Bill O'Chee
Bill O'Chee | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 19, 1965 |
| Occupation(s) | Investment banker, politician, athlete |
| Years active | 1990–1999 (politics) |
| Known for | Senator for Queensland (1990–1999) |
William George "Bill" O'Chee (; born 19 June 1965) is an Australian former investment banker and politician. He represented Queensland in the Senate as a member of the National Party from 1990 until 1999.
Biography
Born to a Chinese father and an Irish-Australian mother, O'Chee received his education in both Australia and England. He pursued jurisprudence at Brasenose College, Oxford, where he studied alongside prominent figures including David Cameron. Before entering politics, his professional focus was on Latin American debt within the investment banking sector.
Parliamentary career
O'Chee entered the Senate in 1990 through appointment to fill a casual vacancy, becoming one of the earliest ethnic-Chinese Australians to serve in federal parliament. At age 24, he was the youngest senator until 2017. He won election in 1993 but was defeated in the 1998 election, concluding his Senate service in mid-1999.
Throughout his parliamentary tenure, O'Chee participated in major committees such as Legal and Constitutional Affairs, Treaties, Environment and Communications, and Tax System Reform. From 1996 to 1999, he chaired the Regulations and Ordinances committee. He held the position of National Party whip in the Senate between 1993 and 1999 and led the Immigration and Multicultural Affairs Policy Committee.
A notable moment in his career was his opposition to Prime Minister John Howard's reforms of the Native Title Act. O'Chee advocated for extinguishing native title over pastoral and mining leases while proposing freehold titles on vacant crown land for Aboriginal claimants who succeeded in their claims. Although his suggestions were not adopted, he achieved concessions that favored pastoralists.
He also set an important legal precedent by defending parliamentary privilege successfully, preventing confidential constituent communications from being subject to legal discovery.
In 2001, O'Chee changed his political affiliation to the Liberal Party and subsequently became a member of the Liberal National Party following its formation in Queensland.
In 2011, he publicly claimed that News Limited attempted to bribe him in 1998 to sway his vote in favor of their financial interests.
Sporting career
While at Oxford University, O'Chee served as coxswain for both the Brasenose College Boat Club First VIII and the Oxford University lightweight rowing team during 1987. In the 1990s, he coached rowing for schoolgirls in Canberra.
From 1989 to 2002, he competed internationally for Australia in skeleton events at World Cup and World Championship levels. He was the first Australian athlete to place within the top half at a world championship across bobsleigh, skeleton, or luge disciplines. His best World Cup finish was 17th at Cervinia in 1990, alongside several other top-20 results. At the FIBT World Championships, his highest ranking was 21st at St Moritz in 1998.
Community roles
O'Chee holds a position as National Councillor with Australians for Constitutional Monarchy and previously served as a National Councillor for Scouts Australia. He has acted as Patron for the Australian Chinese Ex-Services National Reunion and was recognized as a Global Leader for Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum in 1994.