Name Tim Wilson | Role Public Policy Analyst | |
 | ||
Party Liberal Party of Australia | ||
Timothy Robert "Tim" Wilson (born 12 March 1980) is an Australian politician who has represented Goldstein in the Australian House of Representatives since 2016 as a member of the Liberal Party. He is also a public policy analyst and a commentator who was a policy director of the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA) for seven years, and subsequently the Australian Human Rights Commissioner from 2014 to 2016.
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Career
Wilson graduated from Monash University with a Bachelor of Arts and a Masters of Diplomacy and Trade.
In 2008, Wilson, then a Liberal Party member, ran for the position of Deputy Mayor of the City of Melbourne beside Peter McMullin, a former Labor Mayor of Geelong. Allegations of threats and bullying marred the campaign.
Wilson was employed by the Institute of Public Affairs for seven years, serving as Director of Climate Change Policy and the Intellectual Property and Free Trade. During this time, he argued against plain cigarette packaging, and to vote against the proposed local government referendum in Australia. He was a vocal critic of the Human Rights Commission and during his time at the IPA, the Institute called for the abolition of the Commission.
Wilson served as Australia's Human Rights Commissioner between February 2014 and February 2016. On appointment to the Human Rights Commission, Wilson resigned his membership of the Liberal Party. During the term of his appointment he argued for changes to Section 18C of the 1975 Racial Discrimination Act, calling the prosecution of broadcaster Andrew Bolt for vilification of indigenous Australians an infringement on Bolt's right to freedom of speech.
On 19 March 2016, Wilson was preselected as the Liberal candidate for the seat of Goldstein, and subsequently elected to the Australian House of Representatives at the 2016 election.
Personal life
Wilson is openly gay, an advocate for same-sex marriage, and was an early supporter of the Safe Schools Coalition Australia. Wilson supports same-sex marriage in Australia and would marry his partner if laws changed. Regarding Wilson's religious beliefs, he has said "I'm more of an agnostic, but I prefer to say that I haven't found God but I'm on a journey and I may one day find God."
