Phillip Thompson

Phillip Thompson
OAM MP
Member of the Australian Parliament for Herbert
Incumbent
Assumed office
18 May 2019
Preceded byCathy O'Toole
Personal details
Born (1988-05-07) 7 May 1988 (age 36)
Armidale, New South Wales, Australia
Political partyLiberal (federal)
Other political
affiliations		Liberal National (state)
Residence(s)Townsville, Queensland
Awards
Websitephilthompson.com.au
Military service
AllegianceAustralia
Branch/serviceAustralian Army
Years of service2006–2012
Unit1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment
Battles/warsOperation Astute
War in Afghanistan

Phillip Bruce Thompson (born 7 May 1988) is an Australian politician. His party is the Liberal National Party of Queensland and he sits with the Liberal Party in federal parliament.

He is a member of the House of Representatives, representing the Division of Herbert.[1] He was first elected in the 2019 Australian federal election.

Prior to entering politics, Thompson was Queensland Young Australian of the Year.[2]

Early life and education

Thompson was born in Armidale, New South Wales.[3] In 2006, at age seventeen, Thompson enlisted in the Australian Army. He underwent training at Kapooka and Singleton before being posted to the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, in Townsville.[3] In 2007 Thompson was deployed to East Timor.

In May 2009, Thompson was deployed to Afghanistan. Six months into this deployment, while conducting a dismounted patrol, an IED exploded a metre in front of him.[4][2] He spent several years recovering from physical and mental injuries caused by the incident.[1] The injuries at the time significantly affected his memory, hearing, and contributed to subsequent mental health challenges.[5]

In 2014, Thompson represented Australia at the inaugural Invictus Games held in London; a sporting competition for wounded, injured, or ill participants in the armed forces. In 2016, he coached the Powerlifting and wheelchair rugby teams at the event held in Orlando, Florida.[6][7] He was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in the 2018 Queen's Birthday Honours for service to the welfare of veterans.[8]

Political career

Thompson entered politics upon being elected for the Division of Herbert at the 2019 federal election. He is the youngest member of the lower house in the 46th Parliament.[9]

In Thompson's first speech he stated that the well-being of Indigenous Australians and the defence community are among his priorities as an MP.[10] He acknowledged his mother in law, his wife, and daughter as Aboriginal women and stated that "we must not forget there is still a lot of work to be done in recognising and valuing our First Nations people and their culture."[11] Speaking of the defence community, Thompson acknowledged "the ultimate sacrifice on operations in service to this nation and our many veterans who have succumbed to their war within back here on home soil".[12]

Thompson served on the "Inquiry into the destruction of 46,000 year old caves at the Juukan Gorge in the Pilbara region of Western Australia", which delivered its interim report in December 2020.[13]

Thompson is a member of the National Right faction of the Liberal Party.[14][15]

Personal life

Thompson is married to Jenna, and has two daughters named Astin and Emery.[11]

Controversies

During his campaign, he apologised to the Muslim community after directing violent threats towards Muslims on Facebook in 2012, which he says were caused by PTSD from his military service.[16]

References

  1. ^ a b "Herbert (Key Seat)". Australia Votes. ABC News. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Phillip Thompson ‐ Australian of the Year". www.australianoftheyear.org.au. Archived from the original on 27 September 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  3. ^ a b corporateName=Commonwealth Parliament; address=Parliament House, Canberra. "Mr Phillip Thompson OAM, MP". www.aph.gov.au. Retrieved 15 September 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ "Phil Thompson: A Life In Motion | RSL Queensland". 15 February 2017. Archived from the original on 15 February 2017. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  5. ^ Gredley, Rebecca (4 July 2019). "Former soldier ready to serve as an MP". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  6. ^ Invictus Games. "Using the Invictus Games to help others". Retrieved 15 November 2015.
  7. ^ Invictus Games. "Competitors Bio".
  8. ^ "Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) entry for Mr Phillip Bruce THOMPSON". Australian Honours Database. Canberra, Australia: Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 11 June 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2019. For service to the welfare of veterans
  9. ^ Mason, Brett (27 January 2020). "As Australia's parliament returns, meet the youngest MPs doing things differently". SBS News Online. Archived from the original on 16 February 2020. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  10. ^ Gredley, Rebecca (4 July 2019). "Forver soldier ready to serve as an MP". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  11. ^ a b "First Speech". aph.gov.au. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  12. ^ "First Speech". aph.gov.au. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  13. ^ Joint Standing Committee on Northern Australia (December 2020). Never again: Inquiry into the destruction of 46,000 year old caves at the Juukan Gorge in the Pilbara region of Western Australia - Interim Report. Commonwealth of Australia. ISBN 978-1-76092-197-2. PDF
  14. ^ Massola, James (20 March 2021). "Who's who in the Liberals' left, right and centre factions?". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  15. ^ Massola, James. "How Morrison's shattering defeat gave Dutton a seismic shift in factional power". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  16. ^ Gartry, Laura; Shepherd, Tim (5 January 2019). "LNP candidate for Herbert Phillip Thompson apologises for 2012 social media tirade against Muslims". ABC News. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
Parliament of Australia
Preceded by Member for Herbert
2019–present 		Incumbent