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Senator Richard Dowling is a Labor Senator for Tasmania who began his term on 1 July 2025. As at 8 December 2025, he brings a background in economics, public policy and international business to his first year in Federal Parliament. Raised on Hobart’s eastern shore and educated in Tasmania’s public schools, he studied economics at the University of Tasmania while completing a cadetship with the State Treasury. He later became Chief Economist at the Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and served as a Senior Economic Adviser to a Labor Premier, before working internationally in technology, clean energy and healthcare.
His priorities include supporting modern industries that create secure, well-paid jobs, improving financial literacy, and expanding opportunities for younger Australians, particularly their ability to own a home. Drawing on his Tasmanian upbringing and experience overseas, he is interested in how economic policy and emerging technologies can improve everyday life. Away from politics, he enjoys tennis and running, follows Essendon in the AFL, and shares his home with his wife and their English bulldog, Horace. For this Reddit AMA, Senator Dowling joins the community to answer questions about politics, economics, artificial intelligence, Tasmania’s future and his experiences as a new senator.
Craig Hill is a Brisbane-based author, journalist, teacher, business consultant and social justice campaigner. He is the General Manager of the Australian Book and Language Studio.
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