Member for Banks
Daryl is the Federal Member for Banks in the Australian Parliament. He was born in 1954 to a family of Lebanese descent, and grew up in Panania with seven brothers and two sisters. He was educated at St Luke’s Revesby, De La Salle, Revesby Heights and Benilde High School Bankstown. He obtained a Commonwealth Scholarship which enabled him to attend Sydney University, where he graduated with a double degree in Economics and Law. In order to further fund his university studies, he worked as a tray steward at Revesby Workers’ Club and commenced a lifelong involvement with the Club.
Politics dovetailed neatly into the values Daryl was taught at school by the Josephite nuns and the De La Salle brothers. Daryl says the nuns and brothers weren’t political, or at least in-your-face political, but they sowed the seeds of social justice.
Through Government Daryl has had a chance to see these values put into place in the broader community, in a legislative and policy sense.“What was taught at school was the way you treat your fellow human being, the normal principles of understanding, tolerance, non-discrimination.”
His involvement with the Labor Party began in 1974, his first year at university, the year which saw the re-election of the Whitlam Government. Daryl and his siblings were the first generation of their family to go to university and Daryl’s father had always emphasised the importance of education as a chance at a better life, and at better working conditions. Daryl says he joined the party which gave him the opportunity to go into higher education.
“It was one method of repaying the Labor Party that had helped me, Whitlam, too, was quite an inspirational figure to me – and remains so.”
The importance of a good education is a strong theme running through the Melham family with four of Daryl’s brothers and one of Daryl’s sisters working as teachers.
After graduating the College of Law in 1979, Daryl went into private practice in Cabramatta but became disillusioned with the business as he didn’t like the idea that he had to charge people. By the end of 1979 Daryl received an offer to work for New South Wales Legal Aid which he accepted with open arms as a role more connected with his view of the world. Daryl worked with Legal Aid as a solicitor from 1979 until 1987 when he was admitted to the Bar. He continued to work as a public defender until his election to Parliament in 1990.
In 1990 Daryl was elected to the Federal Parliament to represent the people of Banks. He took with him to Canberra his belief that people deserve a fair go at life, deserve strong public services and deserve a community where people matter as much as corporations. Daryl regularly speaks on constituent matters in the House representing all the electors of Banks as well as on the legislation which comes before the House.