Roderick Gilmore Amon is an Australian politician who served as the member for Pittwater in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from March 2023 until he was charged with child sex offences and resigned from parliament on 30 August 2024. He previously served as a councillor on Northern Beaches Council from 2017 to 2023.
Rory Amon | |
|---|---|
| Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for Pittwater | |
| In office 25 March 2023 – 30 August 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Rob Stokes |
| Succeeded by | Jacqui Scruby |
| Councillor of Northern Beaches Council for Pittwater Ward | |
| In office 4 December 2021 – 16 May 2023 | |
| Succeeded by | Karina Page |
| Councillor of Northern Beaches Council for Narrabeen Ward | |
| In office 9 September 2017 – 4 December 2021 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Roderick Gilmore Amon |
| Political party | Liberal (until 2024) |
| Alma mater | Macquarie University |
| Occupation | Solicitor, politician |
| Website | roryamon.com.au (archived) |
Early life and education
editRoderick Gilmore Amon[1] was born to Alexe and Guy Amon, who operated a Mona Vale small business for nearly twenty years.[2] He has five siblings, including a twin sister.[3] Amon attended Covenant Christian School in Belrose,[2] and Knox Grammar School,[4] before studying commerce and law at Macquarie University, graduating with first class honours in Law.
Career
editAmon worked as a paralegal during university and was admitted as a solicitor in New South Wales.[2] As a solicitor, he has specialised in family law.[5]
Amon has been a volunteer firefighter since 2013 and was the president of the Davidson Volunteer Rural Fire Brigade from 2015 to 2018.[6]
A rugby union referee, Amon was due to officiate in the Shute Shield grand final on 31 August 2024 but was replaced on the day of his arrest for alleged child sex offences.[7]
Politics
editAmon was preselected as the Liberal Party's lead candidate for Narrabeen Ward on the newly-formed Northern Beaches Council for the 2017 local government elections. He was successful at being elected, with the Liberal ticket in Narrabeen Ward receiving 31.8% of the vote.[8]
He moved to Pittwater Ward for the 2021 local elections, where he was re-elected.[9]
In December 2022, Amon was preselected as the Liberal candidate for Pittwater at the 2023 state election, to replace retiring MP Rob Stokes.[10] Stokes and then-premier Dominic Perrottet did not support Amon's preselection for the seat, preferring a female candidate and concerned about a possible large swing to teal independent candidate Jacqui Scruby.[11]
Despite a 20.2% two-candidate-preferred vote swing against the Liberals and towards Scruby, Amon was elected on 25 March 2023.[12] He resigned as a councillor two months later on 16 May, and was replaced via countback by Karina Page.[13]
On 11 May 2023, he was appointed as the Shadow Assistant Minister for Youth, Housing, and Planning and Public Spaces.[14]
Child sex charges
editOn 30 August 2024, Amon was charged with ten child sex offences, relating to the alleged sexual assault of a 13-year-old boy at Mona Vale in July 2017. The charges were "five counts of sexual intercourse with a person aged over 10 and under 14, two counts of attempted sexual intercourse with a child over 10 and under 14, two counts of indecent assault on a person under 16, and committing an act of indecency with a person under 16".[15][16]
After being charged, Amon resigned as a member of the Liberal Party.[17] Several hours later, he was asked by Opposition Leader Mark Speakman to resign from parliament, which he did on the same day.[15] His seat was won by Independent Jacqui Scruby in the 2024 Pittwater state by-election.[18]
Amon is listed to appear at Manly Local Court on 24 October 2024.[15]
References
edit- ^ "Mr (Rory) Roderick Gilmore AMON, MP". www.parliament.nsw.gov.au. Archived from the original on 29 May 2024. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ a b c "About Rory". Rory Amon. Archived from the original on 30 August 2024. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
- ^ Cohen, Dale (31 May 2023). "Amon delivers inaugural speech". Northern Beaches Advocate. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
- ^ "Distinguished Achievers List 2007 Higher School Certificate". NSW Education Standards Authority. Archived from the original on 30 August 2024. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ Green, Antony. "Pittwater (Key Seat) - NSW Election 2023". ABC News. Archived from the original on 30 August 2024. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
- ^ "Mr (Rory) Roderick Gilmore AMON". www.parliament.nsw.gov.au. Archived from the original on 29 May 2024. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
- ^ Sibthorpe, Clare; McSweeney, Jessica; Smith, Alexandra; Gorrey, Megan (30 August 2024). "NSW MP charged with child sex offences, quits parliament". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 30 August 2024. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ "Northern Beaches". ABC News. 9 September 2017. Archived from the original on 12 May 2024. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ "Northern Beaches". ABC News. 4 December 2021. Archived from the original on 18 April 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ O'Rourke, Jim (22 December 2022). "Rory Amon: Liberals finally choose their NSW election candidate for Pittwater". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 22 December 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ Smith, Alexandra (20 December 2022). "Perrottet's pleas over controversial male candidate for Pittwater ignored". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 30 August 2024. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ Green, Antony (June 2023). "2023 New South Wales election: Analysis of results" (PDF). Parliamentary Research Service (Research Paper: 2023-11): 30. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 April 2024. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
- ^ "Karina Page - Pittwater Ward". Northern Beaches Council. Archived from the original on 27 March 2024. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ "NSW Shadow Assistant Ministers". Liberal Party of New South Wales. Archived from the original on 30 August 2024. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ a b c McSweeney, Jessica; Smith, Alexandra; Gorrey, Megan; Sibthorpe, Clare (30 August 2024). "NSW MP charged with child sex offences, quits parliament". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 30 August 2024. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
A statement from Opposition Leader Mark Speakman said that, while Amon was "entitled to the presumption of innocence", the citizens of Pittwater were entitled to have an MP who can "discharge their duties in the community fully". "I therefore asked Mr Amon to resign from the NSW Parliament effective immediately. He has tendered his resignation to the Speaker," Speakman said.
- ^ "Man charged following alleged historical sexual assault - Northern Beaches". New South Wales Police Force. 30 August 2024. Archived from the original on 30 August 2024. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ Lewis, Alexander (30 August 2024). "Liberal MP for Pittwater Rory Amon charged with child sex offences". ABC News. Archived from the original on 30 August 2024. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
The ABC understands Mr Amon has quit the Liberal Party following the charges.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Jacqui Scruby set to become first teal MP in NSW parliament after snatching Pittwater by-election". ABC News. 19 October 2024. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
External links
edit- Rory Amon's official website (archived 30 August 2024)
- Rory Amon on the Liberal Party website (archived 26 August 2024)