Keith Wolahan

Keith Wolahan is an Australian Liberal Party politician. He is currently a Member of the House of Representatives for the seat of Menzies, to which he was first elected at the 2022 Federal Election. Having served in the armed forces as a commando, alongside a career as a lawyer and barrister, Wolahan was sworn in to the Parliament of Australia on 9 June 2022.

Wolahan was announced as the Liberal Party candidate to run in the 2022 federal election in the seat of Menzies, an ethnically diverse part of Melbourne where two-thirds of people have one parent born overseas. Strong support from the local membership saw Wolahan defeat the sitting member Kevin Andrews in the contest, 181 votes to 111. Significantly, Andrews had the support of Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, though not of Prime Minister Scott Morrison. It was the first time a sitting Victorian Liberal MP had been ousted by their members in more than 20 years. Wolahan's preselection was considered a "generational change" for the Liberal Party and it was a "rare" event for politicians to not retain their seats.

The 2022 federal election saw a 6% swing against the Liberals in Menzies, with votes counted days afterwards. On 28 May 2022, Wolahan's lead grew insurmountable and he declared victory in the seat.

In a response to the Liberal Party's defeat in the 2022 election, Wolahan said "the Morrison government’s rhetoric on China contributed to the party’s defeat at the election by fuelling discontent among Chinese-Australian voters". Wolahan stated that he had raised his concern with members of cabinet and was told concerns about China referred to the government, not its citizens.

In a talk given to the Samuel Griffith Society in 2017, Wolahan expressed his opposition to an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, and called instead for “minimalist” reforms that “removes race from the Constitution”.

In 2013, Wolahan graduated from University of Cambridge with a master's degree in International Relations.

Wolahan began his career in law with the national firm, Mallesons Stephen Jacques where he specialised in mergers and acquisitions. In a podcast interview on Lawyer's Weekly, Wolahan admitted that he hadn't enjoyed corporate law, moving to litigation because he enjoyed advocacy. In 2010 he became a barrister, specialising in commercial and consumer matters. In his years at the bar, he acted on some high-profile matters, acting for Glencore in the Victorian Supreme Court, also in the successful defence of two commandos accused of war crimes.

When asked why he had joined the military, Wolahan explained that "Australia had been very good to me and my family, and I couldn't think of a better way to give back." He began his service at University, continuing with the Australian Army Reserve, eventually joining 2 Commando Company, 1st Commando Regiment. Wolahan was promoted to Captain in 2004 and saw seven periods of active service, including four postings overseas with 2 Commando:

As a ten-year-old boy, Wolahan's family emigrated to Australia from Ireland, making their home in Melbourne, Victoria. He became an Australian citizen in 1993. He was educated at local public schools, including Ringwood Secondary College where he became a School Captain. He worked at McDonald's in Eastland, Ringwood from 1994 to 1997, while attending school.