Keith Wolahan (born 30 September 1977) is an Australian politician. He is a member of the Liberal Party and has served in the House of Representatives since the 2022 federal election, representing the seat of Menzies.[1] Prior to entering politics he was an Australian Army officer, serving three tours of Afghanistan as a commando officer, and also practiced as a commercial barrister for twelve years.[2][3]
Keith Wolahan | |
|---|---|
 Wolahan in 2023 | |
| Member of the Australian Parliament for Menzies | |
| Assumed office 21 May 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Kevin Andrews |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Keith Wolahan 30 September 1977 Dublin, Leinster, Ireland |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Other political affiliations | Coalition |
| Spouse | Sarah Weinberg |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | University of Melbourne Monash University University of Cambridge |
| Website | https://www.keithwolahan.com.au/ |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Australia |
| Branch/service | |
| Years of service | 1996–2014 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Commands | 1st Commando Regiment |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | Commendation for Distinguished Service |
Early life
editFamily background
editWolahan was born in Dublin, Ireland, migrating to Australia with his parents and two brothers in 1988.[4] He became an Australian citizen in 1993.[4] He was educated at Ringwood Secondary College.[2]
Education and legal career
editWolahan studied at the University of Melbourne where he graduated with Bachelor degrees in Arts (Politics) and Commerce (Economics).[4] He continued studying at Monash University, completing a Bachelor of Law (Honours). He was awarded the Sir Charles Lowe Moot Prize.[5]
Wolahan began his career in law with the national firm, Mallesons Stephen Jacques where he specialised in mergers and acquisitions.[6][3] In 2010 he became a barrister, specialising in commercial and consumer trials.[7]
In 2013, Wolahan graduated from University of Cambridge with a master's degree in International Relations.[4]
Military service
editWolahan joined the military while on at University, eventually joining 2 Commando Company, 1st Commando Regiment.[8] Wolahan was promoted to Captain in 2004 and saw several periods of active service, including four postings overseas with 2 Commando:[6][9]
- East Timor 2007 for six months as the Special Operations Liaison Officer for the Apprehension Task Group during the Battle of Same.[9]
- Afghanistan 2008 for six months as the Operations Officer with the Special Operations Task Group HQ in Kandahar.[9][10]
- Afghanistan 2009–10 for six months as a Platoon Commander within the Special Operations Task Group HQ based in Tarinkot. Wolahan led intelligence-driven operations, and Joint Prioritized Effects List missions, sometimes commanding 80 troops.[9][10][11]
- Afghanistan 2014 for four months embedded as the Deputy Chief of Operations with a United States Special Operations Command task force based in Bagram. Much of the work of this group involved targeted drone led operations.[9][10]
Wolahan lost two friends in the War in Afghanistan: Marcus Case and Greg Sher.[2][12] He joined two other Afghanistan veterans in the 47th Parliament of Australia: Andrew Hastie and Phillip Thompson.[12]
Political career
editPreselection
editWolahan defeated the sitting member Kevin Andrews in a preselection contest, 181 votes to 111.[13][14] Andrews entered the contest with written endorsements from then Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, and Prime Minister Scott Morrison.[15][16] It was the first time a sitting Victorian Liberal MP had been ousted by their members in more than 20 years.[15]
2022 election
editThe 2022 federal election saw a 6% swing against the Liberals in Menzies.[1] One of the contributing factors was a large swing in suburbs with higher proportions of Chinese ancestry, including Box Hill and Doncaster.[1]
47th Parliament
editWolahan is a member of the House Economics and Joint Standing National Anti-Corruption Commission Committees.[17]
Views
editWolahan has rejected suggestions he is a member of the moderate or conservative factions of the Liberal Party.[18] He has been reported to be aligned to a Centrist group in the party room, along with the majority of Victorian Liberals.[19]
Same-sex marriage
editWolahan stated that he voted "yes" in the 2017 same-sex marriage plebiscite.[20]
Home ownership
editWolahan has cited plummeting home ownership rates amongst young Australians as one of his party's top political and societal challenges.[21]
Indigenous Voice to Parliament
editIn a speech given to the Samuel Griffith Society in 2017, Wolahan expressed his opposition to a constitutionally enshrined Indigenous Voice to Parliament, and called instead for "minimalist" reforms that "removes race from the Constitution".[22] He criticised Australian banks donating heavily to the Yes23 campaign in October 2023.[23]
Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
editWhen asked about his views on the war in Iraq, Wolahan said that, with the benefit of hindsight, the invasion by the United States-led coalition was a "mistake".[18] In response to allegations of war crimes by Australian special forces in Afghanistan, Wolahan has urged "truth telling over myth making."[11]
Protests in Iran
editWolahan has given several speeches in support of the protests that began in Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini, citing pride in his electorate having the largest Iranian diaspora in Australia.[24]
Robodebt
