Phil Cleary
| Phil Cleary | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Australian Parliament for Wills |
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In office 11 April 1992 – 25 November 1992 13 March 1993 – 2 March 1996 |
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| Preceded by | Bob Hawke |
| Succeeded by | Kelvin Thomson |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Philip Ronald Cleary 8 December 1952 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Political party | Independent |
| Occupation | Footballer, teacher |
Philip Ronald Cleary (born 8 December 1952) is an Australian commentator on politics and sport, particularly Australian rules football, and a former independent politician elected at the 1992 Wills by-election.
Cleary first came to notice as a prominent player and coach in Victoria's second-level Australian rules football competition, the Victorian Football Association, for the Coburg Football Club. He debuted with the club in 1975, playing 205 games - second only to Dave Starbuck in Coburg club history - and kicking 317 goals. He was a member of the 1979 premiership side and losing 1980 side. He coached the club between 1984–92 (captain coach between 1984–87, upon which he retired as a player), before leading them to back-to-back premierships in 1988–89. In the 1986 VFA grand final against Williamstown he was sensationally ordered off, only to be found not guilty at the tribunal. He coached the VFA representative side on five occasions without losing a game. He was one of the most well-known players in the VFA in his era, and was instantly recognisable from the thick beard he wore throughout his career.
He now coaches at a junior level for West Coburg in the Essendon District Football League.
At the Wills by-election of 11 April 1992, caused by the resignation of former Prime Minister Bob Hawke, Phil Cleary was elected as an independent to the Australian House of Representatives from a field of 22 candidates, becoming the only non-Labor member to have ever held the seat. However, his election was successfully challenged in the High Court and declared void on 25 November, as Cleary was on unpaid leave from the Victorian Education Department, and the Section 44 of the Constitution of Australia forbids people employed by the Crown from standing for election. No second by-election was held, as a general election was expected within a few months. At the 13 March 1993 election, Cleary stood again and won again.
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