Phil Cleary
Encyclopedia
Philip Ronald Cleary is an Australian commentator on politics
and sport, particularly Australian rules football
, and a former independent politician elected at the 1992 Wills by-election
.
's second-level Australian rules football competition, the then Victorian Football Association (now VFL), for Coburg Football Club (now the Coburg Tigers, affiliated with the Richmond Football Club
). He debuted with the club in 1975, playing 205 games - second only to Dave Starbuck in Coburg club history - and kicking 317 goals. He was a member of the 1979 premiership side and losing 1980 side. He coached the club between 1984–92 (captain coach between 1984–87, upon which he retired as a player), before leading them to back-to-back premierships in 1988–89. In the 1986 VFA grand final against Williamstown he was sensationally ordered off, only to be found not guilty at the tribunal. He coached the VFA representative side on five occasions without losing a game. He now coaches at a junior level for West Coburg.
to the Australian House of Representatives
at the 1992 Wills by-election
, following the resignation of former Prime Minister
Bob Hawke
, from a field of 22 candidates, becoming the only non-Labor
member to have ever held the seat. However, his election was successfully challenged in the High Court
and declared void on 25 November, as Cleary was on unpaid leave from the Victorian Education Department, and the Australian Constitution forbids people employed by the Crown from standing for election. However, because of the imminent next election, no second by-election was held. At the subsequent 1993 federal election, he stood again and won. Described as left-leaning and a socialist, Cleary himself eschewed labels.
Cleary lost the seat to Labor at the 1996 federal election. Wills had undergone a redistribution, by adding territory to the division, which weakened Cleary's notional position against Labor. Cleary's vote of 22.7% was a decrease of 6.7% from the 29.4% he polled in 1993, on different boundaries. It was a decrease of 2.6% from 25.3% he notionally polled on the new boundaries, but that is not a very meaningful figure since it assumes that he polled no votes in the territory added to the division.
While advocating an Australian Republic, he broke with the Australian Republican Movement
(ARM) over disagreement about how the President of Australia should be chosen, forming a group called "Real Republic", which advocated direct election of the President as opposed to the model advocated by Malcolm Turnbull
of the ARM, under which the President would be chosen by a joint sitting of the Parliament
, and which was the model proposed in the 1999 referendum
.
Cleary nominated to contest the seat of Brunswick at the 2010 Victorian State Election
as an Independent.
telecast of VFA/VFL football as a match-day commentator since 1987, juggling coaching and commentary duties for the first five seasons. He now conducts interviews and acts as a boundary rider for the match of the day, writes a weekly column for the football magazine Inside Football and regularly appears in the media on a range of social and political issues. He has campaigned to stop male violence against women since his sister was murdered by her former partner in 1987. He is a freelance journalist and public speaker and is the author of three books, Cleary Independent, Just another little murder, and Getting away with murder. He currently works as communications manager for the Electrical Trades Union
.
of helping a man who killed his own wife to manufacture a provocation defence. Dyson Hore-Lacy
won the case and was awarded $630,000 in damages.
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
and sport, particularly Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
, and a former independent politician elected at the 1992 Wills by-election
Wills by-election, 1992
A by-election for the Australian House of Representatives division of Wills was held on 11 April 1992. It was triggered by the resignation of sitting Labor Party member and former Prime Minister Bob Hawke....
.
Football playing career
Cleary first came to notice as a prominent player and coach in VictoriaVictoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
's second-level Australian rules football competition, the then Victorian Football Association (now VFL), for Coburg Football Club (now the Coburg Tigers, affiliated with the Richmond Football Club
Richmond Football Club
The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club which competes in the Australian Football League. Richmond shares healthy rivalries with Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon. After winning five premierships between 1967 and 1980, the club hit the depths in 1990,...
). He debuted with the club in 1975, playing 205 games - second only to Dave Starbuck in Coburg club history - and kicking 317 goals. He was a member of the 1979 premiership side and losing 1980 side. He coached the club between 1984–92 (captain coach between 1984–87, upon which he retired as a player), before leading them to back-to-back premierships in 1988–89. In the 1986 VFA grand final against Williamstown he was sensationally ordered off, only to be found not guilty at the tribunal. He coached the VFA representative side on five occasions without losing a game. He now coaches at a junior level for West Coburg.
Political career
Phil Cleary was elected as an independentIndependent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
to the Australian House of Representatives
Australian House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia; it is the lower house; the upper house is the Senate. Members of Parliament serve for terms of approximately three years....
at the 1992 Wills by-election
Wills by-election, 1992
A by-election for the Australian House of Representatives division of Wills was held on 11 April 1992. It was triggered by the resignation of sitting Labor Party member and former Prime Minister Bob Hawke....
