The Victorian Greens are deeply saddened to share that the member for Brunswick, our dear friend, Dr Tim Read has passed away.
Tim was a brilliant Greens MP, doctor and researcher; a fundamentally decent, funny, kind person, whose loss is deeply felt.
More information on how we can come together to celebrate Tim’s life, legacy and impact will be shared soon. In the meantime, everyone is invited to share a memory of Tim, or what he meant to them, here.
Make a donation in Tim’s memory
Tim asked that donations in his memory be made to the Inner North Community Foundation or the Victorian Greens.
Inner North Community Foundation
The Inner North Community Foundation is a community-owned philanthropic organisation supporting communities across Melbourne’s inner north.
Established in 2007, it distributes funds to local organisations and projects in areas spanning employment, homelessness, health and wellbeing, education, environment, gender equality, poverty, culture and community.
Victorian Greens
Tim proudly represented Brunswick in the Victorian Parliament as a Greens MP from 2018 to 2026. He was deeply committed to the Greens movement and to building a fairer, more sustainable future.
Donations made in Tim’s name will help elect the next generation of representatives committed to social justice, environmental sustainability, grassroots politics, and peace and nonviolence.
Friends of the Earth
As an MP, Tim was an active supporter of Friends of the Earth's campaigns for environmental and social justice. Tim always made time to meet with us and hear about our campaigns - from climate resilience, to sustainable cities, to energy justice - and championed them from their earliest stages. In him we always knew we had a fighter for justice, champion of science, and someone committed to truly understanding every issue he voted on. His approach to working with and elevating the work of community activists meant the world to us.
TIM'S LEGACY
A message from Ellen Sandell MP, Victorian Greens Leader, on behalf of the Victorian Greens:
The Victorian Greens are truly devastated to announce the death of Tim Read, our dear friend, colleague and beloved MP for Brunswick.
At this time of incredible pain and sadness, we offer our deepest love to his wife Angela, his children Louisa and Martin, and all of Tim’s family and friends.
Tim was a brilliant local MP, doctor and scientist – but to those who knew him, he was also the kindest, funniest and most fundamentally decent of people.
Tim never held back from speaking truth to power, whether it was getting arrested for spray-painting health messages on tobacco billboards prior to getting elected, or taking it up to the Premier in Question Time.
Yet, he was also the most well-liked MP in state parliament, respected across the community for that rarest combination in a politician: conviction, integrity, wit and genuine humility.
He came to politics determined to improve people’s lives and protect our climate and environment, and to do it all while riding a bike and with a huge grin on his face.
Over 8 years in Parliament, Tim’s work delivered real change for Victoria.
His early advocacy led to major public health reforms that ended up becoming reality: pill-testing, tobacco licensing, abolishing public drunkenness laws, a statewide plan to eradicate congenital syphilis and HIV transmission, allowing gay men to donate blood, and a statutory ban on solitary confinement in prisons.
None of these reforms will have Tim’s name on them, but it’s likely none would’ve happened without his advocacy.
During the COVID pandemic we were particularly fortunate to have an infectious diseases doctor in our Greens Party Room and in Parliament.
He applied his experience without partisanship or fanfare, working behind the scenes to improve the Government’s response, and to support health workers, while also never shying from publicly opposing the disproportionate police response to breaches of public health laws.
Tim’s contribution to Victoria’s anti-corruption and integrity laws was perhaps his biggest achievement.
He introduced laws, later picked up by the Government, to: force ministers to make their diaries public, end ‘preference whispering’ and dodgy Group Voting Tickets, and create an independent parliamentary integrity commissioner.
As the first ever non-government chair of the Integrity and Oversight Committee, he led the landmark inquiry that helped strengthen Victoria’s anti-corruption watchdog IBAC.
Victoria is a better and fairer place, and politics in the future will be much more accountable and transparent, because of Tim.
Tim’s personal integrity was unmatched.
He could always see the moral question at the heart of every political issue. It’s why he was so outspoken when it came to supporting the cause of the Palestinian people, and why he continued to remind us all about how much coal was being burned in Victoria each day.
He never lost perspective about what was truly important.
It’s a measure of Tim’s character that after his diagnosis of metastatic melanoma, he sought neither accolades nor sympathy. Instead he began a campaign to save VicHealth, our only health promotion agency, so other families wouldn’t lose a loved one to preventable disease.
Tim showed what the best of politics can look like – “hope in motion,” as he called it in his valedictory speech.
The image of him pulling up on his bike with an enthusiastic grin, at a climate protest, a community meeting or at the lights on Sydney Road, will stay with us forever.
Vale, our brilliant friend. We will miss you.
He listened when people were speaking and asked pertinent questions about what was being said. He carried an aura of authoritative compassion when talking
He was approachable and humble, passionate about helping those in need, and genuinely interested in understanding the diverse cultural needs of our community. Even though it was only a brief chat, his kindness, warmth and sincerity left a real impression on me.
Tim was one of the most consistently authentic, down to earth, and kind individuals in our Parliament. He acted with integrity, honesty and consideration for others. He will be missed by many more than he is even aware of in the wider community.
Tim was a person if great integrity, decency and generosity. He always made time for people - including me - when they sought his help and advice. He gave so much to his community and will be deeply missed.
Tim also had that rarest of gifts - a genuine sense of humour: who can forget his warm and illuminating smile? When he rode up to a doorknock on his bike, you could see everybody's spirits lift.
knowing Tim by association I felt his immense positive impact on the people around him. As a young queer person Tim gave me hope for the future, for science, politics and the world. Reading his legacy has completely inspired me to get more involved in the community and to fight for change
I only met Tim briefly, but the impression he made on me was mighty. I found him to be someone who used his incredible intelligence and strength to work towards a better world. May he inspire us all to do the same.
He had a great smile and he had optimism, determination and integrity in spades from the get-go. It's no surprise to me that he was and will remain highly regarded and beloved by so many. His valedictory speech in July this year was wonderful - with humour and goodwill used to tie together his very last important messages to parliament and the people. What a wonderful man.
he was caring and listened to me..another time at an active transport meeting in a neighbourhood house in nth Fitzroy..he just wanted to help locals, advocate for riders, look after the environment..lovely man..
One of the things I loved about Tim was his steadiness and kind common sense. Whenever I shared my doubts or anxiety about the state of the world, or my own role in it, he always had some words of wisdom to share that left me feeling calmer and more hopeful about the future. I loved seeing him out at events and protests. Whenever he was around, the world and the climate movement felt like it was on a better track. He enriched the world of everyone who was lucky to know him.
One of Tim’s endearing qualities was his extraordinary generosity with his time and attention. You could catch him in a corridor at the clinic and ask him a question - and Tim would always happily stop and talk. He was characteristically curious about everything: medicine, science, politics, people, society and the world around him.
Tim struck me as a thoroughly decent person, who cared deeply for his community, and for the world at large.
Tim always listened so intently and made me feel like the work I was doing in my community was important and valuable.
Tim's death at such an early age is a profound loss to the community: his kindness, generosity, approachable-ness & commitment to putting his values into practice will be remembered & celebrated, and from which we will take inspiration.
He was a role model in how politics could be done respectfully and with integrity. As someone who is still finding my place in politics, I learnt much from watching Tim. And am determined to honour Tim’s legacy by continuing the good fight.