Chris Ellison (politician)

The Honourable Chris Ellison
Minister for Human Services
In office 9 March 2007 – 3 December 2007
Prime Minister	John Howard
Preceded by	Ian Campbell
Succeeded by	Joe Ludwig
Minister for Justice and Customs
In office 30 January 2001 – 9 March 2007
Prime Minister	John Howard
Preceded by	Amanda Vanstone
Succeeded by	David Johnston
Special Minister of State
In office 21 October 1998 – 30 January 2001
Prime Minister	John Howard
Preceded by	Nick Minchin
Succeeded by	Eric Abetz
Minister for Schools, Vocational Education and Training
In office 9 October 1997 – 21 October 1998
Prime Minister	John Howard
Preceded by	David Kemp
Succeeded by	Abolished
Minister for Customs and Consumer Affairs
In office 18 July 1997 – 9 October 1997
Prime Minister	John Howard
Preceded by	Geoff Prosser
Succeeded by	Warren Truss
Senator for Western Australia
In office 1 July 1993 – 30 January 2009
Preceded by	Peter Durack
Succeeded by	Chris Back
Personal details
Born	(1954-06-15) 15 June 1954 Bulawayo, Southern Rhodesia
Nationality	Australian
Political party	Liberal
Alma mater	University of Western Australia
Profession	Lawyer

Christopher Martin Ellison (born 15 June 1954) is an Australian lawyer and former politician. He served as a Senator for Western Australia from 1993 to 2009, representing the Liberal Party. He held ministerial office in the Howard government as Minister for Customs and Consumer Affairs (1997), Schools, Vocational Education and Training (1997–1998), Special Minister of State (1998–2001), Justice and Customs (2001–2007), and Human Services (2007).

Background

Ellison was born on 15 June 1954 in Bulawayo, Southern Rhodesia (present-day Zimbabwe). His father was of English descent and his mother of Irish descent. He was educated at Trinity College, Perth and the University of Western Australia, where he gained a B.Juris (1977) and LLB (1978). He spent two years as a lawyer with the Legal Aid Commission of Western Australia, where he completed his articled clerkship. He was a barrister and solicitor as partner in his own law firm, Williams Ellison, for 13 years 1980–93.

He is known for his conservative and Catholic views, and is a strong constitutional monarchist and a member of the Australians for Constitutional Monarchy. He has voted against abortion and euthanasia.

In 2001, he was awarded a Centenary Medal for Service to Society. In 2017, he was named as the Chancellor of The University of Notre Dame Australia.

He is married with three children.

Political career

Ellison was elected as Senator for Western Australia in 1993, replacing Peter Durack, and immediately became involved in parliamentary committees and inquiries across a range of portfolios. He chaired the Senate Legal and Constitutional References Committee from 1993 to 1996, including chairing an inquiry which led to changes in Australia's treaty making process.

He entered the Howard ministry as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health and Family Services and to the Attorney-General in 1997. He was promoted to Minister for Customs and Consumer Affairs and Minister Assisting the Attorney-General 1997, Minister for Schools, Vocational Education and Training 1997-98 and Special Minister of State 1998–2001. He was Minister for Justice and Customs between January 2001 and March 2007.

From March 2007 until the defeat of the Howard government in the 2007 election, Ellison was a member of cabinet as Minister for Human Services, overseeing the service delivery of Government agencies including Centrelink, Medicare and the Child Support Agency. He held the offices of Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, along with Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate from December 2007 to September 2008.

Following the change of Government in November 2007, Senator Ellison was appointed as Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship and Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate. In addition, Senator Ellison was the Chair of the Scrutiny of Bills Committee.

Senator Ellison is the longest serving Minister for Justice with the portfolio abolished in 2017.

Later career

On 17 September 2008, Ellison announced he would be resigning, stating that he would like to spend more time with his family. However, he did not formally resign until 30 January 2009. The casual vacancy caused by his resignation was filled by Chris Back.

Ellison was announced as chancellor of the University of Notre Dame Australia in 2017, with effect from 1 January 2018. He had previously served as a governor and director. He has additionally served as a director of construction firm Doric (2011–2015), chairman of the North West Tourism Board (2011–2015), and director of the Commonwealth Superannuation Corporation (2014–present)