Tim Mathieson
Encyclopedia
Timothy Raymond Mathieson (born c. 1957) is an Australia
n real estate agent and partner of Prime Minister
Julia Gillard
. He entered the public spotlight in 2006 when they became partners. Gillard was Deputy Leader of the Australian Labor Party
at the time.
. After leaving school he undertook a hairdressing apprenticeship in South Yarra, Victoria
. Returning to Shepparton, he operated a salon for fifteen years. Mathieson next moved to the Gold Coast
, where he operated a hair salon for a further fifteen years.
For much of the 1990s Mathieson and a friend worked in California
, exporting vintage Levi's jeans
and supplying marble interiors.
Returning to Melbourne
in 2004, Mathieson worked for one year at a salon called Heading Out. There he met Gillard, a long-standing client of the salon. They began dating in March 2006 and became partners in 2007.
After leaving Heading Out, Mathieson returned to Shepparton and established Tim Mathieson Hair with financial support from his father and brother. However, he returned to Melbourne in 2006 where he worked as a sales representative for PPS Hairwear, a hair products company. Since January 2010, Mathieson has been a property agent with Ubertas Group, responsible for selling apartments in a St Kilda Road 50-storey complex, with a focus on international buyers.
, Nicola Roxon
, appointed Mathieson as one of the government's Men's Health Ambassadors, an unpaid role. Mathieson says he is passionate about his volunteer role.
Mathieson is also an ambassador for Kidney Health Australia and a patron of the Australian Men's Sheds Association. He is also involved with the Indigenous Diabetes Association in Alice Springs and with mental health group beyondblue
.
In December 2010, Tim Mathieson was appointed Patron of the National Portrait Gallery, Australia. The previous patrons were Therese Rein
(wife of former prime minister Kevin Rudd
) and Janette Howard
(wife of former prime minister John Howard
).
Mathieson started dating Gillard in March 2006 and has remained her partner since. When asked about marriage to Gillard, Mathieson said "We haven't talked about anything more than being spouses at this stage. Wait and see, I guess."
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n real estate agent and partner of Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Australia
The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
Julia Gillard
Julia Gillard
Julia Eileen Gillard is the 27th and current Prime Minister of Australia, in office since June 2010.Gillard was born in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales and migrated with her family to Adelaide, Australia in 1966, attending Mitcham Demonstration School and Unley High School. In 1982 Gillard moved...
. He entered the public spotlight in 2006 when they became partners. Gillard was Deputy Leader of the 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...
at the time.
Early life and career
Tim Mathieson was born and raised in Shepparton, VictoriaShepparton, Victoria
Shepparton is a city located on the floodplain of the Goulburn River in the north east of Victoria, Australia approximately north-east of Melbourne. It is the fifth largest city in Victoria, Australia. The estimated population of Shepparton's statistical area is 48,926.It began as a sheep station...
. After leaving school he undertook a hairdressing apprenticeship in South Yarra, Victoria
South Yarra, Victoria
South Yarra is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 4 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area are the Cities of Stonnington and Melbourne...
. Returning to Shepparton, he operated a salon for fifteen years. Mathieson next moved to the Gold Coast
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
, where he operated a hair salon for a further fifteen years.
For much of the 1990s Mathieson and a friend worked in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, exporting vintage Levi's jeans
Levi Strauss & Co.
Levi Strauss & Co. is a privately held American clothing company known worldwide for its Levi's brand of denim jeans. It was founded in 1853 when Levi Strauss came from Buttenheim, Franconia, to San Francisco, California to open a west coast branch of his brothers' New York dry goods business...
and supplying marble interiors.
Returning to Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
in 2004, Mathieson worked for one year at a salon called Heading Out. There he met Gillard, a long-standing client of the salon. They began dating in March 2006 and became partners in 2007.
After leaving Heading Out, Mathieson returned to Shepparton and established Tim Mathieson Hair with financial support from his father and brother. However, he returned to Melbourne in 2006 where he worked as a sales representative for PPS Hairwear, a hair products company. Since January 2010, Mathieson has been a property agent with Ubertas Group, responsible for selling apartments in a St Kilda Road 50-storey complex, with a focus on international buyers.
Charitable work
On 24 November 2008, the Minister for Health and AgeingMinister for Health and Ageing (Australia)
The Minister for Health and Ageing is a portfolio in the Government of Australia with the responsibility for national health policy. The current Minister for Health and Ageing is Nicola Roxon...
, Nicola Roxon
Nicola Roxon
Nicola Louise Roxon is an Australian politician, and is the Minister for Health and Ageing. She has been a Labor member of the Australian House of Representatives since 1998, representing the Division of Gellibrand, in the inner-western suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria.-Early and personal life:She...
, appointed Mathieson as one of the government's Men's Health Ambassadors, an unpaid role. Mathieson says he is passionate about his volunteer role.
Mathieson is also an ambassador for Kidney Health Australia and a patron of the Australian Men's Sheds Association. He is also involved with the Indigenous Diabetes Association in Alice Springs and with mental health group beyondblue
Beyondblue
beyondblue is an Australian non-profit organisation which aims to increase awareness and improve the treatment of depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders and related mental disorders...
.
In December 2010, Tim Mathieson was appointed Patron of the National Portrait Gallery, Australia. The previous patrons were Therese Rein
Thérèse Rein
Thérèse Rein is an Australian entrepreneur and founder of Ingeus, an international employment and business psychology services company. Ingeus operates from more than 150 locations across the UK, Australia, France, Switzerland, Germany, Korea, Sweden, Poland, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and New...
(wife of former prime minister Kevin Rudd
Kevin Rudd
Kevin Michael Rudd is an Australian politician who was the 26th Prime Minister of Australia from 2007 to 2010. He has been Minister for Foreign Affairs since 2010...
) and Janette Howard
Janette Howard
Janette Howard is the wife of John Howard, who was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia.-Early life:Alison Janette Parker was born in Kingsford, a working-class suburb of Sydney in 1944. Her father was an engineer with the New South Wales railways. The family later moved to Vaucluse...
(wife of former prime minister John Howard
John Howard
John Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....
).
Personal life
Mathieson is a divorcee with three adult children. He was previously married to Diane Stark, with whom he had two children. Mathieson also fathered a daughter in his late teens.Mathieson started dating Gillard in March 2006 and has remained her partner since. When asked about marriage to Gillard, Mathieson said "We haven't talked about anything more than being spouses at this stage. Wait and see, I guess."