Taylor Mitchell Martin is an Australian independent politician. He is a former Liberal member of the New South Wales Legislative Council, being first appointed as a Liberal MLC on 3 May 2017,[2] re-elected at the 2019 New South Wales state election,[3] before being expelled from the party in April 2024 over allegations of bullying and abuse.
Taylor Martin | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council | |
| Assumed office 3 May 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Mike Gallacher |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1990 or 1991 (age 33–34)[1] |
| Political party | Independent (from 2024) |
| Other political affiliations | Liberal Party (until 2024) |
| Alma mater | University of Newcastle |
Early life
editMartin grew up on the New South Wales Central Coast. He was the first member of his family to study at university, studying Finance, Commerce, and Economics at University of Newcastle. During his time there, Martin became the Treasurer of the University Finance Club.[citation needed]
Martin got his start in politics after a chance meeting with then candidate for the Federal Division of Robertson, Lucy Wicks, becoming a member of the Liberal Party soon after.[4]
Martin has previous worked at the firm Mercer Financial Services, his family's kitchen fabrication business, and as an advisor to Federal MP Lucy Wicks.
Political career
editMartin was preselected by the Liberal Party in 2017 to fill a casual vacancy caused by the resignation of Mike Gallacher, and subsequently became the youngest member of the New South Wales Legislative Council. Appointed at the age of 26, Martin was the youngest member of the Parliament of New South Wales. Martin was re-elected at the 2019 New South Wales state election, and is currently serving an eight-year term set to expire in 2027.
In Martin's inaugural speech he highlighted small business support, bullying, and domestic violence as his priority policy areas. He also spoke on the emergence of technology and its impact on future regulation and jobs.[4]
Martin has been a member of a number of committees since his election, including the Public Works Committee.[2]
During his time in the Liberal Party, he was a member of the Alex Hawke-led NSW centre-right faction.[5]
Expulsion from Liberal Party
editIn 2017, when campaigning for the nomination to replace retiring Liberal MLC Mike Gallacher, factional opponents of Martin claimed he labelled a colleague a "Nazi". Martin denied this allegation and was successful in winning the nomination.[6]
In 2018, then Liberal Party federal Vice-President Teena McQueen, who was running against Martin in a Liberal Party preselection contest, alleged Martin called her a "spoilt fucking [sic] bitch who has to get her own way" and said "I'll get you, you fucking [sic] wait". Martin denied McQueen’s allegation and subsequently won the preselections contest,[5] before going on to win re-election at the 2019 New South Wales state election.
In July 2023, it was revealed that former federal Liberal MP Lucy Wicks, with whom Martin had previously been in a relationship, had lodged a complaint to the Liberal Party against Martin, which included allegations that she was "physically threatened and received hundreds of demeaning, degrading, and abusive texts" from him. Martin was subsequently stood aside from the party room pending an independent investigation by senior counsel.[7]
In April 2024, Martin was expelled from the Liberal Party after the party received a report by Patricia McDonald SC into the allegations against Martin. The report, which was not publicly released, concluded that Martin’s behaviour, including allegations that Martin called Wicks via text message derogatory terms, including “dumb slut” and a “pig” didn’t meet the standards expected of parliamentarians.[8] Martin subsequently moved to the crossbench.
References
edit- ^ Elias, Charlie (13 August 2019). "New young MLC on the block". Port Stephens Examiner. Archived from the original on 1 March 2022. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
- ^ a b "The Hon. Taylor Mitchell Martin, MLC". Members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
- ^ "Legislative Council - State Election 2019". vtr.elections.nsw.gov.au. Archived from the original on 30 April 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
- ^ a b Martin, Taylor (21 June 2017). "Inaugural Speech". Legislative Council Hansard – 21 June 2017 – Proof. New South Wales: New South Wales Legislative Council. Archived from the original on 29 June 2018. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
- ^ a b Loussikian, Kylar. "NSW Liberals Teena McQueen levels allegations of verbal abuse at MP Taylor Martin". amp.smh.com.au. Archived from the original on 19 April 2024. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
- ^ Taylor, Matt (9 May 2017). "New state MP Taylor Martin, 26, hits back at factions over smear campaign". Central Coast Gosford Express Advocate. The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 3 December 2024.
- ^ Cornish, Ruby; Lewis, Alexander (24 July 2023). "Former federal Liberal MP Lucy Wicks reveals she is the woman who received 'abusive' texts from NSW MP". Archived from the original on 24 July 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2023 – via www.abc.net.au.
- ^ Thomson, Angus; Baker, Jordan (19 April 2024). "Liberal MP expelled after investigation into abuse complaint". The Age. Archived from the original on 19 April 2024. Retrieved 15 May 2024.