Philip Ruddock | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Mayor of Hornsby Shire | |
| In office 10 September 2017 – 14 September 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Steve Russell |
| Succeeded by | Warren Waddell |
| Chief Government Whip in the House of Representatives | |
| In office 18 September 2013 – 13 February 2015 | |
| Prime Minister | Tony Abbott |
| Preceded by | Chris Hayes |
| Succeeded by | Scott Buchholz |
| Attorney-General of Australia | |
| In office 7 October 2003 – 3 December 2007 | |
| Prime Minister | John Howard |
| Preceded by | Daryl Williams |
| Succeeded by | Robert McClelland |
| Father of the House | |
| In office 1 September 1998 – 9 May 2016 | |
| Preceded by | Ian Sinclair |
| Succeeded by | Kevin Andrews |
| Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs | |
| In office 11 March 1996 – 7 October 2003 | |
| Prime Minister | John Howard |
| Preceded by | Nick Bolkus |
| Succeeded by | Amanda Vanstone |
| Member of theAustralian Parliament forBerowra | |
| In office 13 March 1993 – 9 May 2016 | |
| Preceded by | Harry Edwards |
| Succeeded by | Julian Leeser |
| Member of theAustralian Parliament forDundas | |
| In office 10 December 1977 – 13 March 1993 | |
| Preceded by | Seat created |
| Succeeded by | Seat abolished |
| Member of theAustralian Parliament forParramatta | |
| In office 22 September 1973 – 10 December 1977 | |
| Preceded by | Nigel Bowen |
| Succeeded by | John Brown |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1943-03-12)12 March 1943 (age 82) |
| Political party | Liberal Party of Australia |
| Spouse | |
| Parent | Max Ruddock (father) |
| Residence(s) | Pennant Hills,New South Wales |
| Education | Barker College |
| Alma mater | Sydney Law School University of Sydney |
| Occupation | Solicitor Diplomat |
| Profession | Lawyer Politician |
| [1] | |
Philip Maxwell RuddockAO (born 12 March 1943) is an Australian politician who served as the 32ndAttorney-General of Australia from 2003 to 2007 under Prime MinisterJohn Howard. A member of theLiberal Party, he was elected to theHouse of Representatives from 1973 to 2016; by the time of his retirement Ruddock was the last Member of Parliament (MP) to have sat under theWhitlam andFraser governments. He was both theFather of the House and theFather of the Parliament from 1998 to retirement. He is the second longest-serving parliamentarian in the history of theAustralian Parliament; onlyBilly Hughes has served longer.[2]
First elected in aby-election inParramatta, Ruddock held the seat ofDundas from1977 to1993, then that ofBerowra. He served continuously in the ministry during theHoward government, asMinister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs from 1996 to 2001 (promoted to thefederal Cabinet in 2003),Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs from 2001 to 2003, and Attorney-General from 2003 to 2007.[3] As Immigration Minister, Ruddock played a central role in implementing thePacific Solution in 2001.
In 2016 Ruddock was appointed theAustralian Special Envoy for Human Rights. He later served asMayor ofHornsby Shire Council from 2017 to 2024. He is a Vice Chair of theGlobal Panel Foundation Australasia.
Philip Ruddock was born inCanberra, the son of Emmie (née Chappell) andMax Ruddock. His father was the Deputy Prices Commissioner working for theCommonwealth Government.[4] The senior Ruddock was later aLiberal member of theNew South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1962 to 1976 and a state minister in theLewis andWillis governments.
