Ricky Muir
| Ricky Muir | |
|---|---|
| Senator for Victoria | |
|
In office 1 July 2014 – 2 July 2016 |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born |
25 December 1980 Maffra, Victoria, Australia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Political party | Australian Motoring Enthusiast Party |
| Spouse(s) | Kerri-Anne Muir |
| Occupation | Sawmill Worker |
Ricky Lee Muir (born 25 December 1980) is a former Australian politician. He was elected as a Senator for Victoria in the 2013 election, representing the Australian Motoring Enthusiast Party (AMEP). His term began on 1 July 2014. Muir failed to retain his seat at the 2016 election following a double dissolution which cut short his term in office.
Muir was born in Maffra, Victoria. He grew up mainly in Stratford, completing most of his primary education at Boisdale Consolidated School with a short stint at Dargo, then later attending secondary school at Maffra Secondary College.
He worked for a leather company making car seats. Around 2009, he moved to Denison, near Heyfield, and worked for a sawmill, moving up to manager. Shortly before the election, the sawmill ceased operations and he lost his job.
Muir said that as a young man, he was interested in customising cars, but as he gained a family, he moved on to four-wheel drives as a way to explore the countryside. He wanted to keep the country open for four-wheel drives to explore. About four months before the election, he discovered the AMEP on social networking sites. He was preselected for the election without having met the party leaders. He had no political experience. He calls himself an "average Australian" and wanted to make "balanced decision which reflects on hopefully the everyday Australian".
Muir represented AMEP in Victoria at the 2013 federal election and won on a record-low primary vote of 0.51 percent or 17,122 first preferences (coming 13th out of 34 groups), getting to the 14.3 percent quota from 23 group voting ticket party preferences: Bank Reform Party, Australian Fishing and Lifestyle Party, HEMP Party, Shooters and Fishers, Australian Stable Population Party, Senator Online, Building Australia Party, Family First Party, Bullet Train For Australia, Rise Up Australia Party, No Carbon Tax Climate Sceptics, Citizens Electoral Council, Palmer United Party, Democratic Labour Party, Katter's Australian Party, Socialist Equality Party, Australian Sex Party, Australian Voice Party, , Drug Law Reform, Stop CSG, Animal Justice Party, and the Australian Independents Party. The previous record for the lowest successful primary Senate vote for a party's lead candidate was held by the Nuclear Disarmament Party's Robert Wood who polled 1.5 percent in New South Wales in 1987, a double dissolution election. Independent Senator Nick Xenophon and larger parties including the incoming government are looking at changes to the group voting ticket system.
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