Nicholas Reece
{{short description|Australian politician and policy activist}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Use Australian English|date=August 2024}}
{{Infobox officeholder|
| honorific-prefix = The Right Honourable Lord Mayor
| name = Nicholas Reece
| honorific-suffix =
| image = File:Nicholas Reece.jpg
| caption =
| nationality = Australian
| office = 105th Lord Mayor of Melbourne
| deputy = Roshena Campbell (November 2024-present)
| term_start = 2 July 2024
| term_end =
| predecessor = Sally Capp
| successor =
| office2 = Deputy Lord Mayor of Melbourne
| term_start2 = 10 November 2020
| term_end2 = 2 July 2024
| predecessor2 = Arron Wood
| successor2 = Roshena Campbell
| office3 = Councillor of the City of Melbourne
| term_start3 = November 2016
| term_end3 = 10 November 2020
| predecessor3 =
| successor3 =
| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1974}}
| birth_place = London, United Kingdom
| death_date =
| death_place =
| spouse =
| party = Labor{{cite web |title=Backroom Baz: Liberal Party candidate Angela Newhouse pops up at UK election |url=https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/opinion/backroom-baz-liberal-party-candidate-angela-newhouse-pops-up-at-uk-election/news-story/6474ee7e8bd414882754b297f9627ea1 |website=Herald Sun |publisher=Sunday Herald Sun |access-date=8 July 2024 |date=7 July 2024 |quote=Reece is of course life long Labor man, having been a former adviser to Steve Bracks and Julia Gillard and being Mayor is his first big step to the front and centre of the political stage}}
| otherparty = Team Sally Capp (2016−2024)
}}
Nicholas Reece (born 1974{{cn|date=November 2023}}) is an Australian politician and policy activist, currently serving as the 105th Lord Mayor of the City of Melbourne. He is a senior executive at the University of Melbourne and a principal fellow at the Melbourne School of Government.{{Cite web|url=https://government.unimelb.edu.au/staff/nicholas-reece|title=Mr Nicholas Reece|last=Lawry|first=Rhys|date=2019-04-09|website=Melbourne School of Government|language=en|access-date=2019-07-18}} He is the chair of the board of directors at the Movember Foundation,{{Cite web|url=https://au.movember.com/about/governance|title=Movember Australia|website=Movember Australia|language=en|access-date=2019-07-18}} and a commentator at Sky News Australia.
He previously held a number of roles in politics, including as secretary and campaign director of the Australian Labor Party (Victorian Branch){{Cite web|url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/brumby-gets-his-man-with-gillards-help-20090909-fhlq.html|title=Brumby gets his man, with Gillard's help|last=Rood|first=Paul Austin and David|date=2009-09-09|website=The Sydney Morning Herald|language=en|access-date=2019-07-18}} and as the director of strategy to former Prime Minister Julia Gillard.{{Cite web|url=https://www.crikey.com.au/2012/06/13/nick-reece-ups-sticks-from-pmo-heads-to-melbourne-uni/|title=PM loses key strategist, as mood shifts to hope|date=2012-06-13|website=Crikey|access-date=2019-07-18}} Reece's early career included time working as a lawyer at Maurice Blackburn and as a journalist at The Australian Financial Review.{{Cite web|url=https://www.afr.com/news/politics/reformer-fit-for-combat-20100619-ivbrg|title=Reformer fit for combat|date=2010-06-18|website=Australian Financial Review|language=en|access-date=2019-07-18}}
Political career
=Labor Party=
Until 2012, Reece held a number of roles as a ministerial staffer and Australian Labor Party executive, including:
- State Secretary and Campaign Director of the Victorian Branch of the Australian Labor Party{{Cite web|url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/chief-brumby-adviser-lands-new-labor-role-20090914-fnvo.html|title=Chief Brumby adviser lands new Labor role|last=Rood|first=David|date=2009-09-14|website=The Sydney Morning Herald|language=en|access-date=2019-07-18}}
- Senior Adviser to Prime Minister Julia Gillard (Director of Strategy)
- Senior Adviser to Premier John Brumby (Deputy Chief of Staff, Head of Policy){{Cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2009-09-15/brumbys-policy-adviser-to-head-election-campaign/1429498|title=Brumby's policy adviser to head election campaign|date=2009-09-15|website=ABC News|language=en-AU|access-date=2019-07-18}}
- Senior Adviser to Premier Steve Bracks (Press Secretary, Senior Economic Adviser)
- Adviser, Policy Unit, Leader of the Opposition Kevin Rudd, 2007
=Melbourne City Council=
In 2016, Reece was elected as a councillor to the Melbourne City Council as a member of Team Doyle.{{Cite web|url=http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/about-council/our-profile/lord-mayor-and-councillors/Pages/councillor-nicholas-reece.aspx|title=Councillor Nicholas Reece - City of Melbourne|website=www.melbourne.vic.gov.au|language=en-AU|access-date=2019-07-17}} Reece joined Team Sally Capp for the 2020 election, and he was elected as Deputy Lord Mayor.
