Nicholas Reece

The Right Honourable
Lord Mayor
Nicholas Reece
Reece in 2022
105th Lord Mayor of Melbourne
Incumbent
Assumed office
2 July 2024
DeputyRoshena Campbell (November 2024–present)
Preceded bySally Capp
Deputy Lord Mayor of Melbourne
In office
10 November 2020 – 2 July 2024
Preceded byArron Wood
Succeeded byRoshena Campbell
Councillor of the City of Melbourne
In office
November 2016 – 10 November 2020
Personal details
Born1974 (age 51–52)
London, United Kingdom
PartyLabor
Other political
affiliations
Team Nick Reece (2024–present)
Team Sally Capp (2016−2024)

Nicholas Reece (born 1974) is an Australian politician and policy activist who has served as the lord mayor of the City of Melbourne since 2024. He is a senior executive at the University of Melbourne and a principal fellow at the Melbourne School of Government. He is the chair of the board of directors at the Movember Foundation, and a commentator at Sky News Australia.

He previously held a number of roles in politics, including as secretary and campaign director of the Victorian Labor Party and as the director of strategy to former Prime Minister Julia Gillard. Reece's early career included time working as a lawyer at Maurice Blackburn and as a journalist at the Australian Financial Review.

Early life, education and early career

Reece was born in the United Kingdom in 1974 and moved to Australia with his family when he was young. He holds a Bachelor of Economics and Law degree from Monash University. He also graduated from ANZSOG (The Australia and New Zealand School of Government) with an Executive Master of Public Administration in 2006. Reece began his career as a lawyer with Maurice Blackburn and later worked as a financial journalist with the Australian Financial Review.[citation needed]

Political career

Labor Party

Until 2012, Reece held a number of roles as a ministerial staffer and Australian Labor Party executive, including:

Melbourne City Council

In 2016, Reece was elected as a councillor to the Melbourne City Council as a member of Team Doyle. Reece joined Team Sally Capp for the 2020 election, and he was elected as Deputy Lord Mayor.

On 2 July 2024, following the resignation of Sally Capp, Reece was sworn in as 105th Lord Mayor of the City of Melbourne. In the 2024 Melbourne City Council election, Reece retained his position as Lord Mayor, winning 23.36 percent of primary votes cast and 61.49 percent of the two-candidate-preferred vote.

Media career

In 2015, Reece appeared in the award-winning documentary The Killing Season, which recounted the leadership struggles between Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard between 2010 and 2013.

Reece is a political commentator on Sky News and was the host of Politics HQ between 2017 and 2019. Reece also writes a regular column for The Age.

Personal life

Reece and his wife Felicity have three daughters. He lives in Carlton and is a supporter of the Carlton Football Club. Reece was a founding director for the street newspaper The Big Issue, a role he served in for 10 years.

In 2004, he was one of the original "mo-bros" who raised funds for the Movember Foundation. Since then, Movember has raised almost $1 billion for prostate cancer, testicular cancer and men's mental health. Reece has served as a Non-Executive Director on the Movember Foundation Board of Directors since the establishment of the Board in 2007.

References

  1. ↑ "Backroom Baz: Liberal Party candidate Angela Newhouse pops up at UK election". Herald Sun. Sunday Herald Sun. 7 July 2024. Retrieved 8 July 2024. Reece is of course life long Labor man, having been a former adviser to Steve Bracks and Julia Gillard and being Mayor is his first big step to the front and centre of the political stage
  2. ↑ Lawry, Rhys (9 April 2019). "Mr Nicholas Reece". Melbourne School of Government. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
  3. 1 2 "Movember Australia". Movember Australia. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
  4. ↑ Rood, Paul Austin and David (9 September 2009). "Brumby gets his man, with Gillard's help". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
  5. ↑ "PM loses key strategist, as mood shifts to hope". Crikey. 13 June 2012. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Reformer fit for combat". Australian Financial Review. 18 June 2010. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
  7. ↑ "'Proud' Greek by wedlock Nicholas Reece, to become Melbourne's new Lord Mayor". 28 March 2024.
  8. ↑ "Nick Reece | Lord Mayor of Melbourne". www.nickformelbourne.com.au. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
  9. ↑ "Nick Reece biography". findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
  10. ↑ ANZSOG (12 June 2024). "A conversation with ANZSOG alum and Deputy Melbourne Lord Mayor Nick Reece". ANZSOG. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
  11. ↑ Rood, David (14 September 2009). "Chief Brumby adviser lands new Labor role". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
  12. ↑ "Brumby's policy adviser to head election campaign". ABC News. 15 September 2009. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
  13. ↑ "Councillor Nicholas Reece - City of Melbourne". www.melbourne.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
  14. ↑ "Nicholas Reece sworn in as new Lord Mayor". Melbourne News. City of Melbourne. 2 July 2024. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
  15. ↑ Aubrey, Cara Waters, Sophie (2 July 2024). "New lord mayor to target 'completely unacceptable' safety issues, cleanliness". The Age. Retrieved 4 July 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  16. ↑ "Melbourne City Council election". VEC.
  17. ↑ "Public sentiment had turned very strongly", Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 5 June 2015, retrieved 18 November 2019
  18. ↑ "Episode 1 - The Killing Season". www.abc.net.au. 23 June 2015. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
  19. ↑ "We're heading for a 'hung parliament'". Sky News Australia. 18 May 2019. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
  20. ↑ "Nicholas Reece". The Age. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
  21. ↑ Placella, Laura. "Lord Mayor Nick Reece announces bid to keep city's top job". Herald Sun. News Corp. Retrieved 24 May 2025.
  22. ↑ Placella, Laura. "Nicholas Reece set to become Melbourne's 105th Lord Mayor". Herald Sun. News Corp. Retrieved 24 May 2025.
  23. ↑ "Movember United States". Movember United States. Retrieved 17 July 2019.