Julia Banks | |
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Member of the Australian Parliament for Chisholm | |
In office 2 July 2016 – 11 April 2019 | |
Preceded by | Anna Burke |
Succeeded by | Gladys Liu |
Personal details | |
Born | Julia Helen Lolatgis Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
Political party | Independent (2018–present) Liberal (2016–18) |
Alma mater | Monash University |
Julia Helen Banks is an Australian lawyer and politician. Elected as the member for Chisholm in the Australian House of Representatives at the 2016 federal election,[1] Banks was the only candidate for the governing Liberal-National Coalition to win a seat held by an opposition party.[2] The previous member, Labor's Anna Burke, had held the seat since 1998 and did not stand for re-election in 2016.[3] Following the Liberal Party leadership spill in August 2018 that saw Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull replaced by Scott Morrison, Banks stated she would not contest the 2019 federal election;[4] and in November 2018 she announced she had quit the party to become an independent MP and sit on the crossbench.[5] She unsuccessfully contested the seat of Flinders at the 2019 election, pitting her against government frontbencher Greg Hunt.[6]