The Bench: Simon Millman

Unfiltered, unguarded and sometimes unconventional, The Bench shows WA’s politicians as you’ve never seen them before.

Purple’s Peter Klinger caught up with the Member for Mount Lawley, Simon Millman to discuss a wide range of topics, including his childhood in Melbourne, moving to Perth, getting involved in UWA’s Student Guild and taking his first steps into the legal world.

Who Is Simon Millman?

Simon Millman is a proud long-term resident of Mount Lawley, where he lives with his wife, Tara and their two sons.

Simon shares a brief summary of his life, including his life before politics – heading legal firm, Slater and Gordon’s Industrial Relations team.

Moving Across The Country

Soon after Simon was born, he and his family moved from Geelong to Melbourne where there were more job opportunities for Simon’s Dad – a skilled plasterer.

Simon spent his childhood in Melbourne, along with his older brother, Marcus.

Inspired by his brother Marcus’ decision to move away from Melbourne, 19-year-old Simon struck out on his own and moved to Perth, where he commenced studies at the University of Western Australia.

“With my parents’ encouragement I put in an application to transfer from Melbourne Uni to UWA and that was successful, so I moved across”.

First Steps Into The Legal World

Attending the University of Western Australia, Simon became interested in student politics, leading to him joining the Student Guild.

“The student guild at UWA was the place where things happened”.

“It was a place where a lot of people came together to talk about how they could make the University really exciting, really interesting, worthwhile and deliver a great student experience”.

After graduating from UWA, Simon took his first steps into the legal world, getting his dream job at well-known legal firm, Slater and Gordon.

Buzz for Politics

After entering the legal world and building his reputation as a lawyer, Simon’s buzz for politics didn’t leave. 

“From my time as a representative at university and through my time as a lawyer, and now as a member of parliament – it’s always been about access to justice and seeking justice for people”.

 

Entering The World Of Politics

An evening chat with a good friend led Simon to enter the world of politics.

As the member for Mount Lawley since 2017, Simon has found his role incredibly rewarding.

“We’ve done great work in the time since I’ve been in parliament and it’s been a privilege to be a part of that because I know that for those groups in the community, the legislation we’ve passed has provided them with access to justice”.

First Labour Member For Mount Lawley

As the first Labour member for Mount Lawley, Simon reflects on the reasons he believes he was voted in four years ago.

“The seat has changed over time. We’ve got young professionals, young families, we’ve got people who are interested in the world, we’ve got people who are interested in social justice and the environment, so I think there are a number of people who have moved towards Labour”.

Word Association Challenge

Simon Millman takes on our famous Word Association Challenge, giving his thoughts on everything from Mark McGowan to Twitter and the West Coast Eagles.

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