Christian Benedict
From Daily Escape
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|'''Place of birth:''' | |'''Place of birth:''' | ||
- | | Auckland, New Zealand, | + | | Auckland, New Zealand, Australasia |
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|'''Constituency''' | |'''Constituency''' | ||
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- | '''Christian James Benedict''' (born 21 January, 1953) is the Prime Minister of [[ | + | '''Christian James Benedict''' (born 21 January, 1953) is the Prime Minister of [[Australasia]] and Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage, and Member of Parliament for the Division of Newcastle in New South Wales. His official residence is Thorndon House, Canberra. |
- | Benedict became leader of the | + | Benedict became leader of the Liberal Democratic party in November 1993 following the resignation of Virgina Ramsay. Under Benedict's leadership the party won a landslide victory in the 1996 general election. |
==Background and family life== | ==Background and family life== | ||
- | Benedict was born in Auckland, New Zealand, the second child of James and Silvia Benedict. James Benedict was the son of English immigrants, while his wife came from a local family of Dutch heritage. Benedict has one sibling; | + | Benedict was born in Auckland, New Zealand, the second child of James and Silvia Benedict. James Benedict was the son of English immigrants, while his wife came from a local family of Dutch heritage. Benedict has one sibling; Patricia Benedict (born 1952), a prominent actress. For the first five years of his life, Benedict lived in the inner-city suburb of Ponsonby, where his father practised law. In 1958 the family moved to Adelaide so that James Benedict could take up a teaching position at the city's university. There, Benedict spent the remainder of his childhood. |
After graduating with a second class degree from the University of Adelaide, Benedict was admitted to the bar and sought work as a barrister. He spent three years as a Crown prosecutor before traveling abroad, working for law firms in both the United Kingdom and Canada. During this time, Benedict obtained a Master of Laws from Oxford University, and went on to complete a doctorate at McGill University. It was at McGill that he met his future wife, [[Melissa Benedict|Melissa McAllen]] (daughter of American diplomat Gavin McAllen). Upon returning to Victoria in 1989, Benedict became Professor of Law at the University of New Castle, in New South Wales. He held this position until his election to Federal Parliament in 1993. | After graduating with a second class degree from the University of Adelaide, Benedict was admitted to the bar and sought work as a barrister. He spent three years as a Crown prosecutor before traveling abroad, working for law firms in both the United Kingdom and Canada. During this time, Benedict obtained a Master of Laws from Oxford University, and went on to complete a doctorate at McGill University. It was at McGill that he met his future wife, [[Melissa Benedict|Melissa McAllen]] (daughter of American diplomat Gavin McAllen). Upon returning to Victoria in 1989, Benedict became Professor of Law at the University of New Castle, in New South Wales. He held this position until his election to Federal Parliament in 1993. |
Revision as of 06:18, 29 August 2007
Term of office: | 2 May, 1996 - present |
Predecessor: | Geoffrey Palmer |
Successor: | Incumbent |
Birthdate: | 21 January, 1953 |
Place of birth: | Auckland, New Zealand, Australasia |
Constituency | Newcastle |
Political party | Victorian Liberal Party |
Religion: | Anglican (Anglo-Catholic) |
Spouse: | Melissa Benedict née McAllen |
Languages spoken: - Fluent - Rudimentary | English French, German |
Christian James Benedict (born 21 January, 1953) is the Prime Minister of Australasia and Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage, and Member of Parliament for the Division of Newcastle in New South Wales. His official residence is Thorndon House, Canberra.
Benedict became leader of the Liberal Democratic party in November 1993 following the resignation of Virgina Ramsay. Under Benedict's leadership the party won a landslide victory in the 1996 general election.
Background and family life
Benedict was born in Auckland, New Zealand, the second child of James and Silvia Benedict. James Benedict was the son of English immigrants, while his wife came from a local family of Dutch heritage. Benedict has one sibling; Patricia Benedict (born 1952), a prominent actress. For the first five years of his life, Benedict lived in the inner-city suburb of Ponsonby, where his father practised law. In 1958 the family moved to Adelaide so that James Benedict could take up a teaching position at the city's university. There, Benedict spent the remainder of his childhood.
After graduating with a second class degree from the University of Adelaide, Benedict was admitted to the bar and sought work as a barrister. He spent three years as a Crown prosecutor before traveling abroad, working for law firms in both the United Kingdom and Canada. During this time, Benedict obtained a Master of Laws from Oxford University, and went on to complete a doctorate at McGill University. It was at McGill that he met his future wife, Melissa McAllen (daughter of American diplomat Gavin McAllen). Upon returning to Victoria in 1989, Benedict became Professor of Law at the University of New Castle, in New South Wales. He held this position until his election to Federal Parliament in 1993.
Benedict married McAllen, a fellow academic, on 9 July 1985. They have two children, Jessica (born 1986) and Gavin (born 1991).