Ruddock was educated atBarker College in the suburb ofHornsby before attending theUniversity of Sydney, after which he practised as a solicitor. He was articled to the firm Berne, Murray and Tout and was promoted to partner.[4]
From 1973 to 1974, Ruddock was the federal president of theYoung Liberals.[5]
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On 22 September 1973, Ruddock was elected to theHouse of Representatives at aby-election for the seat ofParramatta. He narrowly held it at the1974 general election, but was returned with a large swing in1975. A redistribution ahead of the1977 election, however, split Parramatta almost in half. The western half retained the Parramatta name and became a marginalLabor seat anchored in heavily pro-Labor west Sydney. The eastern half, including most of the old Parramatta's Liberal-friendly areas, became the comfortably safe Liberal seat ofDundas.[6][7] Ruddock transferred to Dundas, a move that proved prescient. While his Labor opponent from 1975,John Brown, won Parramatta with a small swing, Ruddock won Dundas resoundingly. He held it without serious difficulty until its abolition in 1993. Ruddock then transferred to the equally safe seat ofBerowra, a seat he held for the remainder of his federal political career.[4]
Ruddock was a member of the OppositionShadow Ministry from 1983 to 1985 and from 1989 to 1996. In the 1980s and early 1990s, he was an active member of the parliamentary group ofAmnesty International. In 2000, Ruddock was disavowed by Amnesty International due to the treatment of refugees by the Howard government and asked not to wear his Amnesty International badge while performing ministerial duties.[8]
While Ruddock was still abackbencher, the Leader of the Opposition,John Howard, commented that he believed the rate ofAsian immigration was too high. TheHawke Labor government sought to introduced amotion toParliament to ensure that immigration did not discriminate on the basis of race. Ruddock along with fellow LiberalsSteele Hall andIan Macpheecrossed the floor to support theLabor motion.[9][10] In 1989, followingAndrew Peacock's ascension to the leadership, Ruddock became Shadow Minister for Immigration and proposed a settlement scheme for Australia's far north.[11]
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Following the Coalition's rise to government at the1996 election, Ruddock was appointedMinister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs. Following the 1998 election, Ruddock was promoted to Cabinet. In this role, he administered theDepartment of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs and presided over the Howard government's policies onasylum seekers. During his time in office, the previousKeating Labor government's practice ofmandatory detention of asylum seekers was continued and extended. In October 1999, the Australian government introduced Temporary Protection Visas for persons who applied for refugee status after making an unauthorised arrival in Australia, and was the main type of visa issued to refugees when released from Australian immigration detention facilities. Many Afghan and Iraqi refugees who are not Australian citizens were affected by this policy.
Ruddock was appointed to the role of Minister for Indigenous Affairs, in 2001. By 2001 he had become a high-profile figure enjoying considerable support within the Liberal Party, while being strongly opposed by left-wing activists and somehuman rights advocates.
Ruddock's "Pacific Solution" – which prevented asylum seekers receiving legal access – was condemned byHuman Rights Watch as contravening international law, as being a human rights violation: Oxfam and the UNHCR (United Nations refugee agency) agreed with this viewpoint.[12]
Ruddock's decisions were highly controversial and led toAmnesty International's public attempt to distance the organisation from him by asking him to remove his lapel badge.[8][13]
In 2003, Ruddock was accused by theLabor immigration spokesperson,Julia Gillard, of personally intervening to give a Filipino with a criminal record, Dante Tan, favourable treatment in exchange for donations to the Liberal Party.[14] Ruddock denied that there was a connection between the donations and his actions, and noted that the donation had been properly declared.[15] In 2004, anAustralian Federal Police investigation cleared Ruddock of any wrongdoing, and a Senate inquiry, composed of a majority of Labor members, found that "there was no way to determine whether Mr Ruddock was influenced by money to grant visas."[16]
In 2003, Ruddock wasAttorney-General in a cabinet reshuffle. On 27 May 2004, Ruddock introduced the Marriage Legislation Amendment Bill to prevent any possible court rulings allowing same-sex marriages or civil unions.[17]
Ruddock defended a decision to deny a gay veteran's partner a spousal pension, despite their 38-year same-sex relationship.
The UN Human Rights Commission found the Australian government in violation of equality and privacy rights under the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights, but Ruddock insisted the government was not bound by the ruling.[18]
In May 2006, Ruddock blocked a gay Australian man from marrying in Europe.
