbabwe).[1] His father was of English descent and his mother of Irish descent.[2] He was educated at Trinity College, Perth and the University of Western Australia, where he gained a B.Juris (1977) and LLB (1978). He spent two years as a lawyer with the Legal Aid Commission of Western Australia, where he completed his articled clerkship. He was a barrister and solicitor as partner in his own law firm, Williams Ellison, for 13 years 1980–93.[citation needed]
He is known for his conservative and Catholic views, and is a strong constitutional monarchist and a member of the Australians for Constitutional Monarchy.[3] He has voted against abortion and euthanasia.[citation needed]
In 2001, he was awarded a Centenary Medal for Service to Society.[4] In 2017, he was named as the Chancellor of The University of Notre Dame Australia.[5]
He is married with three children.
Political career
editEllison was elected as Senator for Western Australia in 1993, replacing Peter Durack,[6] and immediately became involved in parliamentary committees and inquiries across a range of portfolios. He chaired the Senate Legal and Constitutional References Committee from 1993 to 1996, including chairing an inquiry which led to changes in Australia's treaty making process.[citation needed]
He entered the Howard ministry as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health and Family Services and to the Attorney-General in 1997. He was promoted to Minister for Customs and Consumer Affairs and Minister Assisting the Attorney-General 1997, Minister for Schools, Vocational Education and Training 1997-98 and Special Minister of State 1998–2001. He was Minister for Justice and Customs between January 2001 and March 2007.[citation needed]
From March 2007 until the defeat of the Howard government in the 2007 election, Ellison was a member of cabinet as Minister for Human Services, overseeing the service delivery of Government agencies including Centrelink, Medicare and the Child Support Agency.[6] He held the offices of Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, along with Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate from December 2007 to September 2008.[citation needed]
Following the change of Government in November 2007, Senator Ellison was appointed as Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship and Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate. In addition, Senator Ellison was the Chair of the Scrutiny of Bills Committee.
Senator Ellison is the longest serving Minister for Justice, with the portfolio abolished in 2017.
Later career
editOn 17 September 2008, Ellison announced he would be resigning, stating that he would like to spend more time with his family.[7] However, he did not formally resign until 30 January 2009.[8] The casual vacancy caused by his resignation was filled by Chris Back.
Ellison was announced as chancellor of the University of Notre Dame Australia in 2017, with effect from 1 January 2018.[9] He had previously served as a governor and director. He has additionally served as a director of construction firm Doric (2011–2015), chairman of the North West Tourism Board (2011–2015), and director of the Commonwealth Superannuation Corporation (2014–present).[10]
References
edit- ^ "Former Senator Christopher Ellison". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
- ^ "First speech". Hansard. Parliament of Australia. 1 September 1993. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
- ^ Senate debates Wednesday, 3 December 2008
- ^ https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/1118311 [bare URL]
- ^ "Notre Dame welcome new Chancellor roles". Archived from the original on 24 October 2017. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
- ^ a b "Biography for Ellison, the Hon. Christopher Martin". ParlInfo Web. Parliament of Australia. Archived from the original on 28 November 2012. Retrieved 2 December 2007.
- ^ "Ellison quits politics". ABC News. 17 September 2008.
- ^ Senate Hansard: Ellison's resignation, 3 February 2009 Archived 27 March 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Media release".
- ^ "The Hon. Chris Ellison". Retrieved 28 June 2020.