Telmo Languiller
Telmo Languiller | |
|---|---|
| 36th Speaker of the Victorian Legislative Assembly | |
| In office 23 December 2014 – 25 February 2017 | |
| Deputy | Don Nardella |
| Preceded by | Christine Fyffe |
| Succeeded by | Colin Brooks |
| Member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly for Tarneit | |
| Assumed office 29 November 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Tim Pallas |
| Member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly for Sunshine | |
| In office 18 September 1999 – 30 November 2002 | |
| Preceded by | Ian Baker |
| Succeeded by | Seat abolished |
| Member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly for Derrimut | |
| In office 30 November 2002 – 29 November 2014 | |
| Preceded by | New seat |
| Succeeded by | Seat abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 31 July 1957 Montevideo, Uruguay |
| Political party | Labor Party |
Telmo Ramon Languiller-Tornesi (born 31 July 1957) is an Australian politician. He has been an Labor Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly since 1999, representing the electorates of Sunshine (1999–2002), Derrimut (2002–2014) and Tarneit (2014–present). From December 2014, he was Speaker of the Victorian Legislative Assembly, but resigned in February 2017 in the wake of an expenses scandal.
Parliamentary career
From 1993 to 1996, Languiller was electorate officer for former Deputy Prime Minister Brian Howe, and became Chief of Staff for Andrew Theophanous in 1996 until 1999.[1]
In 1999, he was selected as the Labor candidate for the safe seat of Sunshine, succeeding Ian Baker whom he had beaten in the preselection, and was duly elected. His seat was abolished in 2002 and replaced with Derrimut, which Languiller won.[2] In 2002 he was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Community Services, and he served as Acting Speaker since 2004. In 2006 he moved to the Parliamentary Secretary for Multicultural Affairs position, and then to Human Services in 2007.[1]
Following the election of the Daniel Andrews Labor government at the 2014 state election, Languiller was elected Speaker of the Victorian Legislative Assembly.
In February 2017, The Age newspaper reported that Languiller had claimed $37,678 in second residence allowances to live in Queenscliff, a considerable distance from his western suburbs electorate of Tarneit. Languiller acknowledged that claiming the allowance had not met "community standards", and offered to repay the money. On 25 February, he resigned as speaker.[3] In January 2018, Victoria Police announced it had conducted an investigation into the allowance claims of Languiller and deputy speaker Don Nardella, and found insufficient evidence to charge either man with an offence.[4]
In August 2017, Languiller announced he was retiring from politics, and would not contest the next election in 2018.[5]
Personal life
Languiller was born in Montevideo, Uruguay, but soon migrated to Australia. He attended high school at Flemington in Victoria, and received a Bachelor of Arts majoring in sociology and politics from Footscray Institute of Technology. He had previously worked as a labourer, a Spanish interpreter, and a trade unionist.[1]
References
- ^ a b c Parliament of Victoria (2008). "Languiller, Telmo". re-member: a database of all Victorian MPs since 1851. Parliament of Victoria. Retrieved 8 April 2009.
- ^ "Derrimut – 2010 Victorian Election". ABC Elections. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
- ^ Tomazin, Farrah (25 February 2017). "Speaker Telmo Languiller resigns over expense scandal". The Age. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
- ^ "'Insufficient evidence' to charge Victorian MPs over allowance claims". ABC News. 18 January 2018. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
- ^ "Victorian MP rules out running in next election after expense controversy". ABC News. 26 August 2017. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
External links
- 1957 births
- Living people
- Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Victoria
- Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly
- Speakers of the Victorian Legislative Assembly
- Victoria University, Australia alumni
- Politicians from Montevideo
- Uruguayan emigrants to Australia
- 21st-century Australian politicians