Phil Cleary
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Phil Cleary is an Australian commentator on politics and sport, particularly Australian Rules Football.
Clearly first came to notice as a prominent player and coach in Victoria's second-level Australian Rules football competition, the then Victorian Football Association, for Coburg (now the Coburg Tigers, affiliated with the Richmond Football Club).
Cleary was elected to the Australian House of Representatives in 1992, following the resignation of Bob Hawke in the Division of Wills. However, his election was successfully challanged in the High Court and his election was declared void. At the subsequent by-election, he stood as an independent and won.
While advocating a republic, he broke with the Australian Republican Movement (ARM) over disagreement about how the President should be chosen, forming a group called "Real Republic". This advocated direct election of the President, as opposed to the model advocated by Malcolm Turnbull of the ARM, under which the President would be chosen by a joint sitting of the Parliament. This was the model that was proposed in the 1999 referendum.
Cleary's most prominent position is now a job at Australian Broadcasting Corporation, covering what is now the Victorian Football League. He is also an advocate for action to prevent violence against women, after his sister was murdered by a former partner of hers.
External link
- Phil Cleary (http://www.philcleary.com.au)