Irfan Yusuf

Yusuf was born in Karachi, Pakistan and was raised in Sydney.^{[citation needed]} His father was from Pakistan and his mother was born in India.^[3] He lived in Pakistan and the U.S. for a time, and then returned to Australia and attended St Andrew's Cathedral School in Sydney.^[4]

He graduated from Macquarie University in law and economics.^[5] He also has a Diploma of Legal Practice from the University of Technology, Sydney.^[6] He was admitted to the Supreme Court of New South Wales in 1994.^{[citation needed]}

Yusuf was involved in campus politics prior to joining the Liberal Party in 1993 where he became prominent^[7] in its conservative faction.^[8] In 2005 Yusuf explained "from 1994 to 2002, I was a factional warrior for the non-Group (right-wing) faction of the NSW Liberals."^[9] He was elected to the State Council of the NSW division of the Party from 1996–2000.^[10] In 1999, he ran with other members of the Liberal Party for the Bankstown council as part of a group called "New Generation", he was unsuccessful.^[11] He was also endorsed as Liberal Party of Australia candidate for the safe Labor seat of Reid in the 2001 Australian Federal Election.^[12] He achieved a two-party preferred swing of over 5%.^[13]

He let his Liberal Party membership lapse in 2002 and in particular became critical of what he said was a takeover of the conservative faction by NSW Member of the Legislative Council David Clarke.^{[citation needed]} In July 2006, in an episode of ABC's Four Corners,^[14] he joined other former Liberals in criticising the direction of the Party. He accused Clarke of being willing to exploit antisemitism and homophobia to recruit Muslims from Sydney to his party and faction, and that he had made derogatory remarks to him about Jews and homosexuals.^[15] Clarke vehemently denied Yusuf's claims, threatening legal action which never eventuated.^[15]

After a scandal involving a racist leaflet emerged during the 2007 election, Yusuf remarked on ABC's Lateline that a member expelled from the Liberal Party was perhaps affected by being "surrounded by bigots."^[16]