Martin Pakula

Early life

Pakula was born in Melbourne in 1969, the son of immigrants from Poland who were deported during World War II to Uzbekistan. Pakula's mother, a school teacher, arrived in Australia as a 6 year old with no knowledge of English, while his father, a lawyer, spoke no English at home. He attended Ormond Primary School and then Haileybury. Following this, he was accepted to study economics and law at Monash University. During his time at Monash he became a leading member of Victorian Young Labor, joining the Labor Party in 1987. He completed his Bachelor of Economics in 1989 and an Honours Degree in Law in 1991. In his final year, he won the Industrial Relations Law prize.

Professional career

After graduating from university, Pakula began work at Macpherson and Kelley Solicitors. In 1993, he became an Industrial Officer at the National Union of Workers. He went on to become State Secretary and National Vice President.

In 2005, Pakula unsuccessfully challenged Simon Crean in the ALP preselection for the seat of Hotham. Pakula was then preselected for ALP's third spot for the Western Metropolitan Region in the Legislative Council and was elected at the 2006 Victorian state election. Following the election, he was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Roads and Ports under Tim Pallas.

After the resignation of Minister Theo Theophanous in December 2008, Pakula was appointed Minister for Industry and Trade and Minister for Industrial Relations. In January 2010, he replaced Lynne Kosky as Minister for Public Transport following her resignation.

On 18 March 2013 he was endorsed as the Labor candidate for the Lyndhurst by-election held on 27 April, caused by the February 2013 resignation of shadow treasurer Tim Holding. Pakula resigned from the Legislative Council on 26 March 2013 to contest Lyndhurst and was successful in retaining the seat for Labor.

On 4 December 2014 he was sworn in as the Victorian Attorney-General, and was replaced by Jill Hennessy following the 2018 Victorian state election. He continued to be a minister in a number of portfolios, with the racing portfolio being held the longest since 2014.

In June 2022, Pakula announced he would retire at the November state election. He stepped down from his ministerial roles on 27 June 2022.

In November 2022 Pakula was appointed to the board of helloworld travel as a non-executive director. Pakula was currently serving in this role as of March 2024 In January 2023 Pakula accepted a part-time role as an advisor to the Australian Football League. In October 2023 Pakula was appointed as the chair of the board of the Australian Grand Prix.

Personal life

Pakula is married with two children and is a supporter of the Carlton Football Club. He lives in Black Rock. Pakula is Jewish.

References

References

1. "The Hon. Martin Philip Pakula".
2. Pakula, Martin. (20 February 2018). "My mum arrived here as a 6 year old. No English. Ended up being a school teacher for decades. Dad was born here but spoke no English at home. Became a lawyer. I'm the Attorney General of Victoria, and you - mate - can get stuffed. Australian enough for you?".
3. "About Martin".
4. "Martin Pakula MLC - Premier of Victoria, Australia".
5. [http://www.theage.com.au/national/pakula-to-inherit-transport-troubles-20100119-mj3p.html Pakula to inherit transport troubles], ''[[The Age]]'', 20 January 2010.
6. Willingham, Richard. (19 March 2013). "Pakula for safe seat". The Age.
7. (24 June 2022). "Victorian ministers confirm resignations from Andrews government ahead of November election". ABC News.
8. "Board Profiles".
9. Bourke, Ed. (31 January 2023). "Former Victorian sports minister Martin Pakula joins AFL". [[news.com.au]].
10. Rooney, Kieran. (10 October 2023). "Martin Pakula to take wheel as new Australian Grand Prix chair". [[The Age]].
11. "The Hon Martin Pakula MP".
12. (16 September 2021). "Parachuting pollies into safe seats fuels political cynicism". Fairfax Media.
13. (9 July 2021). "Southwick, Pakula seats at risk".