Milton Dick | |
|---|---|
 Dick in 2023 | |
| 32ndSpeaker of the Australian House of Representatives | |
| Assumed office 26 July 2022 | |
| Deputy | Sharon Claydon |
| Preceded by | Andrew Wallace |
| Member of theAustralian Parliament forOxley | |
| Assumed office 2 July 2016 | |
| Preceded by | Bernie Ripoll |
| Leader of the Opposition onBrisbane City Council | |
| In office 1 May 2012 – 19 March 2016 | |
| Preceded by | Shayne Sutton |
| Succeeded by | Peter Cumming |
| Councillor of theCity of Brisbane forRichlands Ward | |
| In office 15 March 2008 – 19 March 2016 | |
| Preceded by | Les Bryant |
| Succeeded by | Charles Strunk |
| Secretary of theQueensland Labor Party | |
| In office 4 April 2004 – 15 March 2008 | |
| Preceded by | Cameron Milner |
| Succeeded by | Anthony Chisholm |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1972-07-21)21 July 1972 (age 52) Brisbane,Queensland, Australia |
| Political party | Australian Labor Party |
| Relations | Cameron Dick (brother) |
| Alma mater | University of Queensland |
| Signature |  |
| Website | www |
Dugald Milton Dick (born 21 July 1972) is an Australian politician serving as the 32nd and currentspeaker of the Australian House of Representatives since 2022. A member of theAustralian Labor Party (ALP), he has been themember of parliament (MP) for the division ofOxley, covering Brisbane's south-western suburbs, since2016. He previously served on theBrisbane City Council from 2008 to 2016 and as an ALP state secretary from 2004 to 2008.
Milton Dick is the brother of Queensland state treasurer and former Deputy PremierCameron Dick.
Dick was born inBrisbane on 21 July 1972,[1] the son of Joan and Allan Dick. His father was a World War II naval veteran and subsequently established a chain of butcher's shops in Brisbane's southern suburbs, while his mother was a midwife.[2] He attended theAnglican Church Grammar School and holds the degree ofBachelor of Arts from theUniversity of Queensland.[1]
Dick joined the ALP at the age of 18 as a university student and served as national president ofYoung Labor.[2] From 1993 to 1998, he worked as an electorate officer forDavid Beddall, describing his door to door campaigning inInala, Queensland as his first real break in politics.[3] He went on to work for SenatorJohn Hogg, the President of the Senate, from 1998 to 2000. Hogg became a mentor from this time on.[4] Dick became an ALP organiser and was appointed as the party's state secretary and campaign director in 2004, having served as a delegate to thenational conference since 2001.[1] He led the party's successful campaign in Queensland at the2007 federal election. He announced his resignation in December 2007 to stand for political office, effective in March 2008.[5]
In 2008, Dick was elected to theBrisbane City Council as the representative ofRichlands Ward.[1] He was not a resident of the ward at the time he announced his candidacy, but announced he would relocate from his home inClayfield. He was endorsed by the incumbent prime ministerKevin Rudd.[5] Dick was deputy leader of the opposition on the council until 2012. Following a significant defeat in the2012 Brisbane City Council election, which reduced Labor's seat count from 10 to 7 in the council chamber, Dick was subsequently made the leader of the opposition. He served in that role until his resignation in 2016.[1][6] He was also the opposition spokesman for financial services.[7]
Following Labor's defeat at the2013 federal election, Dick andJane Garrett were appointed to lead a review into the party's campaign. At the time, he publicly requested former prime minister Kevin Rudd to remain in parliament.[8]
In April 2015, Dick announced he would seekpreselection for the federal seat ofOxley following the retirement ofBernie Ripoll.[7] He was endorsed unopposed,[9] and retained Oxley for the ALP at the2016 federal election.[10]
In July 2022, following the ALP's victory at the2022 federal election, Dick was nominated as the party's candidate forSpeaker of the House of Representatives. He was chosen under a factional deal in which theRight faction would choose the Speaker and theLeft faction would choose thePresident of the Senate. He defeatedRob Mitchell, the incumbentsecond deputy speaker, with the support of the Queensland and New South Wales Right factions.[11]
On the first sitting day of parliament, 26 July, he was elected as Speaker by the House, winning with 96 votes to beat the previous speaker Andrew Wallace, who received 56 votes.[12] In the role, he has been noted for insisting on "safe and respectful" interactions between MPs; a task that political commentatorMichelle Grattan has described as "Herculean."[13][14]
In February 2025, Dick was revealed to have terminated Robert Stefanic in response to allegations following a 2024 raid by the National Anti-Corruption Commission. Senators had accused Dick of being soft on corruption, leading to the Senate PresidentSue Lines to reveal the termination in a statement that claimed Dick was "firm" on matters of anti-corruption and was a stiff proponent of rule of law.[15]
Dick is a member of theLabor Right faction. After the party's defeat at the2019 election, he stated that the party needed to "take a stronger and firmer view of talking about resources and the benefits they bring to our economy".[16] In August 2019 he was one of four Labor MPs to join the Parliamentary Friends of Coal Exports group established byLiberal MPCraig Kelly.[17]
Dick has been described by theAustralian Jewish News as a "strong supporter of Israel". After a sponsored visit to Israel in 2017, he stated that "terms that are often bandied around – likesettlements, occupation,apartheid and the wall – these are all easy catchphrases and clichés to use, and often there isn't a counterbalance given to a lot of those arguments".[18]
Outside of politics, Dick is an avid supporter of theBrisbane Broncos in theNational Rugby League (NRL) and theBrisbane Lions in theAustralian Football League (AFL).
He has maintained the Anglican faith of his childhood, and has opposed moves to remove theLord's Prayer from Parliamentary proceedings.[19][20]
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| Parliament of Australia | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member forOxley 2016–present | Incumbent |
| Preceded by | Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives 2022–present | |
Presiding officers of Australian legislatures | |
|---|---|
Federal, States and territories | |
