Philip Le Liu: A steady hand at Town Hall

Now in his third term on the City of Melbourne council, Cr Philip Le Liu has become one of the council’s more experienced and pragmatic voices. Known for his financial discipline, Cr Le Liu’s journey to Town Hall has been anything but conventional.

Before entering local government, Cr Le Liu worked as a management consultant but found the corporate world “not fulfilling enough”.

Seeking something more meaningful, he spent time in China launching an education technology start-up and working with the Australia-China Youth Association, a not-for-profit organisation that supported thousands of Australian international students studying in China.

On his return to Melbourne, Cr Le Liu made an unlikely move into politics, standing as the Liberal candidate for the seat of Melbourne in the 2016 federal election, which was a contest few were willing to take on against Adam Bandt.

However, Cr Le Liu punched above his weight and defied expectations, becoming the first Liberal candidate to outpoll Labor on primary votes in the electorate’s history.

His performance caught the attention of the late long-serving councillor Ken Ong, who invited him to join his council ticket.

“Without Ken Ong and his support, I wouldn’t be here,” Cr Le Liu said. “He gave me my start, and I’m very grateful for that.”

Since being elected, Cr Le Liu has built a reputation for his focus on responsible financial management. During his previous term, as head of the finance portfolio under former Lord Mayor Sally Capp, he oversaw four budgets and pushed the council to return to surplus.

“It’s not sexy,” he said. “But getting the City of Melbourne back in the black was crucial. We couldn’t just keep spending like before – we had to fix our financial position.”

However, there is still a long way to go, according to Cr Le Liu, who said the biggest challenge the council now faced was completing the initiatives it had promised, drawing attention to the redevelopment of Queen Victoria Market and the Greenline project.

“We have this habit of launching new initiatives before completing the old ones,” he said. “It’s time to consolidate, not just create.”

This term, Cr Le Liu has taken on a new challenge as head of the creative and arts portfolio, which he volunteered to do following a proposed restructure that would have merged arts with the tourism and events portfolio.

“Arts deserves its own champion,” he said. “Melbourne is a city defined by its arts and culture. We can’t treat it as an afterthought.”

While he doesn’t consider himself an artist, Cr Le Liu’s commitment stems from a belief that strong cultural policy is essential to Melbourne’s identity.

“I gave up other portfolio opportunities to take it on,” he said. “Someone needed to stand up for it.”

Cr Le Liu’s passion for standing up for what he believes in isn’t new. Earlier in his council career, he advocated for international students, believing they had been overlooked.

“When I started, there was no real budget or recognition for international students,” he said. “After four years, we’d created programs, internships and proper engagement. We changed the culture within council to include them in everything we do.”

From EY to Town Hall, Cr Le Liu has donned many hats, but at the heart of all his ventures has been a desire to make long-lasting change and to always be a voice of reason. •