Terry Mulder
{{short description|Australian politician}}
{{Use Australian English|date=June 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2015}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|honorific-prefix = The Honourable
| name = Terry Mulder
|honorific-suffix =
| smallimage =
| office = Minister for Public Transport
| state = Victorian
| term_start = 2 December 2010
| term_end = 4 December 2014
| premier = Ted Baillieu
Denis Napthine
| predecessor = Martin Pakula
| successor = Jacinta Allan
| office2 = Minister for Roads
| state2 = Victorian
| premier2 = Ted Baillieu
Denis Napthine
| term_start2 = 2 December 2010
| term_end2 = 4 December 2014
| predecessor2 = Tim Pallas
| successor2 = Luke Donnellan
| constituency_MP3 = Polwarth
| parliament3 = Victorian
| term_start3 = 18 September 1999
| term_end3 = 3 September 2015
| predecessor3 = Ian Smith
| successor3 = Richard Riordan
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1952|8|16}}
| birthname = Terence Wynn Mulder
| birth_place = Colac, Victoria, Australia
| death_date =
| death_place =
| party = Liberal Party
| spouse = Susan Mulder}}
Terence Wynn Mulder (born 16 August 1952) is a former Australian politician. He was a Liberal member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 1999 to 2015, representing the Colac-based electorate of Polwarth. He served as Minister for Public Transport and Minister for Roads in the Baillieu and Napthine governments from 2010 to 2014.{{cite web|url=http://www.terrymulder.com.au/Biography|title=Terry Mulder Biography|access-date=24 January 2010}}
Mulder was born in Colac, and attended Trinity College, but did not complete high school and began working as a laborer. He was employed by the Postmaster General's Office from 1967 to 1978 before going into business, serving as managing director of a property management company from 1978 to 1999. Mulder also worked as a consultant from 1994 to 1999.{{cite web|url=http://www.vic.liberal.org.au/People/StateLiberalMPs/TerryMulder/tabid/84/Default.aspx|title=Member for Polwarth|publisher=Liberal Victoria|year=2009|access-date=24 January 2010}}
Political background
Mulder joined the Liberal Party in 1992, and was an active member of his local branch thereafter, serving as its vice-president from 1993 to 1995 and president from 1995 to 1999. He subsequently won preselection to contest the safe seat of Polwarth upon the resignation of long-serving Ian Smith. He was easily elected, and was a popular backbencher for most of his first term. Mulder was promoted to the ministry in a reshuffle ahead of the 2002 election, serving as Shadow Minister for Water Resources.{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/stories/s2480873.htm|title=Terry Mulder|work=The Drum Unleashed|publisher=ABC News|date=3 February 2009|access-date=24 January 2010}}
Mulder was easily re-elected at the 2002 election,{{cite web|title=Vote counting continues after Vic election|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200212/s738839.htm|date=2 December 2002|publisher=ABC News|access-date=24 January 2010}} despite a statewide routing of the Liberal Party and a challenge from renowned Geelong football player Paul Couch, who ran in Polwarth as a National Party candidate. The defeat of several shadow ministers opened up a number of vacancies in the shadow cabinet after the election, and Mulder was promoted to the position of Shadow Minister for Transport and Shadow Minister for Ports.
As Shadow Minister for Transport, Mulder became one of the highest-profile members of the opposition, leading attacks on cost blow-outs over the Regional Fast Rail project and the rebuilding of Spencer Street station, the badly delayed Craigieburn railway line extension{{cite web|url=http://www.terrymulder.com.au/_webapp_135545/SEYMOUR,_SHEPPARTON_AND_CRAIGIEBURN_SUFFER_FROM_KOSKY%E2%80%99S_BUNGLES|title=Seymour, Shepparton and Craigieburn Suffer from Kosky's Bungles|date=3 December 2008}} and the controversial siting of the Marshall railway station. With the party continuing to generally struggle, however, Mulder began to be seen as a potential replacement for leader Robert Doyle.