, following the resignation of former Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Australia
The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
Bob Hawke
Bob Hawke
Robert James Lee "Bob" Hawke AC GCL was the 23rd Prime Minister of Australia from March 1983 to December 1991 and therefore longest serving Australian Labor Party Prime Minister....
, from a field of 22 candidates, becoming the only non-Labor
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
member to have ever held the seat. However, his election was successfully challenged in the High Court
High Court of Australia
The High Court of Australia is the supreme court in the Australian court hierarchy and the final court of appeal in Australia. It has both original and appellate jurisdiction, has the power of judicial review over laws passed by the Parliament of Australia and the parliaments of the States, and...
and declared void on 25 November, as Cleary was on unpaid leave from the Victorian Education Department, and the Australian Constitution forbids people employed by the Crown from standing for election. However, because of the imminent next election, no second by-election was held. At the subsequent 1993 federal election, he stood again and won. Described as left-leaning and a socialist, Cleary himself eschewed labels.
Cleary lost the seat to Labor at the 1996 federal election. Wills had undergone a redistribution, by adding territory to the division, which weakened Cleary's notional position against Labor. Cleary's vote of 22.7% was a decrease of 6.7% from the 29.4% he polled in 1993, on different boundaries. It was a decrease of 2.6% from 25.3% he notionally polled on the new boundaries, but that is not a very meaningful figure since it assumes that he polled no votes in the territory added to the division.
While advocating an Australian Republic, he broke with the Australian Republican Movement
Australian Republican Movement
The Australian Republican Movement is a non-partisan lobby group advocating constitutional change in Australia to a republican form of government, from a constitutional monarchy.-Foundation:...
(ARM) over disagreement about how the President of Australia should be chosen, forming a group called "Real Republic", which advocated direct election of the President as opposed to the model advocated by Malcolm Turnbull
Malcolm Turnbull
Malcolm Bligh Turnbull is an Australian politician. He has been a member of the Australian House of Representatives since 2004, and was Leader of the Opposition and parliamentary leader of the Liberal Party from 16 September 2008 to 1 December 2009.Turnbull has represented the Division...
of the ARM, under which the President would be chosen by a joint sitting of the Parliament
Parliament of Australia
The Parliament of Australia, also known as the Commonwealth Parliament or Federal Parliament, is the legislative branch of the government of Australia. It is bicameral, largely modelled in the Westminster tradition, but with some influences from the United States Congress...
, and which was the model proposed in the 1999 referendum
Australian republic referendum, 1999
The Australian republic referendum held on 6 November 1999 was a two-question referendum to amend the Constitution of Australia. The first question asked whether Australia should become a republic with a President appointed by Parliament following a bi-partisan appointment model which had...
.
Cleary nominated to contest the seat of Brunswick at the 2010 Victorian State Election
Victorian state election, 2010
The 2010 Victorian state election was held on 27 November. The incumbent centre-left Australian Labor Party government, led by John Brumby, was defeated by the centre-right Liberal/National Coalition opposition, led by Ted Baillieu....
as an Independent.
Post-politics
Cleary has been a part of the ABC's Australian Broadcasting CorporationAustralian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
telecast of VFA/VFL football as a match-day commentator since 1987, juggling coaching and commentary duties for the first five seasons. He now conducts interviews and acts as a boundary rider for the match of the day, writes a weekly column for the football magazine Inside Football and regularly appears in the media on a range of social and political issues. He has campaigned to stop male violence against women since his sister was murdered by her former partner in 1987. He is a freelance journalist and public speaker and is the author of three books, Cleary Independent, Just another little murder, and Getting away with murder. He currently works as communications manager for the Electrical Trades Union
Electrical Trades Union of Australia
The Electrical Trades Union of Australia is a trade union in Australia which has a history stretching back over 100 years. In its modern form the ETU is a division of the Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union , although it is possibly the most well known of the three divisions...
.
Defamation Incident
In a much published defamation case in 2010 it was alleged that in his 2005 book Getting Away with Murder, Mr Cleary had accused barrister Dyson Hore-LacyDyson Hore-Lacy
Dyson Hore-Lacy SC is a Melbourne barrister, human rights advocate, author and former Fitzroy Football Club president.-Legal career:Dyson was admitted to practice in Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania, Queensland, Western Australia and Northern Territory and was admitted to Victorian Bar in 1967...
of helping a man who killed his own wife to manufacture a provocation defence. Dyson Hore-Lacy
Dyson Hore-Lacy
Dyson Hore-Lacy SC is a Melbourne barrister, human rights advocate, author and former Fitzroy Football Club president.-Legal career:Dyson was admitted to practice in Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania, Queensland, Western Australia and Northern Territory and was admitted to Victorian Bar in 1967...
won the case and was awarded $630,000 in damages.