Julian Leeser MP

Julian was born and raised in Sydney and lives in Pennant Hills with his wife Joanna and baby son, James.
Julian was elected as the Member for Berowra to the House of Representatives in July 2016. He sits on several parliamentary committees, including as Co-Chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Constitutional Recognition relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and on the House Standing Committee on Tax and Revenue, the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights and the Joint Standing Committee on the National Capital and External Territories. Julian was also elected in November 2016 to serve as the Parliamentary representative and Non-Executive Director, New South Wales on the Council of the National Library of Australia. He is the Chair of the Backbench Committee on Education and Training.
Prior to his election, Julian was a senior executive at Australian Catholic University. He served on several boards including Mercy Health, one of Australia’s largest private health organisations, Teach for Australia which places outstanding graduates in tough schools to improve school performance and Playwriting Australia which develops Australia’s next generation of playwrights. Julian was previously Executive Director of the Menzies Research Centre. He also worked as a lawyer at Mallesons Stephen Jacques (now King & Wood Mallesons) and was an associate to High Court Justice Ian Callinan.
Serving the community through elected office has been a life-long passion for Julian. He was the youngest councillor in Australia when he was elected to Woollahra Council at age 19. Julian was also an elected delegate to the Constitutional Convention in 1998 as part of the No-Republic ACM team.
Julian and Joanna have been actively involved in the Berowra community through the Hornsby Hospital Community Participation Committee, the Beecroft-Cheltenham Lions Club, the Cherrybrook Chinese Community Association and Lifeline. Julian is a proud patron of the Hornsby Rockets Tenpin Bowling Team, Hornsby Connect, ACIA and the Hornsby Gang Show.
Julian is passionate about the Australian Constitution and proud of its link to the electorate of Berowra. In 1891, a group including Australia’s first Prime Minister, Sir Edmund Barton and the first Chief Justice of the High Court Sir Samuel Griffith, took the steamer Lucinda up the Hawkesbury and completed the first draft of the Australian Constitution.
Julian is a person of faith and is committed to a strong diverse Australia. Julian is the first Jewish person elected to the House of Representatives from New South Wales for the Liberal Party.
Julian has degrees in arts and law from the University of NSW and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He spent 2006-2007 as a Visiting Fellow at the Taubman Centre at the John F Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He has co-authored or edited a series of publications including, An Australian Declaration of Recognition (2016), State of the Nation (2013), Don’t Leave Us with the Bill: The Case Against an Australian Bill of Rights (2009) and State Policy Perspectives (2006).