Phil Cleary

Although Phil Cleary first captured the public eye as a VFA footballer and coach, he is a highly regarded writer and social commentator. With 205 games as a player and more than 300 games as a player and coach with Coburg in a career that included five grand finals and three premierships, Phil is a football legend in Victoria.

The only man to have won a federal seat in Victoria as an independent, taking Prime Minister Bob Hawke’s seat of Wills at the 1992 by-election, he has never been one to bow to orthodoxy. His three books, Cleary Independent, Just another little murder and Getting away with murder – the latter dealing with the murder of his 25-year-old sister in 1987 – received glowing reviews. So powerful was his campaign against the law of provocation, it was abolished in Victoria in 2004. He has written extensively on the criminal justice system and is an ambassador for the White Ribbon Campaign.

Footballer, politician, writer, teacher, raconteur and storyteller, Phil Cleary, is a unique Australian. Among his passions are Irish history, music and short documentaries.

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