Terri Butler

Terri Megan Butler (born 28 November 1977) is an Australian politician. She is a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and has represented the Division of Griffith in the House of Representatives since a 2014 by-election. She worked as an industrial lawyer prior to entering parliament.

Terri Butler

MP
Butler in 2014
Member of the Australian Parliament
for Griffith
Assumed office
8 February 2014
Preceded byKevin Rudd
Personal details
Born
Terri Megan Butler

(1977-11-28) 28 November 1977
Cairns, Queensland, Australia
Political partyAustralian Labor Party
Alma materQueensland University of Technology
ProfessionWorkplace relations lawyer
PortfolioShadow Minister for the Environment and Water[1]
Websiteterributlermp.com

Early life

Butler was born in Cairns, Queensland,[1] the daughter of Allison and Larry Butler.[2] She holds the degrees of Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws (Hons.) from the Queensland University of Technology.[1] She also studied at James Cook University.[3] As a student she worked for an engineering firm, at a aluminium factory and for the Australian Services Union.[2]

Butler completed her articles of clerkship in 2003 and subsequently worked as an industrial lawyer.[1] Prior to her election to parliament she was a principal at Maurice Blackburn and led the firm's employment and workplace relations division in Queensland.[3][4] She undertook further study at Melbourne Business School and had begun a Master of Laws degree at the University of Queensland.[5]

Politics

Prior to her election to parliament Butler held senior positions in the Australian Labor Party (Queensland Branch). She was secretary of the party's Yeronga branch, chair of the state party's rules committee, a member of the National Policy Forum, and a delegate to state and national conference.[1]

Parliament

Butler was elected to the House of Representatives at the 2014 Griffith by-election, caused by the resignation of former prime minister Kevin Rudd. She won the seat with a 51.8 percent two-party vote against Liberal National Party candidate Bill Glasson, a swing against the ALP of 1.2 points.[6] She is a member of the Labor Left faction, unlike Rudd who was from the Labor Unity.[7]

Terri Butler during her victory speech following the 2014 Griffith By-Election

Butler was re-elected at the 2016 and 2019 federal elections. She was promoted to shadow parliamentary secretary in October 2015 and to shadow minister in July 2016. She has held the portfolios of preventing family violence (2016–2018); employment services, workforce participation and future of work (2018–2019); young Australians and youth affairs (2018–2019); and the environment and water (2019–present).[1]

In July 2015, Butler along with Labor colleague Laurie Ferguson, Liberal MPs Warren Entsch and Teresa Gambaro, independents Andrew Wilkie and Cathy McGowan and Greens MP Adam Bandt co-sponsored a bill to introduce same-sex marriage in Australia.[8][9][10][11]

In September 2015, Butler led public opposition to anti-abortion activist Troy Newman entering Australia. She wrote to Immigration Minister Peter Dutton and requested he ask his department to consider cancellation of Newman's visa,[12] which was revoked.[13] Newman flew to Australia without a visa and was then deported after losing a High Court appeal.[14]

In 2016, Butler was sued for defamation after an appearance on Q&A in which she implied Calum Thwaites, a Queensland University of Technology (QUT) student, had used a racial slur in a Facebook post. The allegations were first made by a third party in an earlier Racial Discrimination Act 1975 case against Thwaites which had been dismissed.[15] Butler and Thwaites settled out of court, as a result of which she offered "my unreserved apology for enabling those meanings about you to be conveyed, and for the distress and damage to your reputation caused as a consequence".[16]

Personal life

Butler has two children with her husband Troy Spence, a former Australian Workers' Union organiser.[17]

References
  1. "Ms Terri Butler MP". Aph.gov.au. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  2. "First speech". Hansard. Parliament of Australia. 27 February 2014. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  3. "Terri Butler MP". Science and Technology Australia. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  4. "Griffith by-election: Bill Glasson, Terri Butler vie for Kevin Rudd's old seat as voters return to polls". ABC News. 8 February 2014. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  5. "Terri Butler". Q&A. ABC TV. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  6. 2014 Griffith by-election result: AEC Archived 11 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  7. Atfield, Cameron (15 December 2013). "Lawyer Terri Butler wins preselection for Griffith, Rudd's former seat". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  8. "Cross party plan reached on same sex marriage". Sky News Australia. 1 July 2015. Archived from the original on 3 July 2015.
  9. Stephanie Peatling & James Massola (1 July 2015). "Multi-party same-sex marriage bill to be introduced in August". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  10. "Same-sex marriage: Coalition MPs Warren Entsch, Teresa Gambaro to co-sponsor private member's bill". ABC News. 1 July 2015.
  11. "Why I'm co-sponsoring a marriage equality bill". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  12. "The letter Terri Butler wrote to keep anti-abortionists away". 30 September 2015. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
  13. "US antiabortion campaigner Troy Newman barred from entering Australia". 1 October 2015. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
  14. "Anti-abortion activist Troy Newman to be deported after losing court bid to stay in Australia". 2 October 2015. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
  15. Koziol, Michael (29 November 2016). "'See you in court': Student rejects Labor MP Terri Butler's apology and vows to continue lawsuit". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  16. Briggs, Casey (16 December 2016). "Federal Labor MP Terri Butler settles racial case against QUT student with 'modest payment'". ABC News. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  17. Blaine, Lech (May 2019). "Terri Butler's rise through the rancour". The Monthly. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
Parliament of Australia
Preceded by
Kevin Rudd		 Member for Griffith
2014–present		 Incumbent
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