Bill Tilley MP Member for Benambra

About

We often don’t know where our paths lead us. This was definitely true for me as an elected Member of Parliament since the 2006 Victorian State election. However, my journey started earlier, as the son of a Defence Force member. My father’s career enabled me to live in many different places in Australia and appreciate the true beauty of each area. Later on in my life, I decided to follow in my father’s footsteps and join the Defence Force myself, at just 17-years-old. And my first experience of Benambra was a post with the Royal Australian Army Military Police in 1983 in Bandiana. It was then as a teenager that I knew where my home would be in the future. I decided then that no matter where life would take me, I would one day return to the Benambra district. For good. That moment came in 1995 when I seized the opportunity to change careers and decided to join the Victorian Police force. Constantly challenging myself, my skills, and strongly focusing on my belief that safe communities pave the way for a healthier lifestyle for all, I enhanced my involvement in all aspects of the community. My work with the Army and Victoria Police taught me the importance of hard work and reward for effort and an appreciation for diversity. All this time, I held onto a strong desire to develop and enrich communities for the future. And I also understood that entering politics was the next logical step. By doing so, I would go on to bridge the gap between the local community and the ruling Parliament members, by being the strong and parochial voice Benambra needed in the Legislative Assembly.