Telmo Languiller

The Honourable
Telmo Languiller
MP
36th Speaker of the Victorian Legislative Assembly
In office
23 December 2014 – 25 February 2017
Deputy Don Nardella
Preceded by Christine Fyffe
Succeeded by Colin Brooks
Member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly
for Tarneit
Assumed office
29 November 2014
Preceded by Tim Pallas
Member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly
for Sunshine
In office
18 September 1999 – 30 November 2002
Preceded by Ian Baker
Succeeded by Seat abolished
Member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly
for Derrimut
In office
30 November 2002 – 29 November 2014
Preceded by New seat
Succeeded by Seat abolished
Personal details
Born (1957-07-31) 31 July 1957
Montevideo, Uruguay
Political party Labor Party

Telmo Ramon Languiller-Tornesi (born 31 July 1957) is an Australian politician. He has been an Labor Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly since 1999, representing the electorates of Sunshine (1999–2002), Derrimut (2002–2014) and Tarneit (2014–present). From December 2014, he was Speaker of the Victorian Legislative Assembly, but resigned in February 2017 in the wake of an expenses scandal.

Parliamentary career

From 1993 to 1996, Languiller was electorate officer for former Deputy Prime Minister Brian Howe, and became Chief of Staff for Andrew Theophanous in 1996 until 1999.[1]

In 1999, he was selected as the Labor candidate for the safe seat of Sunshine, succeeding Ian Baker whom he had beaten in the preselection, and was duly elected. His seat was abolished in 2002 and replaced with Derrimut, which Languiller won.[2] In 2002 he was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Community Services, and he served as Acting Speaker since 2004. In 2006 he moved to the Parliamentary Secretary for Multicultural Affairs position, and then to Human Services in 2007.[1]

Following the election of the Daniel Andrews Labor government at the 2014 state election, Languiller was elected Speaker of the Victorian Legislative Assembly.

In February 2017, The Age newspaper reported that Languiller had claimed $37,678 in second residence allowances to live in Queenscliff, a considerable distance from his western suburbs electorate of Tarneit. Languiller acknowledged that claiming the allowance had not met "community standards", and offered to repay the money. On 25 February, he resigned as speaker.[3] In January 2018, Victoria Police announced it had conducted an investigation into the allowance claims of Languiller and deputy speaker Don Nardella, and found insufficient evidence to charge either man with an offence.[4]

In August 2017, Languiller announced he was retiring from politics, and would not contest the next election in 2018.[5]

Personal life

Languiller was born in Montevideo, Uruguay, but soon migrated to Australia. He attended high school at Flemington in Victoria, and received a Bachelor of Arts majoring in sociology and politics from Footscray Institute of Technology. He had previously worked as a labourer, a Spanish interpreter, and a trade unionist.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Parliament of Victoria (2008). "Languiller, Telmo". re-member: a database of all Victorian MPs since 1851. Parliament of Victoria. Retrieved 8 April 2009.
  2. ↑ "Derrimut – 2010 Victorian Election". ABC Elections. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  3. ↑ Tomazin, Farrah (25 February 2017). "Speaker Telmo Languiller resigns over expense scandal". The Age. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  4. ↑ "'Insufficient evidence' to charge Victorian MPs over allowance claims". ABC News. 18 January 2018. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  5. ↑ "Victorian MP rules out running in next election after expense controversy". ABC News. 26 August 2017. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
Parliament of Victoria
Preceded by
Ian Baker		 Member for Sunshine
1999–2002		 Abolished
New seat Member for Derrimut
2002–2014
Preceded by
Tim Pallas		 Member for Tarneit
2014–present		 Incumbent
Preceded by
Christine Fyffe		 Speaker of the Victorian Legislative Assembly
2014–2017		 Succeeded by
Colin Brooks
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