On 2 July 2024, following the resignation of Sally Capp, Reece was sworn in as 105th Lord Mayor of the City of Melbourne.{{cite web |title=Nicholas Reece sworn in as new Lord Mayor |url=https://news.melbourne.vic.gov.au/media-releases/nicholas-reece-sworn-in-as-new-lord-mayor/ |website=Melbourne News |publisher=City of Melbourne |access-date=4 July 2024 |language=en-AU |date=2 July 2024}}{{cite news |last1=Aubrey |first1=Cara Waters, Sophie |title=New lord mayor to target 'completely unacceptable' safety issues, cleanliness |url=https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/new-lord-mayor-to-target-completely-unacceptable-cleanliness-levels-safety-20240628-p5jpli.html |access-date=4 July 2024 |work=The Age |date=2 July 2024 |language=en}} In the 2024 Melbourne City Council election, Reece retained his position as Lord Mayor, winning 23.36% of primary votes cast and winning 61.49% of the two-candidate-preferred vote.{{cite web |title=Melbourne City Council election |url=https://www.vec.vic.gov.au/voting/2024-local-council-elections/melbourne-city-council|publisher=VEC}}
Media career
Reece is a political commentator on Sky News and was the host of Politics HQ between 2017 and 2019.{{Cite web|url=https://www.skynews.com.au/details/_6038347871001|title=We're heading for a 'hung parliament'|website=Sky News Australia|date=18 May 2019 |language=en-AU|access-date=2019-07-18}} Reece also writes a regular column for The Age.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theage.com.au/by/nicholas-reece-gk2dh1|title=Nicholas Reece|website=The Age|language=en|access-date=2019-07-18}}
In 2015, Reece appeared{{Citation|title="Public sentiment had turned very strongly"|date=2015-06-05|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/programs/killing-season/2015-06-05/reece-public-sentiment-had-turned/6547244|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|language=en-AU|access-date=2019-11-18}} in the award-winning documentary The Killing Season, which recounted the leadership struggles between Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard between 2010 and 2013.{{Cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/programs/killing-season/episode-1/|title=Episode 1 - The Killing Season|website=www.abc.net.au|date=23 June 2015 |language=en|access-date=2019-11-18}}
Personal life
Reece was born in London in 1974. His exact date of birth was unknown.{{cite web | url=https://neoskosmos.com/en/2024/03/28/news/australia/proud-greek-by-wedlock-nicholas-reece-to-become-melbournes-new-lord-mayor/ | title='Proud' Greek by wedlock Nicholas Reece, to become Melbourne's new Lord Mayor | date=28 March 2024 }}
Reece is married to Felicity and has three children. His wife is Greek.
In 2004, he was one of the original 'mo-bros' who got together to raise funds for the Movember Foundation. Since then, Movember has raised almost $1 billion for prostate cancer, testicular cancer and men's mental health.{{Cite web|url=https://us.movember.com/media-room/movember-101|title=Movember United States|website=Movember United States|language=en|access-date=2019-07-17}} Reece has served as a Non-Executive Director on the Movember Foundation Board of Directors since the establishment of the Board in 2007.
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Australian capital city mayors}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reece, Nicholas}}
Category:Victoria (state) local councillors
Category:University of Melbourne people
Category:Sky News Australia reporters and presenters