Tim Mulherin

Timothy Sean Mulherin (born 24 August 1957) is an Australian politician who was the MP for Mackay in the Legislative Assembly of Queensland from 1995 to 2015, serving as Deputy Leader of the Opposition from 2012 to 2015.

The Honourable Tim Mulherin
Deputy Leader of the Opposition of Queensland
In office 28 March 2012 – 31 January 2015
Leader	Annastacia Palaszczuk
Preceded by	Tim Nicholls
Succeeded by	John-Paul Langbroek
Deputy Leader of the Labor Party in Queensland
In office 28 March 2012 – 31 January 2015
Leader	Annastacia Palaszczuk
Preceded by	Andrew Fraser
Succeeded by	Jackie Trad
Minister for Rural and Regional Queensland
In office 26 March 2009 – 26 March 2012
Preceded by	Desley Boyle (Regional Development)
Succeeded by	Position abolished
Minister for Primary Industries of Queensland
In office 12 December 2005 – 26 March 2012
Preceded by	Gordon Nuttall
Succeeded by	John McVeigh (Agriculture)
Minister for Fisheries of Queensland
In office 12 December 2005 – 21 February 2011
Preceded by	Gordon Nuttall
Succeeded by	Craig Wallace
Member of the Queensland Parliament for Mackay
In office 15 July 1995 – 31 January 2015
Preceded by	Ed Casey
Succeeded by	Julieanne Gilbert
Personal details
Born	Timothy Sean Mulherin (1957-08-24) 24 August 1957 Mackay, Queensland

Early life and career

Born in Mackay, he was a clerk on the Mackay Electricity Board before becoming involved in politics.

Political career

From 1994 to 1995 he was a state organiser of the Labor Party. In 1995, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Queensland as the Labor member for Mackay, replacing Ed Casey, a former ALP leader. He served as a backbencher until he was named to the Beattie Ministry to replace the disgraced Gordon Nuttall as Minister for Primary Industries and Fisheries in December 2005. He was given additional responsibility for Regional Development in 2009, and his title was recast as Minister for Primary Industries, Fisheries and Rural and Regional Queensland. In February 2011, his titled was again changed, this time to Minister for Agriculture, Food and Regional Economies[1]

In ALP's heavy defeat at the 2012 election, Mulherin barely held on to his seat of Mackay, a Labor stronghold for the better part of a century. He suffered a 16-point swing, reducing his majority from a comfortably safe 16 percent to an extremely marginal 0.5 percent, making it the most marginal Labor seat in the Assembly. He was one of only three Labor members elected from outside South East Queensland. Following the election, he was elected unopposed as deputy leader of what remained of Labor, and hence Deputy Opposition Leader.

During the 2015 election campaign Mulherin announced his retirement citing family and health reasons but remained as Deputy Opposition Leader until polling day.[2] At the time of his retirement, he was the longest-serving Labor member of the Legislative Assembly, and the only one to have previously served in Opposition prior to 2012, having been in Parliament during the 1996–98 Coalition ministry of Rob Borbidge.

Personal life

He is married with three children.

References

1. "Timothy Sean Mulherin". Queensland Parliamentary Library. Retrieved 3 February 2009.
2. "Queensland ALP deputy to step down". 8 January 2015.

Parliament of Queensland
Preceded by Ed Casey	Member for Mackay 1995–2015	Succeeded by Julieanne Gilbert