Phil Barresi

Phillip Anthony Barresi (Italian: [barˈreːzi]; born 8 August 1955) is a former Australian politician. He was a member of the House of Representatives from 1996 to 2007, representing the Victorian seat of Deakin for the Liberal Party. Prior to entering politics he was a registered psychologist and worked in human resources and industrial relations.

Phil Barresi
Phil Barresi with John Howard
Member of the Australian Parliament for Deakin
In office 2 March 1996 – 24 November 2007
Preceded by	Ken Aldred
Succeeded by	Mike Symon
Personal details
Born	(1955-08-08) 8 August 1955 (age 70) Patti, Sicily
Political party	Liberal Party of Australia
Alma mater	Australian National University Swinburne University
Occupation	Psychologist

Early life

Barresi was born on 8 August 1955 in Patti, Sicily, Italy.^[1] He spent his earliest years in the town of Falcone, arriving in Australia in 1960.^[2] He holds the degree of Bachelor of Arts from the Australian National University and a graduate diploma in applied social psychology from Swinburne Institute of Technology.^[1]

Barresi became a registered psychologist.^[2] Before entering politics he worked as a training officer with Victorian Railways, as a human resources and industrial relations manager, and as a consultant.^[1]

Politics

Barresi served as president of the Liberal Party's Boroondara branch from 1992 to 1995. He was elected to the House of Representatives at the 1996 federal election, retaining the Division of Deakin for the Liberals.^[1] In his maiden speech he acknowledged that he was the first Italian-born Coalition MP.^[2]

Barresi was a member of the speaker's panel in 2004 and again from 2006 to 2007. He was also chair of the Standing Committee on Employment, Workplace Relations and Workforce Participation from 2004 to 2007.^[1] He was a prominent supporter of the Howard government's WorkChoices legislation.^[3]

At the 2007 election, Barresi was defeated by Australian Labor Party (ALP) candidate Mike Symon. He reprised his candidacy against Symon at the 2010 election but was again defeated.^[4]

Later life

In 2008 he was appointed national employment relations director for the Australian Retailers Association.^[5]

In 2019, the Morrison government appointed Barresi to a five-year term on the board of the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation.^[6]