Craig Ondarchie

Craig Philip Ondarchie (born 28 June 1962) is a former Australian politician. He was a member of the Victorian Legislative Council between 2010 and 2022, representing the Northern Metropolitan Region. He attended Kingswood College in Box Hill and has been a member of the Liberal Party since 1997.^[1]

Craig Ondarchie MLC
Member of the Victorian Legislative Council for the Northern Metropolitan Region
In office 27 November 2010 – 26 November 2022
Personal details
Born	(1962-06-28) 28 June 1962 (age 62)
Political party	Liberal Party
Website	Craig Ondarchie

Ondarchie worked for over a decade in business development, two years as executive director of the Royal Women's Hospital, and eight years as managing partner of the Melbourne corporate governance organisation, RADNO.^[2]

He was elected to the Northern Metropolitan Region at the 2010 Victorian Election,^[3] and currently sits on parliamentary committees overseeing environment and planning legislation, public accounts and estimates, and environment and planning references. On 25 April 2013, Ondarchie was appointed as Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier of Victoria.

After the 2014 Victorian state election, Ondarchie became a member of the Opposition front bench, serving as Shadow Minister for Investment and Jobs, and Shadow Minister for Trade.^[4] He was the centre of a controversy in 2018, during debate in the Legislative Council on a bill that would have, among other things, given presumptive rights to fire-fighters who had contracted cancer as part of their work. Ondarchie was granted a pair, so that he would not have to attend the Council on Good Friday, saying: "I do not want to be here. Today I want to be right now with my church family".^[5] However, Ondrchie did attend Parliament on Good Friday and voted against the bill, resulting in its defeat,^[6] and delaying the granting of presumptive rights to fire-fighters with cancer.

Ondarchie failed to gain a quota in his own right at the 2018 Victorian state election, but was re-elected with the help of preferences.

In November 2021, Ondarchie caused controversy when he claimed that people who had bought gallows to the steps of the Parliament of Victoria and called for the Premier Daniel Andrews to be hanged were "wonderful Victorians".^[7]

Ondarchie lost preselection for the Liberal Party's Northern Metro region ticket ahead of the 2022 Victorian state election.^[8]

References

1. "Members Search".
2. "RADNO, Melbourne Consultants, Business Strategy Consulting, Planning Consultants, Australia". Archived from the original on 9 March 2011. Retrieved 17 March 2011.
3. Colebatch, Tim (9 December 2010). "All power to Baillieu as upper house win looms". The Age. Retrieved 16 December 2010.
4. "Member Profile - Mr Craig Ondarchie".
5. Victorian Parliamentary Debates (Hansard), Legislative Council, Fifty-eighth Parliament, First Session (PDF). Parliament of Victoria. 29 March 2018. p. 1300. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
6. "'It's a disgrace': Acting Premier dresses down Victorian Liberals over pairing 'betrayal'". ABC News. 2 April 2018.
7. Sakkal, Paul. "Victorian pandemic bill: Liberal MPs join protest at which fringe element promotes violence". Fairfax Media. The Age. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
8. "Climate-target sceptic and anti-Safe Schools teacher on Matthew Guy's Liberal team". 24 July 2022.