James Newbury


James Benjamin Kingsley Newbury is an Australian politician. He has been a Liberal Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly since November 2018, representing the seat of Brighton.

Early life

Newbury grew up in Malvern East, and his grandfather, Dr Charles Renton Newbury, was President of the World Dental Federation and a recipient of a CBE.
Newbury was a Liberal staffer in Canberra and Melbourne before his election, and holds three degrees in law.

Politics

Newbury was a backer of Michael Kroger to be the presidency of the Liberal Party in Victoria. He also was a close ally of Marcus Bastiaan, who claimed to control a large portion of the administrative committee. Together with Bastiaan, Newbury was seen as a new generation of religious right wing politicians in the Victorian branch, despite the generally progressive nature of Victorian politics. This group generally aimed to install conservative politician, or have moderate toe a more conservative line.
This support translated into Newbury winning the preselection for Brighton, which was being vacated by Louise Asher. This was the cause of some disappointment in the Liberal ranks, as it would lead to a reduction in their female representation. Newbury's victory came with allegations of branch stacking.
Newbury won the seat in an electoral landslide for the Labor Party but suffered an 8.7% swing against him, and was in danger of losing the previously safe Liberal seat.

Positions

Newbury has been an outspoken critic of duck hunting, and called for the practice to be stopped in his maiden speech.
Newbury has backed the idea that police should be able to racially profile people that they question, and to store that information for future reference.