Tim Mulherin

{{Short description|Australian politician (1957–2020)}} {{Use Australian English|date=September 2016}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2026}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = The Honourable | name = Tim Mulherin | honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=AUS|size=100%|AM}} | office = Deputy Leader of the Opposition of Queensland | term_start = 28 March 2012 | term_end = 31 January 2015 | leader = Annastacia Palaszczuk | predecessor = Tim Nicholls | successor = John-Paul Langbroek | office1 = Shadow Minister for Tourism, Major Events and the Commonwealth Games | term_start1 = 5 August 2014 | term_end1 = 14 February 2015 | leader1 = Annastacia Palaszczuk | predecessor1 = Annastacia Palaszczuk | successor1 = Jann Stuckey (Tourism and Major Events) John-Paul Langbroek (Commonwealth Games) | office2 = Shadow Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning, Racing and Local Government | term_start2 = 19 April 2012 | term_end2 = 14 February 2015 | leader2 = Annastacia Palaszczuk | predecessor2 = Jeff Seeney (State Development, Infrastructure and Planning) Tim Nicholls (Racing) David Gibson (Local Government) | successor2 = Andrew Cripps (State Development) Tim Nicholls (Infrastructure and Planning) Jann Stuckey (Racing) Fiona Simpson (Local Government) | office3 = Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry | term_start3 = 19 April 2012 | term_end3 = 5 August 2014 | leader3 = Annastacia Palaszczuk | predecessor3 = Andrew Cripps (Agriculture) Mark Robinson (Fisheries) | successor3 = Anthony Lynham | office4 = Deputy Leader of the Labor Party in Queensland | term_start4 = 28 March 2012 | term_end4 = 31 January 2015 | leader4 = Annastacia Palaszczuk | predecessor4 = Andrew Fraser | successor4 = Jackie Trad | office5 = Minister for Rural and Regional Queensland | term_start5 = 26 March 2009 | term_end5 = 26 March 2012 | premier5 = Anna Bligh | predecessor5 = Desley Boyle (Regional Development) | successor5 = ''Position abolished'' | office6 = Minister for Primary Industries of Queensland | term_start6 = 12 December 2005 | term_end6 = 26 March 2012 | premier6 = Peter Beattie Anna Bligh | predecessor6 = Gordon Nuttall | successor6 = John McVeigh (Agriculture) | office7 = Minister for Fisheries of Queensland | term_start7 = 12 December 2005 | term_end7 = 21 February 2011 | premier7 = Peter Beattie Anna Bligh | predecessor7 = Gordon Nuttall | successor7 = Craig Wallace | office8 = Member of the Queensland Parliament for Mackay | term_start8 = 15 July 1995 | term_end8 = 31 January 2015 | predecessor8 = Ed Casey | successor8 = Julieanne Gilbert | birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1957|8|24}} | birth_place = Mackay, Queensland | birth_name = Timothy Sean Mulherin | death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|2020|9|7|1957|8|24}} | death_place = | party = Labor Party }}

'''Timothy Sean Mulherin''' {{post-nominals|country=AUS|AM}} (24 August 1957 – 7 September 2020) was an Australian politician and member of the Australian Labor Party, who was the MP for Mackay in the Legislative Assembly of Queensland from 1995 to 2015, serving as Deputy Leader of the Opposition from 2012 to 2015.

==Early life and career== Born in Mackay, he was a clerk on the Mackay Electricity Board before becoming involved in politics.

==Political career== From 1994 to 1995 he was a state organiser of the Labor Party. In 1995, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Queensland as the Labor member for Mackay, replacing Ed Casey, a former ALP leader. He served as a backbencher until he was named to the Beattie Ministry to replace the disgraced Gordon Nuttall as Minister for Primary Industries and Fisheries in December 2005. He was given additional responsibility for Regional Development in 2009, and his title was recast as Minister for Primary Industries, Fisheries and Rural and Regional Queensland. In February 2011, his title was again changed, this time to Minister for Agriculture, Food and Regional Economies<ref name=QLD>{{cite web |publisher=Queensland Parliamentary Library |title=Timothy Sean Mulherin |url=http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/view/legislativeAssembly/documents/memberBio/MulherinTimothy.htm |accessdate=3 February 2009}}</ref>

Mulherin was one of just seven successful Labor candidates at the landslide 2012 Queensland state election.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-09-26 |title=Elections |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/elections/ |access-date=2023-10-11 |website=www.abc.net.au |language=en-AU}}</ref> Following the election, he was elected unopposed as deputy leader of the Shadow Ministry of Annastacia Palaszczuk and hence Deputy Opposition Leader.

During the 2015 election campaign, Mulherin announced his retirement citing family and health reasons but remained as Deputy Opposition Leader until polling day.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.heraldsun.com.au/business/breaking-news/queensland-alp-deputy-to-step-down/story-fnn9c0hb-1227179185558 | title=Queensland ALP deputy to step down| date=8 January 2015}}</ref> At the time of his retirement, he was the longest-serving Labor member of the Legislative Assembly, and the only one to have previously served in Opposition prior to 2012, having been in Parliament during the 1996–98 Coalition ministry of Rob Borbidge.

==Personal life== Tim Mulherin was married to Erin and had three children, Declan, Liam and Rory.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.couriermail.com.au/tributes/notice/funeral-notices/the-hon-timothy-sean-mulherin/5540455/|title = The Hon. Timothy Sean MULHERIN | Funeral Notices | All Locations, Brisbane}}</ref> He died of cancer on 7 September 2020 at the age of 63.<ref>{{Cite news|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|title=Queensland's former deputy opposition leader Tim Mulherin dies aged 63|author=Houlbrook-Walk, Myles|date=7 September 2020|accessdate=7 September 2020|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-09-07/former-queensland-labor-opposition-leader-tim-mulherin-dies/12636012}}</ref>

After his death, in June 2022 Mulherin was posthumously appointed Member of the Order of Australia in the 2022 Queen's Birthday Honours for "significant service to the people and Parliament of Queensland".<ref name="SMH QB2022">{{cite news |title=Queen’s Birthday 2022 Honours - the full list |url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/queen-s-birthday-2022-honours-the-full-list-20220609-p5askg.html |access-date=12 June 2022 |work=Sydney Morning Herald |agency=Nine Entertainment Co. |date=12 June 2022}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

{{s-start}} {{s-par|au-qld}} {{s-bef|before=Ed Casey}} {{s-ttl|title=Member for Mackay|years=1995–2015}} {{s-aft|after=Julieanne Gilbert}} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mulherin, Tim}} Category:1957 births Category:2020 deaths Category:Members of the Order of Australia Category:Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly Category:People from Mackay, Queensland Category:Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Queensland Category:21st-century Australian politicians Category:Deputy opposition leaders