Russell Broadbent

In December 2017, Broadbent was one of only four members of the House of Representatives to vote against the Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Bill 2017, which legalised same-sex marriage in Australia.

Broadbent was an unsuccessful candidate for the Division of Streeton in the 1984 and 1987 federal elections. He first entered parliament for the marginal Division of Corinella in 1990, but lost to Labor's Alan Griffin in 1993. In 1996, he challenged Barry Cunningham in what was then the suburban-rural seat of McMillan, and won it after a very close race. He was defeated by Labor's Christian Zahra in 1998. Broadbent contested McMillan again in 2004 after a redistribution erased the Labor majority and made it notionally Liberal. He was re-elected on 24 November 2007, at the same time as the Coalition lost government, and has held the seat ever since. He supported changing the name of his electorate to commemorate John Monash rather than Angus McMillan.

Broadbent was a company director and self-employed retailer before entering politics. He served on the Pakenham Shire Council from 1981 to 1987, including as shire president from 1984 to 1985. He also served as a commissioner of the Dandenong Valley Authority from 1984 to 1987 and as chairman of the Western Port Development Council from 1985 to 1990.

Russell Evan Broadbent (born 25 December 1950) is an Australian politician who is a Liberal Party member of the House of Representatives, representing the Division of Monash (previously McMillan). He is one of the longest-serving current members of parliament, having served from 1990 to 1993, 1996 to 1998, and since 2004.