Ruddock refused to grant a gay man living in the Netherlands a 'Certificate of No Impediment to Marriage' document required by some European countries before marriage, to prove foreigners are in fact single. Under Ruddock's instructions, no such documents were to be released to gay and lesbians individuals intending to marry overseas.[19]
In July 2007, he remarked that Australia needs to improve its legislation to deal with pro-terrorist literature and media. "People who may be susceptible to carrying out a terrorist act ought not to be instructed in how to do it, how to use household products to produce a bomb, or be encouraged to think about violentjihad and taking their own life", he said.[20]
In 2007 Ruddock and the New South WalesRight to Life Association complained to theAustralian Classification Board about the sale in Australia ofThe Peaceful Pill Handbook byPhilip Nitschke andFiona Stewart.[21] The book provides information on assisted death and voluntary euthanasia. The complaint resulted in the book's banning from sale in Australia. Nitschke commented that "No other country in the world ... has gone down this path – Australia stands alone" and that the Ruddock's action represented a "significant erosion to the free speech principle and it's extremely disappointing".
Following theNovember 2007 election, Ruddock did not seek a shadow cabinet role and returned to the backbench.
He returned to the frontbench as ShadowCabinet Secretary afterTony Abbott captured the Opposition leadership in December 2009. TheCoalition was returned to government in2013.
Ruddock was named the Chief Government Whip in the House of Representatives in theAbbott government, which took office on 18 September 2013.
Ruddock was replaced as Chief Government Whip by Queensland MPScott Buchholz on 13 February 2015.[22][23]
On 27 May 2015, Ruddock was appointed to the new office of Special Envoy for Citizenship and Community Engagement.[24] The office was created in the wake of controversial proposals by the government to strip soleAustralian nationals of their citizenship.
On 8 February 2016, Ruddock announced that he would not contest the next federal election and would be retiring from politics.
On 8 February 2016, Foreign MinisterJulie Bishop announced that Ruddock would be appointed Australia's first special envoy for human rights.[25]
Ruddock was appointed theAustralian Special Envoy for Human Rights on 8 February 2016. During this period he represented Australia abroad for the promotion and protections of human rights.[1]
In August 2017, Ruddock announced his candidacy forMayor ofHornsby Shire and was declared elected on 16 September 2017.[26][27]
In November 2017, Ruddock accepted an invitation from thePrime Minister,Malcolm Turnbull, to chair a review ofreligious freedoms in Australia in light of theAustralian Marriage Law Postal Survey and the introduction into federal parliament aprivate member's bill to enact theMarriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Act 2017.[28][29][30]
In February 2018, Ruddock was elected as the state president of theLiberal Party NSW Division.[31][32]
In August 2024 Ruddock lostLiberal Partypre-selection for the position of Mayor for the2024 Local Government election and retired at the same election.[33]
Ruddock is married with two children.
Ruddock's daughters found it difficult to reconcile their father's hard line on immigration with the values of compassion they were raised with.[34][35][36]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Philip RUDDOCK (LIB) was declared elected as Mayor on 16 September 2017.
The Hon Philip Ruddock
The online preselection took place at 6pm on Monday, and councillor Warren Waddell emerged victorious with 164 votes to Ruddock's 104.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs 1996–2003 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Attorney-General for Australia 2003–2007 | Succeeded by |
| Parliament of Australia | ||
| Preceded by | Father of the Parliament 1998–2016 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Father of the House of Representatives 1998–2016 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member for Parramatta 1973–1977 | Succeeded by |
| New division | Member for Dundas 1977–1993 | Division abolished |
| Preceded by | Member for Berowra 1993–2016 | Succeeded by |
| Civic offices | ||
| Preceded by Steve Russell | Mayor of Hornsby Shire 2017–2024 | Succeeded by Warren Waddell |
| International | |
|---|---|
| People | |
