Phillip Thompson

Phillip Bruce Thompson OAM MP (born 7 May 1988) is an Australian politician who has been a member of the House of Representatives since the 2019 Australian federal election, representing the Division of Herbert.[1] He is a member of the Liberal National Party of Queensland and sits with the Liberal Party in federal parliament. Prior to politics, he was awarded the 2018 Queensland Young Australian of the Year.[2]

Phillip Thompson

OAM MP
Member of the Australian Parliament for Herbert
Assumed office
18 May 2019
Preceded byCathy O'Toole
Personal details
Born (1988-05-07) 7 May 1988
Armidale, New South Wales, Australia
NationalityAustralian
Political partyLiberal (federal)
Other political
affiliations		Liberal National (state)
Awards
  • 2018 Queensland Young Australian of the Year
  • Medal of the Order of Australia
Websitephilthompson.com.au
Military service
Allegiance Australia
Branch/service Australian Army
Years of service2006–2012
Unit1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment
Battles/wars

Before politics

Thompson was born in Australia. Thompson is married to Jenna, his mother is Carolyn and he has two siblings, Stephanie and Timothy. He grew up on the Sunshine Coast. Thompson at the age of 17 joined the Royal Australian Regiment as an infantry soldier.

He joined the army in 2006 as an infantry soldier with the 1st Battalion Royal Australian Regiment. He was deployed to East Timor in 2007 for six months. In 2009, Thompson was badly injured by an improvised explosive device during operations in Uruzgan Province, Afghanistan. The explosion resulted in Thompson losing hearing in his right ear and being diagnosed with Posttraumatic stress disorder and Traumatic brain injury.[3]

Thompson represented Australia at the inaugural Invictus Games in London, United Kingdom 2014. The Invictus Games is a paralympic styled event for wounded, injured and ill who are still serving or formerly serving defence force members from around the globe. In 2016, Thompson coached the Australian Invictus Games team in Orlando, Florida, USA. He coached powerlifting and wheelchair rugby.[4][5] He was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in the 2018 Queen's Birthday Honours for service to the welfare of veterans.[6]

Political career

Thompson was elected at the 2019 Australian federal election for the seat of Herbert. Thompson is the youngest House of Representatives MP of the 46th Parliament, also known as the Baby of the House.

During his campaign, he apologised to the Muslim community for negative comments about Muslims made on Facebook in 2012.[7]

Indigenous Australians and the Australian defence community are prominent in Thompson's family story and in the region he represents. The wellbeing of both featured as priorities when he gave his first speech.[8]

With regards to Aboriginal people he acknowledged: "...my mother-in-law, Florence Burns. Flo; my wife, Jenna; and my beautiful daughter, Astin, are all Aboriginal women who are here in the gallery today. As I stand and look at these three remarkable humans, I have no doubt that, as three generations of Aboriginal women, their rights have improved dramatically over the decades. But we must not forget there is still a lot of work to be done in recognising and valuing our First Nations people and their culture."[9]

Speaking to veterans and current serving personnel Thompson alluded to the spectre of both battlefield losses and suicide as he described, "the ultimate sacrifice on operations in service to this nation and our many veterans who have succumbed to their war within back here on home soil."[10]


Thompson sits on the following Parliamentary committees:

  • Joint Standing: Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade from 23/07/2019
  • Joint Standing: Northern Australia from 23/07/2019
  • House of Representatives Standing: Agriculture and Water Resources from 04/07/2019
  • House of Representatives Standing: Indigenous Affairs from 04/07/2019
  • House of Representatives Select: Regional Australia from 17/09/2019[11]

References
  1. "Herbert (Key Seat)". Australia Votes. ABC News. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  2. National Australia Day Council. "Phillip Thompson". Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  3. Hatfield, Kylie. "A Life in Motion". RSL QLD.
  4. Invictus Games. "Using the Invictus Games to help others". Retrieved 15 November 2015.
  5. Invictus Games. "Competitors Bio".
  6. "Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) entry for Mr Phillip Bruce THOMPSON". It's an Honour, Australian Honours Database. Canberra, Australia: Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 11 June 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2019. For service to the welfare of veterans
  7. Gartry, Laura; Shepherd, Tim (5 January 2019). "LNP candidate for Herbert Phillip Thompson apologises for 2012 social media tirade against Muslims". ABC News. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
  8. Gredley, Rebecca (4 July 2019). "Forver soldier ready to serve as an MP". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  9. "First Speech". aph.gov.au. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  10. "First Speech". aph.gov.au. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  11. Commonwealth Parliament; Parliament House, Canberra. "Mr Phillip Thompson OAM, MP". www.aph.gov.au. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
Parliament of Australia
Preceded by
Cathy O'Toole		 Member for Herbert
2019–present		 Incumbent
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