Robert Hill (Australian politician)

Robert Murray Hill (born 25 September 1946) is an Australian former barrister, diplomat, and politician who served as a Senator for South Australia from 1981 to 2006, representing the Liberal Party. He served as Minister for the Environment from 1996 to 2001 and as Minister for Defence from 2001 to 2006 in the Howard government.

Born in Adelaide, South Australia, to Murray Hill, a politician and real estate professional, Hill was educated at Scotch College and the University of Adelaide, where he earned bachelor's degrees in arts and law, before completing a Master of Laws at the London School of Economics. After returning to Adelaide in 1970, he practised as a barrister and solicitor and became actively involved in the Liberal Party, holding senior state positions including chair of the South Australian Liberal Party Campaign Committee, vice-president of the South Australian Liberal Party, and chair of the Liberal Party Constitution Committee. Early in his legal career, he also contributed to drafting the first bill introduced in South Australia to decriminalise homosexuality between consenting adult men.

Hill held multiple committee and party positions throughout his career in the Australian Senate. During his early Senate years, he served on committees including Constitutional and Legal Affairs, Foreign Affairs and Defence, and the Parliamentary Library, and held party roles such as President of the South Australian Liberal Party and member of the Federal Executive. Re-elected in 1987 and 1990, he held shadow ministerial roles covering justice, foreign affairs, defence, public administration, and education, and served as Leader of the Opposition in the Senate from 1990 to 1996. Following the 1996 election, Hill became Leader of the Government in the Senate and was appointed Minister for the Environment, representing the environment, sport and territories portfolio, and led Australia's climate negotiations at Kyoto. In 2001, he became Minister for Defence, overseeing Australia's involvement in Afghanistan, the Iraq War, and regional peacekeeping, while reassessing national defence strategy and engaging with international partners. Hill resigned from Parliament in 2006 after nearly 25 years of service, with his final acts including supporting the transfer of regulatory control over the drug RU486.

After resigning, Hill was appointed permanent representative of Australia to the United Nations (UN), serving from 2006 to 2009. Following his UN tenure, he chaired the Carbon Trust, contributed as an adjunct professor at the United States Studies Centre, and led the Dow Sustainability Program at the University of Sydney. In 2010, Hill became the 15th chancellor of the University of Adelaide, serving two terms until 2014, and during this period joined the advisory board of United Against Nuclear Iran, the board of Climateworks Australia, and chaired the Cooperative Research Centre for Low Carbon Living. From 2013 onwards, he held multiple leadership roles, including chair of Re.Group, board member of North Harbour Clean Energy, member of the Oversight Board for the Australian Defence Force First Principles Review, and non-executive director of Rheinmetall Defence Australia. He also chaired the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust Board, served on the Asia Pacific Board of The Nature Conservancy, and was a governor of WWF-Australia, while heading the Antarctic Science Foundation and joining the board of Viva Energy in 2018. Hill concluded his term at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute in 2021–22.