Rob Mitchell (Victorian politician)

Mitchell was born in Melbourne on 9 September 1967.{{cite Au Parliament |mpid=M3E |name=Mr Rob Mitchell MP |access-date=2021-11-11}} He grew up in the suburb of Dallas in the city's north. His younger brother Jason died of Marfan syndrome at the age of 29.{{Cite news|url=https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id:%22chamber/hansardr/2010-09-29/0181%22|title=Maiden speech|publisher=Parliament of Australia|work=Hansard|date=29 September 2010|access-date=10 April 2021}}

Mitchell left school in year 10 to take up a shoemaking apprenticeship. He later worked as a contractor for the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria, as a tow-truck operator, and as a sales and marketing representative within the transport industry. He was the state manager of a diesel parts company from 2000 to 2002 and is a member of the Institute of Automotive Mechanical Engineers.

Mitchell was recruited into the ALP by Don Nardella. He first stood for parliament at the 1999 Victorian state election, unsuccessfully standing for the Victorian Legislative Council in Central Highlands Province. He won the seat on his next attempt at the 2002 state election.[http://www.vec.vic.gov.au/state2002resultCentralHighlandsProvince.html State Election 2002: Central Highlands Province] The province was abolished in 2006 following the reform of the Legislative Council. Mitchell then stood unsuccessfully as the Labor candidate for the Victorian Legislative Assembly seat of Benalla at the 2006 state election.[http://www.vec.vic.gov.au/state2006resultBenallaDistrict.html State Election 2006: Benalla District]{{cite re-member |num2=1643 |name=Robert George Mitchell |access-date=2021-11-11}}

At the 2007 federal election, Mitchell was the Labor candidate for the seat of McEwen, a hybrid urban-rural seat encompassing Labor-friendly territory in north Melbourne and more conservative rural areas to the north of the capital. He had initially been announced as the winning candidate, defeating the sitting Liberal member Fran Bailey by a mere seven votes. However, after a recount this margin was reduced to five. A subsequent recount requested by the Liberal Party, overturned this result with Mitchell instead losing by 12 votes.{{cite web |url=http://www.aec.gov.au/About_AEC/Media_releases/12_19.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071221122628/http://www.aec.gov.au/About_AEC/Media_releases/12_19.htm |archive-date=2007-12-21 |url-status=dead |publisher=Australian Electoral Commission |work=Media Release |title=Recount of 643 disputed votes in McEwen completed}} The Court of Disputed Returns later increased this margin to 27 votes.{{cite AustLII|FCA|692|2008|litigants=Mitchell v Bailey (No 2) |courtname=Federal Court (sitting as the Court of Disputed Returns) |parallelcite= (2008) 169 FCR 529}}.{{citation |last=Pirani |first=Paul |title=Elections and Administrative Law |journal=Aial Forum |year=2012 |url=https://www.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/AIAdminLawF/2012/2.html}} (2012) 68 Australian Institute of Administrative Law Forum 19.{{cite book |chapter-url=https://www.aph.gov.au/parliamentary_business/committees/house_of_representatives_committees?url=em/elect07/media/08%20informality%20issues.pdf |chapter=8 Informality issues including ‘saving’ informal votes and the McEwen petition |author=Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters |title=Report on the 2007 election |date=23 June 2009 |publisher=Parliament of Australia |access-date=2021-11-11}}

He won McEwen following Bailey's retirement at the 2010 election. His win was one of only two gains for Labor at the election. Ahead of the 2013 federal election, McEwen was pushed further into Melbourne, technically making it a safe Labor seat. However, Mitchell weathered a nine-point swing against former Liberal MLC Donna Petrovich.{{cite web |url=http://results.aec.gov.au/17496/Website/HouseDivisionFirstPrefs-17496-226.htm |title=McEwen, VIC |work=Virtual Tally Room 2013 |publisher=Australian Electoral Commission |access-date=2021-11-11}} He retained the seat at the 2016 election with a swing of seven points.{{cite web |url=http://results.aec.gov.au/20499/Website/HouseDivisionPage-20499-226.htm |title=McEwen, VIC |work=Virtual Tally Room 2016 |publisher=Australian Electoral Commission |access-date=2021-11-11}}

Mitchell served as a government whip from May 2013 until the government's defeat at the 2013 election. He was subsequently elected second deputy speaker of the House, having been first appointed to the speaker's panel in February 2012. In November 2021, Mitchell was nominated by his party as a candidate for the Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives but was defeated by Liberal's Andrew Wallace 59 votes to 70.{{cite web|url=https://thewest.com.au/politics/house-of-reps-to-decide-on-new-speaker-c-4658506|title=Qld MP Wallace elected House Speaker|publisher=The West Australian|date=23 November 2021|access-date=23 November 2021}} Following ALP's victory at the 2022 election, he was defeated by Queensland MP Milton Dick in an internal Right faction ballot to become the party's nominee for speaker. The speakership was assigned to the Right faction under a deal in which the Left faction would choose the party's nominee for President of the Senate.{{Cite news|url=https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/qld-labor-mp-milton-dick-endorsed-as-next-speaker-20220719-p5b2wc|title=Qld Labor MP Milton Dick endorsed as next Speaker|first=Mark|last=Ludlow|newspaper=Australian Financial Review|date=19 July 2022|accessdate=24 July 2022}}

Mitchell has one daughter with his partner Lisa Cartledge. {{As of|2021}} he lived in Whittlesea, Victoria.{{cite news|url=https://www.alp.org.au/our-people/our-people/rob-mitchell/|title=Rob Mitchell|publisher=Australian Labor Party|access-date=10 April 2021}} His home was nearly lost in the Black Saturday bushfires in 2009.

{{reflist}}

• [http://www.alp.org.au/rob_mitchell Australian Labor Party profile]
• [http://www.abc.net.au/elections/federal/2010/guide/mcew.htm McEwen 2010 Federal Election | ABC News]

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Category:Living people

Category:1967 births

Category:Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Australia

Category:Labor Right politicians

Category:Members of the Victorian Legislative Council

Category:Members of the Australian House of Representatives

Category:Members of the Australian House of Representatives for McEwen

Category:People from the City of Hume

Category:Politicians from Melbourne

Category:Australian MPs 2010–2013

Category:Australian MPs 2013–2016

Category:Australian MPs 2016–2019

Category:Australian MPs 2019–2022

Category:Australian MPs 2022–2025