- Robin Millhouse
Robin Rhodes Millhouse QC (b.
9 December 1929 ) has been, at various times, theSouth Australia nAttorney General , the firstAustralian Democrats parliamentarian, and theChief Justice of bothKiribati andNauru .Born in
Adelaide , Millhouse gained an LLB from theUniversity of Adelaide in 1951 and after working as abarrister , entered theSouth Australian Legislative Assembly on7 May 1955 as theLiberal and Country League (LCL) member for the conservative electorate of Mitcham. Millhouse rapidly gained a reputation as both the intellectual driving force behind the LCL and an outspoken spokesperson for the urban middle class faction of the LCL, a group under-represented within the party hierarchy.Millhouse ran for the LCL leadership pre-selection following leader Sir Thomas Playford’s retirement but lost to colleague
Steele Hall . Instead, following the LCL's return to power in the 1968 election, Millhouse was given the portfolios of Attorney-General, Aboriginal Affairs, Social Welfare, and Labour and Industry. In these roles, Millhouse gained a reputation as a crusader for progressive social change as he sought to position South Australia as a national leader on social issues.In the wake of the LCL’s 1970 election loss, Millhouse was elected Deputy Leader of the Opposition on
2 June but resigned from the party on18 March 1973 to form theLiberal Movement following growing dissatisfaction at the continuing conservatism of the LCL. While a number of other senior LCL members, including former premier Steele Hall, also joined the Liberal Movement, all except Millhouse eventually returned to the Liberal Party. Millhouse chose instead to form a new political party, named theNew LM , before merging that with theAustralia Party , theCentre-Line Party and other like minded groups to form the Australian Democrats and, as a sitting member, became the first Australian Democrats Member of Parliament. As a Democrat, he continued to campaign for progressive social issues, including the introduction of a bill to legaliseprostitution in South Australia.After having been made a
Queen's Counsel in 1979, Millhouse resigned from parliament on7 July 1982 upon accepting a position as aSouth Australian Supreme Court justice. He served in the Supreme Court until his enforced retirement in December 1999. At his Retirement Sitting he announced his appointment as Chief Justice of the High Court ofKiribati , a position he continues to hold. He was also appointed as Chief Justice ofNauru in early 2006.
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