The Honourable Michael Robert Polley (born 4 November 1949 Westbury, Tasmania

Westbury, Tasmania

Westbury is a town in the central north of Tasmania, Australia. It lies 30 km west of Launceston on the Bass Highway, and at the 2006 census had a population of 1,357. It is part of, and the headquarters of, the Meander Valley Council area....

) is an Australian Labor Party

Australian Labor Party

The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...

 politician and member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly

Tasmanian House of Assembly

The House of Assembly, or Lower House, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of Tasmania in Australia. The other is the Legislative Council or Upper House...

 in the Division of Lyons. First elected in 1972 at age 21 he is currently the longest-serving member of the Tasmania

Tasmania

Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...

n parliament, having been re-elected at ten successive State elections. He is married with two sons and one daughter.

He was the youngest Cabinet Minister in Tasmanian history, appointed at the age of 27 in the government of premier Doug Lowe

Doug Lowe (Australian politician)

Douglas Ackley "Doug" Lowe AM was the 35th Premier of Tasmania, from 1 December 1977 to 11 November 1981. His time as Premier coincided with controversy over a proposal to build a dam on Tasmania's Gordon River, which would have flooded parts of the Franklin River...

. His wife Kim Polley is Mayor of Northern Midlands Council, on which his son Tim also serves. His sister Helen Polley

Helen Polley

Helen Beatrice Polley is an Australian Labor Party Senator for the state of Tasmania, since 1 July 2005.Before entering the federal government Polley was an advisor to two Labor Premiers of Tasmania; Jim Bacon and Paul Lennon. She was elected to the Senate in 2004 and her term began in...

 is a member of the Australian Senate

Australian Senate

The Senate is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives. Senators are popularly elected under a system of proportional representation. Senators are elected for a term that is usually six years; after a double dissolution, however,...

.

In 1989 during the Field

Michael Field (Australian politician)

Michael Walter Field, AC was Tasmanian Labor leader from 1988 until his retirement in 1996, and was the Premier of Tasmania between 1989 and 1992...

 government he was made the speaker of the Tasmanian House of Assembly

Tasmanian House of Assembly

The House of Assembly, or Lower House, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of Tasmania in Australia. The other is the Legislative Council or Upper House...

. He became speaker again in 1998 when Labor won government. He was minister for national parks 1976-1981.

In the Tasmanian state election 2006, Polley received the highest primary vote in Lyons.

External links

• Parliamentary library profile