Dustin Raffaele Halse was born on 3 May 1985 and is a former Australian politician.
20 Facts About Dustin Halse
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Dustin Halse was a Labor Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly from November 2018 to November 2022, representing the seat of Ringwood.
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On 24 November 2021, Halse shared publicly that he would not be recontesting his seat in the 2022 Victorian state election.
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Dustin Halse was born in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne on 3 May 1985.
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Dustin Halse completed high school at Trinity College, Perth, before later being educated at Monash University, from which he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and Master of International Development and Environmental Analysis.
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Dustin Halse was awarded a PhD from Swinburne University of Technology in political and labour history in 2015.
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Dustin Halse wrote his doctoral thesis on the history of Victorian public service unionism, titled, 'From Servants to Citizens'.
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In 2013, Dustin Halse was awarded the inaugural Sam Merrifield prize by the Melbourne Branch of the Labour History Society for his article, 'Citizens who Serve'.
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Dustin Halse was preselected for the seat Victorian State District of Ringwood in August 2018, following the withdrawal of former Labor candidate Steve Kent.
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In 2019, Dustin Halse was appointed Chair of the Wage Theft Community Consultations by then Attorney-General Jill Hennessy, which led to the introduction of Australia's first wage theft laws.
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Dustin Halse has written and spoken extensively on homelessness and housing economics, arguing in the Victorian Legislative Assembly that 'building more social housing can and will make a real difference in the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in our community' and that a 'Housing First' approach is required to address fundamental inequity in the market.
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On gambling reform, Dustin Halse argued that more needs to be done to address problem gambling, remarking in the Victorian Legislative Assembly that the 'pokie machine industry seeks to exploit often the most acute vulnerabilities of people at their lowest ebb'.
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On LGBTIQ rights, Dustin Halse argued in favour of banning gay conversion therapy, advocated for birth certificate reform, and called for greater support for PRIDE and LGBTIQ services.
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Dustin Halse called for stronger action to mitigate and address Climate Change, and supported the School Strikes for Climate Change movement.
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Dustin Halse called for an end to duck shooting in Victoria, and argued against the incarceration of children under the age of 14 as a part of the Raise the Age campaign.
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In June 2021, James Newbury MP used the protection of parliamentary privilege to accuse Dustin Halse of having a relationship in his parliamentary office.
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On 24 November 2021, Dustin Halse announced that he had chosen not to accept the Labor Party's invitation to stand for office again at the 2022 Victorian State Election.
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In July 2022, Dustin Halse was elected Chair of the Integrity and Oversight Committee, replacing Harriet Shing, and subsequently Chair of the Integrity and Oversight Audit Sub-Committee.
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On 26 November 2022, Will Fowles was elected the Member for Ringwood, replacing Dustin Halse and retaining the seat for the Labor Party.
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Dustin Halse is married with one child, and remains a resident of the eastern suburbs.