Robin Millhouse

Robin Rhodes Millhouse QC (born 9 December 1929) has been, at various times, the South Australian Attorney-General, the first Australian Democrats parliamentarian, and the Chief Justice of both Kiribati and Nauru.

Millhouse was born in Adelaide, to father Vivian Rhodes Millhouse, and mother Grace Lilly Ayliffe. Millhouse gained an LLB from the University of Adelaide in 1951 and after working as a barrister, entered the South Australian Legislative Assembly on 7 May 1955 as the Liberal and Country League (LCL) member for the conservative electorate of Mitcham. Millhouse rapidly gained a reputation as both the intellectual driving force behind the LCL and an outspoken spokesperson for the urban middle class faction of the LCL, a group under-represented within the party hierarchy.

Millhouse ran for the LCL leadership pre-selection following leader Sir Thomas Playford's retirement, but lost to colleague Steele Hall. Instead, following the LCL's return to power in the 1968 election, Millhouse was given the portfolios of Attorney-General, Aboriginal Affairs, Social Welfare, and Labour and Industry. In these roles, Millhouse gained a reputation as a crusader for progressive social change as he sought to position South Australia as a national leader on social issues.

In the wake of the LCL's 1970 election loss, Millhouse was elected Deputy Leader of the Opposition on 2 June but resigned from...
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