Julia Banks | |
|---|---|
 Banks in 2021 | |
| Member of theAustralian Parliament forChisholm | |
| In office 2 July 2016 – 11 April 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Anna Burke |
| Succeeded by | Gladys Liu |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Julia Helen Lolatgis (1962-09-18)18 September 1962 (age 63) |
| Political party | Liberal (before 2018) Independent (2018–present) |
| Education | Monash University (BA,LLB) |
Julia Helen Banks is an Australian lawyer and politician. Elected as the member forChisholm in theAustralian House of Representatives at the2016 federal election,[1] Banks was the only candidate for the governingLiberal-National Coalition to win a seat held by an opposition party.[2] The previous member,Labor'sAnna Burke, had held the seat since 1998 and did not stand for re-election in 2016.[3] Following theLiberal Party leadership spill in August 2018 that sawPrime MinisterMalcolm Turnbull replaced byScott Morrison, Banks stated she would not contest the2019 federal election;[4] and in November 2018 she announced she had quit the party to become anindependent MP and sit on thecrossbench.[5] She unsuccessfully contested the seat ofFlinders at the 2019 election, pitting her againstgovernment frontbencherGreg Hunt.[6]
Banks was born in Victoria on 18 September 1962.[7] She was raised in Melbourne. Her parents are both of Greek heritage and her father migrated to Australia from Greece as a 15-year-old. She studied Arts and Law atMonash University, graduating in 1984 and 1986, respectively.[8] She has graduated from theAustralian Institute of Company Directors (FAICD).
Banks worked as a lawyer in private practice principally in litigation and then joined Hoechst Australia Limited as Corporate Counsel.[8] From 1992, she worked atKraft Foods, rising from General Counsel to Senior Counsel and ultimately becoming the Director for Corporate Affairs (Australia, New Zealand, and the Asia-Pacific Regions).[8] From 2009 to 2014, Banks served as General Counsel andCompany Secretary forGlaxoSmithKline Australasia, also taking on the role of Head of Compliance and Risk Management.[8] In 2014, she moved toGeorge Weston Foods where she served as the Chief General Counsel and Company Secretary.[8] She has also been a member of the Advisory Council on Intellectual Property and a Director of theAustralian Made company.
Banks was elected to theHouse of Representatives as theMember for Chisholm at the2016 federal election. Traditionally a marginal seat, Banks won 45.3% of the first preference votes and was elected with 51.2% of thetwo-party-preferred vote, defeating theLabor candidate Stefanie Perri.[1] She succeededLabor'sAnna Burke, who had held the seat since 1998 and had announced in 2015 she was retiring from politics.[3] Banks was the only candidate for the governingLiberal-National Coalition to win a seat held by an opposition party at the 2016 election.[2] Banks' knife-edge victory was critical in allowing the Coalition to eke out a bare majority of one seat after suffering a 14-seat swing.
Since her election, Banks has served on twostanding committees of the House, dealing with Economics and Social Policy and Legal Affairs. She became chair of the latter committee in February 2018.[8]
In July 2017, Banks' Greek heritage led to her being one of several members of parliament to come under scrutiny over the possibility that they held another citizenship by descent. Dual citizens are generally ineligible to be elected or sit as a member of parliament undersection 44 of the Australian Constitution. The Liberal Party moved to investigate and clarify Banks' citizenship status, as her seat in the House of Representatives was critical to the Turnbull government's one-seat majority. The Liberal Party later stated that it confirmed with the Greek Embassy in Australia that Banks is not registered as a Greek citizen.
In October 2017, Banks re-confirmed her support forsame-sex marriage in anopinion-editorial inThe Age,[9] citing her passion "about equality for all ...because marriage equality is about love, family and fairness" in aFacebook post linking to the article.[10]
In May 2018, during a radio discussion ofNewstart unemployment allowance, she was called "out of touch" after she said she could live on $40 a day leading to calls for her to be challenged to do so.[11]
In August 2018, following theLiberal Party leadership crisis that sawPrime MinisterMalcolm Turnbull replaced byScott Morrison, Banks announced that she would not contest the seat of Chisholm at thenext federal election.[12] She described the ousting of Turnbull from the Prime Ministership as the "last straw" and cited a "cultural and gender bias, bullying and intimidation" of women in politics.[4] In the statement which she posted onTwitter announcing her decision, Banks stated that she had been subjected to "bullying and intimidation ... both from within my own party and from the Labor party"[13][14] and was supported byMinister for WomenKelly O'Dwyer (the member for the neighbouring electorate ofHiggins[4]) who stated thatworkplace bullying is unacceptable in any workplace, including parliament.[15] Incoming Prime MinisterScott Morrison and his deputyJosh Frydenberg reportedly attempted to persuade Banks not to quit, but Banks was adamant that she would not remain after the "vindictive" behaviour and "internal political games [of] factional party figures, self-proclaimed power-brokers and certain media personalities."[16][13]
Morrison subsequently expressed concern for Banks' welfare, promised to stamp out bullying within the Liberal party,[17] and thanked her for not quitting parliament immediately, so that there will not be need for aby-election for her marginal seat.[18]Craig Kelly, who was among the first to call for the spill in support of unsuccessful challengerPeter Dutton,[19] criticised Banks' decision in aSky News interview and defended politics as a "rough-and-tumble game."[18] Political journalistMalcolm Farr described Banks' announcement as a "blistering farewell" that gives "an indication of the heavy toll this week of chaos and political thuggery will have on the [Liberal] party."[20] He went on to state that the anti-Turnbull plotters employed "a strategy of bullying and intimidation" and have been "eventually proved to have an incompetence to match their brutality [and are] a disaster for the parliamentary party."[20]
On 27 November 2018, Banks announced in a speech on the floor of theHouse of Representatives that she would, with immediate effect, leave the Liberal Party to sit on thecrossbench as anindependent MP. Her decision put theMorrison government further intominority, reducing its numbers on the floor of the House to 73.[21] Banks slammed the Liberal Party for allegedly shifting too far to theright of the political spectrum, arguing the party had "changed largely due to the actions of the reactionary and regressive right wing who talk about and to themselves rather than listening to the people."[21] She went on to say that "sensible centrist values" were no longer compatible with the Liberal Party.[21][22][23] Banks also stated that she would provideconfidence and supply to the government if necessary; and also said that her previously-announced retirement from politics at the forthcoming general election was not a final decision.[21]
On 31 January 2019 Banks announced that she would challenge health minister, and former Liberal Party colleague,Greg Hunt as an independent at thefederal election later that year, seeking to win the seat ofFlinders.[6] She received around 14% of the primary vote, ranking third amongst all candidates in the seat, thus not being reelected to parliament.[24]
In July 2021 her memoir,Power Play: Breaking Through Bias, Barriers and Boys' Clubs, was published by Hardie Grant and reviewed forThe Sydney Morning Herald byJenna Price.[25]
In October 2021 Banks was named as an advisor for climate fund,Climate 200.[26]
When Julia Banks transitioned from a successful corporate career into federal politics, she was shocked to find sexism and backroom skulduggery still running rife
| Parliament of Australia | ||
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| Preceded by | Member forChisholm 2016–2019 | Succeeded by |