Telmo Languiller
{{Short description|Australian politician}}
{{Use Australian English|date=August 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2015}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = The Honourable
| name = Telmo Languiller
| honorific-suffix =
| image =
| order = 36th
| office = Speaker of the Victorian Legislative Assembly
| term_start = 23 December 2014
| term_end = 25 February 2017
| predecessor = Christine Fyffe
| successor = Colin Brooks
| constituency_AM1 = Tarneit
| assembly1 = Victorian Legislative
| term_start1 = 29 November 2014
| term_end1 = 24 November 2018
| predecessor1 = Tim Pallas
| successor1 = Sarah Connolly
| constituency_AM2 = Sunshine
| assembly2 = Victorian Legislative
| term_start2 = 18 September 1999
| term_end2 = 30 November 2002
| predecessor2 = Ian Baker
| successor2 = Seat abolished
| constituency_AM3 = Derrimut
| assembly3 = Victorian Legislative
| term_start3 = 30 November 2002
| term_end3 = 29 November 2014
| predecessor3 = New seat
| successor3 = Seat abolished
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1957|7|31}}
| birth_place = Montevideo, Uruguay
| death_date =
| death_place =
| constituency =
| party = Labor Party
| spouse =
| children =
| residence =
| university =
| profession =
| religion =
| signature =
| footnotes =
| website =
}}
Telmo Ramon Languiller-Tornesi (born 31 July 1957) is an Australian politician. He was a Labor Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 1999 to 2018, representing the electorates of Sunshine (1999–2002), Derrimut (2002–2014) and Tarneit (2014–2018). From December 2014, he was Speaker of the Victorian Legislative Assembly, but was forced to resign in March 2017 for claiming a second house allowance. While entitled to the allowance, it failed the test of public opinion and Languiller was forced to repay the allowance by the Premier. He currently serves as Melbourne Victory FC's director of international relations.{{cite web |last1=Lynch |first1=Michael |title=Melbourne Victory puts discussions with Dubai on the back burner |url=https://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/melbourne-victory-puts-discussions-with-dubai-on-the-back-burner-20200427-p54nl1.html |website=Sydney Morning Herald |publisher=Fairfax Media |accessdate=28 April 2020}}
Parliamentary career
From 1993 to 1996, Languiller was electorate officer for former Deputy Prime Minister Brian Howe, and became Chief of Staff for Andrew Theophanous in 1996 until 1999.{{cite web
| last = Parliament of Victoria
| authorlink = Parliament of Victoria
| title = Languiller, Telmo
| work = re-member: a database of all Victorian MPs since 1851
| publisher = Parliament of Victoria
| year = 2008
| url = https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/about/people-in-parliament/members-search/search-members/details/22/72
| format =
| doi =
| accessdate = 8 April 2009}}
In 1999, he was selected as the Labor candidate for the safe seat of Sunshine, succeeding Ian Baker whom he had beaten in the preselection, and was duly elected. His seat was abolished in 2002 and replaced with Derrimut, which Languiller won.{{cite web|title=Derrimut – 2010 Victorian Election|url=http://www.abc.net.au/elections/vic/2010/guide/derr.htm|website=ABC Elections|accessdate=9 February 2018}} In 2002 he was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Community Services, and he served as Acting Speaker since 2004. In 2006 he moved to the Parliamentary Secretary for Multicultural Affairs position, and then to Human Services in 2007.
Following the election of the Daniel Andrews Labor government at the 2014 state election, Languiller was elected Speaker of the Victorian Legislative Assembly.
In February 2017, The Age newspaper reported that Languiller had claimed $37,678 in second residence allowances to live in Queenscliff, a considerable distance from his western suburbs electorate of Tarneit. Languiller acknowledged that claiming the allowance had not met "community standards", and offered to repay the money. On 25 February, he resigned as speaker.{{cite news|last1=Tomazin|first1=Farrah|title=Speaker Telmo Languiller resigns over expense scandal|url=http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/speaker-telmo-languiller-resigns-over-expense-scandal-20170224-guklo7|accessdate=25 February 2017|work=The Age|date=25 February 2017}} In January 2018, Victoria Police announced it had conducted an investigation into the allowance claims of Languiller and deputy speaker Don Nardella, and found insufficient evidence to charge either man with an offence.{{cite news|title='Insufficient evidence' to charge Victorian MPs over allowance claims|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-01-18/speaker-telmo-languiller-and-his-deputy-don-nardella-not-charged/9340890|accessdate=9 February 2018|work=ABC News|date=18 January 2018|language=en-AU}}
In August 2017, Languiller announced he was retiring from politics, and would not contest the next election in 2018.{{cite news|title=Victorian MP rules out running in next election after expense controversy|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-08-26/telmo-languiller-rules-out-running-in-next-election/8845684|accessdate=9 February 2018|work=ABC News|date=26 August 2017|language=en-AU}}
Personal life
Languiller was born in Montevideo, Uruguay, but soon migrated to Australia. He attended high school at Flemington in Victoria, and received a Bachelor of Arts majoring in sociology and politics from Footscray Institute of Technology. He had previously worked as a labourer, a Spanish interpreter, and a trade unionist.
References
{{reflist}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-par|au-vic}}
{{s-bef|before=Ian Baker}}
{{s-ttl|title=Member for Sunshine | years=1999–2002}}
{{s-non|reason=Abolished|rows=2}}
{{s-new|seat}}
{{s-ttl|title=Member for Derrimut | years=2002–2014}}
{{s-bef|before=Tim Pallas}}
{{s-ttl|title=Member for Tarneit | years=2014–2018}}
{{s-aft|after=Sarah Connolly}}
{{s-bef|before=Christine Fyffe}}
{{s-ttl|title=Speaker of the Victorian Legislative Assembly|years=2014–2017}}
{{s-aft|after=Colin Brooks}}
{{s-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Languiller, Telmo}}
Category:Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Victoria
Category:Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly
Category:Speakers of the Victorian Legislative Assembly
Category:Victoria University, Melbourne alumni
Category:Politicians from Montevideo
Category:Uruguayan emigrants to Australia
Category:21st-century Australian politicians