Joshua Frydenberg

Joshua Frydenberg (born 17 July 1971) is an Australian banker and political aspirant. He was a candidate for Liberal Party preselection for the Victorian seat of Kooyong for the 2007 Federal election.

Frydenberg was born in Melbourne and educated at Bialik and Mount Scopus Colleges. His mother is a psychologist and University of Melbourne Professor, and his father is a general surgeon. He studied law and economics at Monash University, earning honours in both degrees, before working at Mallesons Stephen Jaques, a large Australian commercial law firm. He attended the University of Oxford on a Commonwealth scholarship, where he attained a Master in International Relations degree in 1998 and was a student at University College. He is currently studying for a Master of Public Administration degree at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. [cite news | last=Mann | first=Simon | title=The battle for Kooyong | date=25 March 2006 | publisher=The Age | url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/the-battle-for-kooyong/2006/03/24/1143083990278.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1]

In 1999 he worked as an assistant adviser to Attorney-General Daryl Williams before becoming an adviser to Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, a post he held until 2003. From 2003 to 2005 he was a policy adviser to Prime Minister John Howard, specialising in domestic security issues, border protection, justice and industrial relations. In 2005 he took up a position as Director of Global Corporate Finance with Deutsche Bank in the company's Melbourne office. [cite news | last=Maiden | first=Samantha | title=Costello backs rebel Georgiou| date=3 March 2006 | publisher=The Australian | url=http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,18331706-2702,00.html]

2006 political candidacy

In 2006 Frydenberg announced that he was seeking Liberal preselection for Kooyong, a safe Liberal seat in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. The seat's current member, Petro Georgiou, has held the seat since 1994. Kooyong is regarded as a Liberal "leadership seat": its three members before Georgiou were Andrew Peacock (leader of the Liberal Party 1983-85 and 1988-90), Sir Robert Menzies (founder of the Liberal Party and Prime Minister 1939-41 and 1949-66), and Sir John Latham (leader of the Nationalist Party 1929-31).

In the days leading to the preselection convention, Queensland frontbenchers Ian Macfarlane, Peter Dutton and Santo Santoro backed Frydenberg's credentials, for which they were criticised by former Victorian Premier Jeff Kennett. [ABC News Online (2006). [http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200604/s1620690.htm 'Musketeers' told to keep out of Georgiou preselection] . Retrieved April 22, 2006.]

The preselection was held at Trinity Grammar School on 23 April, 2006. [The Age Online (2006). [http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/liberals-in-a-preselection-spin/2006/04/21/1145344279906.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1 Liberals in a preselection spin] . Retrieved April 22, 2006.] Georgiou received 62 of the 85 Liberal Party delegates' votes, with Frydenberg receiving 22 votes and a third candidate, Alastair Armstrong, receiving one vote. After his defeat, Frydenberg was encouraged to run for preselection in the Division of Chisholm by Peter Costello, a marginal electorate neighbouring Kooyong; the seat is currently held by Anna Burke of the ALP, and was previously held by one of Frydenberg's mentors, Michael Wooldridge. Frydenberg declined the offer, saying, "This is where I am from, this is where I feel most comfortable and this is where I think there is real work to be done." [*AAP (2005). [http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/georgiou-wins-preselection-battle/2006/04/23/1145730798797.html Georgiou wins preselection battle] . Retrieved April 23, 2006.]

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