Mulder was seen as an outside chance to become leader throughout 2005 and early 2006, and briefly emerged as a contender to succeed Doyle when he stepped down in May 2006. He was endorsed by Doyle as his chosen replacement, but withdrew when it became clear that Ted Baillieu, Doyle's chief rival, had the numbers to succeed him.{{cite web|title=Ted Baillieu to lead Liberal Party|date=5 May 2006|url=http://www.abc.net.au/stateline/vic/content/2006/s1631918.htm|work=Stateline Victoria|publisher=ABC TV}} Following the 2010 state election, In 2008 Mulder was one of the Liberal MPs to oppose the legalised abortion act introduced by the Brumby Government which saw abortion legal up to twenty four weeks and up to the moment of birth if two doctors grant approval.{{Cite web |url=http://www.lifevote.org.au/politician.php?id=54&area=Victoria |title=Life Vote |access-date=22 February 2015 |archive-date=10 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150310042327/http://lifevote.org.au/politician.php?id=54&area=Victoria |url-status=dead }}{{cite web| url = http://www.abc.net.au/stateline/vic/content/2006/s2363260.htm| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150303105835/http://www.abc.net.au/stateline/vic/content/2006/s2363260.htm| archive-date = 2015-03-03| title = Stateline Victoria| website = Australian Broadcasting Corporation}}
= Minister for Public Transport and Roads =
Mulder was appointed the Minister for Public Transport and Minister for Roads in 2010
As Minister for Public Transport, Mulder oversaw the Taxi Industry Inquiry, the creation of Public Transport Victoria, construction of the Regional Rail Link and new railway stations at Waurn Ponds and Epsom, the removal of five level crossings in Springvale, Mitcham and Sunshine, orders for 15 new X'Trapolis 100 trains and 43 V/Line VLocity railcars, the Bayside Rail upgrade, and the addition of more than 10,000 extra weekly train, tram and bus trips on the public transport network.
As Minister for Roads, Mulder introduced tougher penalties for hoon, drink and drug driving as part of a new Road Safety Strategy, abolished registration stickers on vehicles, established the Country Roads and Bridges Program, oversaw construction of the Ballarat West Link Road, Dingley Bypass and Koo Wee Rup Bypass and oversaw planning and upgrades of the Princes Highway between Traralgon and Sale, and between Geelong and Colac, the M80 Ring Road and the Western Highway (Victoria) between Ballarat and Ararat. Mulder also oversaw planning and development of the East West Link project.
=Opposition and resignation=
The 2014 Victorian state election saw the Coalition government defeated by the Labor Party after one term in government, while Mulder was re-elected for his fifth term as member for Polwarth.{{cite news|last1=McKenzie|first1=David|title=Re-elected MP Terry Mulder vows to fight for district projects|url=http://www.colacherald.com.au/2014/12/re-elected-mp-terry-mulder-vows-fight-district-projects/|access-date=31 August 2015|work=Colac Herald|date=1 December 2014}} Along with seven other former ministers, he went to the backbench and did not take a position on the Coalition's shadow ministry.{{cite news|title=Victorian Coalition announces shadow cabinet of 24, with 10 new faces, led by Matthew Guy|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-12-17/victorian-coalition-announces-their-shadow-cabinet/5973004|access-date=31 August 2015|date=17 December 2014}} On 31 August 2015, Mulder announced that he would resign from the Victorian Parliament on 3 September, which triggered a by-election in his seat. Former Premier Denis Napthine had announced his resignation earlier on the same day.{{cite news|title=Former Victorian premier Denis Napthine, senior MP Terry Mulder both retire from politics triggering by-elections|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-08-31/former-premier-denis-napthine-retires-from-victorian-parliament/6735950|access-date=31 August 2015|work=ABC News|date=31 August 2015}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-par|au-vic-la}}
{{s-bef|before=Ian Smith}}
{{s-ttl|title=Member for Polwarth|years=1999–2015}}
{{s-aft|after=Richard Riordan}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=Martin Pakula}}
{{s-ttl|title=Minister for Public Transport|years=2010–2014}}
{{s-aft|after=Jacinta Allan}}
{{s-bef|before=Tim Pallas}}
{{s-ttl|title=Minister for Roads|years=2010–2014}}
{{s-aft|after=Luke Donnellan}}
{{s-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mulder, Terry}}
Category:Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Victoria
Category:Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly
Category:People from Colac, Victoria
Category:21st-century Australian politicians