• Title
  Item 1: Trent Zimmerman interview by Martin Portus
• Level of description
  item
• Date
  
  29 January 2024
• Type of material
  Nonmusical Sound Recordings, Oral Histories
• Reference code
  9680434
• Physical Description
  3 audio files (2 hr., 50 min.) - digital, WAV, stereo (48 kHz, 24 bit)
  
• Scope and Content
  In this interview, Trent Zimmerman discusses growing-up in Sydney in a culturally Jewish family that he says was not particularly political or religious, studying Arts-Law at Sydney University following high school and becoming involved in the NSW Young Liberals.
  
  Dropping out of university, Zimmerman took work in the office of NSW State parliamentarian Max Willis. By 24, Zimmerman was elected president of the NSW Young Liberals. He discusses identifying as a ‘Moderate Liberal’ and taking work in the office of South Australian moderate Liberal Robert Hill who was Leader of the Federal Coalition Government in the Senate. Later, while working as media advisor for Wentworth MP Peter King, he came to understand the ‘power of the gay vote’, and reflects on taking the role of president of the Gay and Lesbian Business Association.
  
  In 2004 he was elected to North Sydney Council as an openly gay Liberal Party candidate and served on Council for several years before being pre-selected to replace Joe Hockey as the member for the Federal seat of North Sydney, becoming the only out gay MP in the House of Representatives between 2015 and 2016.
  
  He reflects on the same sex marriage plebiscite of 2017 and on the loss of his seat of North Sydney and other Liberal Party seats to Teal progressive independents at the Federal election held in May 2022. This interview offers insight into the remarkable shifts in understanding and recognition of sex, sexuality and gender identity expression that have occurred in Australia in recent years.
• Language
  English
• Copying Conditions
  In copyright:
  Copyright holder:: State Library of New South Wales
  Please acknowledge:: Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales
• General note
  
  Recorded at Forbes Street Studios, Woolloomooloo, New South Wales, on 29 January 2024.
• Creator/Author/Artist
  Zimmerman, Trent, 1968-
  
• Subject
  Zimmerman, Trent--Interviews.
  Politicians--New South Wales--Interviews.
  Gay men--New South Wales--Sydney.
  
• Open Rosetta viewer
  IE20856350

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