Richard Welch is an Australian politician. He has been a member of the Victorian Legislative Council for the North-Eastern Metropolitan Region since 7 February 2024, representing the Liberal Party. He currently serves as Shadow Minister for Industry, Shadow Minister for Manufacturing and Innovation, and Shadow Minister for AI and the Digital Economy.
Early life and career Welch was born in country Victoria. He worked in financial services for Bankers Trust and Merrill Lynch in London. He completed a Master of Business Administration at Imperial College London. While studying, he invented and patented motion-tracking technology for cricket coaching and analysis. He founded a sports technology company and a manufacturing facility in India.
Political career Welch first stood for parliament as the Liberal candidate for the state seat of Yan Yean at the 2022 Victorian state election. He later contested the federal seats of McEwen at the 2022 Australian federal election and Jagajaga at the 2019 Australian federal election.
In December 2023 he won Liberal preselection for the North-Eastern Metropolitan Region to replace the retiring Matthew Bach. He was elected on 7 February 2024 and delivered his inaugural speech in the Legislative Council on 20 February 2024.
In 2025, Welch was appointed to the Liberal shadow ministry as Shadow Minister for Industry, Shadow Minister for Manufacturing and Innovation, and Shadow Minister for AI and the Digital Economy.
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