Michael Johnson (Australian politician)
| Michael Johnson | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Member of the Australian Parliament for Ryan |
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In office 10 November 2001 – 21 August 2010 |
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| Preceded by | Leonie Short |
| Succeeded by | Jane Prentice |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
31 January 1970 Hong Kong |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Political party |
Liberal (2001–10) Independent (2010) |
| Spouse(s) | Huyen |
| Children | Ryan (m) |
| Alma mater | University of Queensland, University of Cambridge, University of Birmingham |
| Profession | Barrister, Politician |
| Website | www.michaeljohnsonmp.com |
Michael Andrew Johnson (born 31 January 1970), an Australian federal politician, was a member of the Australian House of Representatives for the seat of Ryan, Queensland, from 2001 to 2010, representing the Liberal Party from November 2001 to May 2010 and then as an independent from May 2010 until he was defeated at the 2010 federal election in August 2010.
He was born in Hong Kong, and was educated at St. Peters Lutheran College and later at the University of Queensland, the University of Cambridge, where he obtained an MPhil, and the University of Birmingham, where he obtained a master's degree in international studies. He was the Australian Chevening Scholar in 1994, the Charles Hawker Memorial Scholar in 1996 and was a 2004 graduate of the Kennedy School of Government’s Executive Leaders’ Program at Harvard. He lives in Brisbane's western suburbs with his wife, Huyen, and their son Ryan.
Johnson was a barrister and a university tutor and lecturer before entering politics. He was named in 2007 as a Young Global Leader (YGL) by the Geneva-based World Economic Forum (WEF). He is Chairman of the Australia-China Business Forum, and is a Member of the Asia Society’s International Advisory Board and sits on the Australian Advisory Board.
Johnson first sought to gain Liberal endorsement for Ryan, following the retirement of long-serving member, John Moore. Factional rivalries between Johnson and other candidates for preselection led to rampant branch stacking. Johnson had been expected to win preselection, having arranged many of the new members in local branches. He was accused by opponents in the party of signing up ethnic Chinese with only limited connections to the Liberal Party, many from outside the Ryan electorate, and in at least one case, outside Australia. Unfortunately for Johnson, it was revealed he had failed to properly renounce his British citizenship and was ruled ineligible to contest preselection. Former state Liberal President Bob Tucker won preselection for the by-election, losing that contest to Labor's Leonie Short. However, by the time of the 2001 Federal election, Johnson had sorted out his citizenship and won Liberal preselection. He then easily took the seat back from Short on an eight-point swing.
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