editIn a widely reported speech to parliament, Wolahan was highly critical of the scheme, noting: "As someone who's a Liberal and believes in the sanctity of the individual, due process and the presumption of innocence, it offended all of those, … it was illiberal, it reversed the onus, and it hurt people."[25]
China
editIn 2022 he said that the Liberal Party's disagreements "are with the Chinese regime, not the Chinese people" and that the Liberal Party needed to improve it's grassroots multicultural engagement.[26]
Personal life
editWolahan is married to his wife Sarah and has two children, Leo and Eva. He and Sarah were married at Heide Museum of Modern Art in Bulleen.[27]
Honours and awards
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Commendation for Distinguished Service | Awarded in 2011 Australia Day Honours for service in Afghanistan.[15] |
| |
Australian Active Service Medal | With clasp for East Timor |
| |
Afghanistan Medal | Operation SLIPPER |
| |
Australian Service Medal | With clasp for CT/SR (Counter Terrorism / Special Recovery) |
| |
Australian Defence Medal | |
| |
NATO Medal for the Non-Article 5 ISAF Operation in Afghanistan | With clasp ISAF |
| |
Meritorious Unit Citation with Federation Star | Awarded to Task Force 66 in the 2015 Australia Day Honours |
| Infantry Combat Badge | ||
| |
Timor Leste Solidarity Medal | (East Timor) |
References
edit- ^ a b c "AEC Tallyroom". Australian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
- ^ a b c Harris, Benjamin Preiss, Rob (14 March 2020). "Battle for Liberal hearts and minds in Menzies". The Age. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b Tongol, Robyn (8 April 2022). "Meet the barrister standing for the Liberals in Menzies". www.lawyersweekly.com.au. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
- ^ a b c d "Meet Keith". www.keithwolahan.com.au. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
- ^ "2002 Prize Winners". Faculty of Law. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
- ^ a b "Menzies - Federal Electorate, Candidates, Results". abc.net.au. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
- ^ "Keith Wolahan". Liberal Party of Australia. 18 July 2021. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
- ^ Napier-Raman, Noel Towell, Kishor (12 September 2022). "Queen's man Abbott in a league on his own". The Age. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b c d e "Life on the Line: #109 Keith Wolahan on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
- ^ a b c "Liberals' new star was shaped by an endless war". Australian Financial Review. 5 February 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
- ^ a b Bannister, Maeve (5 September 2022). "Liberal MP urges truth on Afghanistan war". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
- ^ a b Crowe, David (5 September 2022). "The dress that spoke louder than words". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
- ^ Ilanbey, Paul Sakkal, Sumeyya (31 January 2021). "Kevin Andrews toppled in preselection battle for Menzies". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Sakkal, Paul (5 February 2021). "How an ex-special forces captain beat 'the hacks' to win the battle for Menzies". The Age. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
- ^ a b c "Keith Wolahan, the ex-commando who unseated Liberal Party stalwart Kevin Andrews, insists he's 'not a moderate'". ABC News. 1 February 2021. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
- ^ Ferguson, Richard (1 February 2021). "Liberal stalwart Kevin Andrews loses Menzies preselection to Keith Wolahan". The Australian. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
- ^ "Mr Keith Wolahan MP". Parliament of Australia. Canberra: Parliament of Australia. 24 March 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
- ^ a b Harris, Rob (1 February 2021). "Kevin Andrews' replacement to prioritise economics, not social issues". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
- ^ Massola, James (9 April 2023). "How Morrison's shattering defeat gave Dutton a seismic shift in factional power". The Sydney Morning Herald. Nine Entertainment Co. Volant Media UK Ltd. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
- ^ Harris, Rob (1 February 2021). "Kevin Andrews' replacement to prioritise economics, not social issues". The Sydney Morning Herald. The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
- ^ Booker, Tarric (4 December 2022). "House price vs. income exposes a brutal reality for Millennials". News.com.au. news.com.au. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
- ^ "Keith Wolahan at the 29th Conference of the Samuel Griffith Society". YouTube. Samuel Griffith Society. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
- ^ Evans, Jack (19 October 2023). "'Not a conspiracy': Federal MP shares personal bank nightmare as he warns of a digital identity transition". News.com.au. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
- ^ "Australian MP Expresses Solidarity With Iranian Protesters". Iran International. Washington D.C: Volant Media UK Ltd. 11 March 2022. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
- ^ "Liberal backbencher owns what others in his party don't: A spine". 13 August 2023.
- ^ Galloway, Anthony (13 August 2022). "Inside the Liberal Party's debate on how to win back Chinese-Australians and teal voters". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
- ^ Wolahan, Keith, Member for Menzies (5 September 2022). "Governor-General's Speech - Address-in-Reply". Parliamentary Debates. Parliament of Australia: House of Representatives.
External links
edit
Media related to Keith Wolahan at Wikimedia Commons
