Biography

Parliamentary service

• Elected to the House of Representatives for Griffith, Queensland, 1998. Re-elected 2001, 2004, 2007, 2010 and 2013. Resigned 22.11.2013.

Ministerial appointments

• Prime Minister from 3.12.2007 to 24.6.2010.
• Cabinet Minister from 3.12.2007 to 24.6.2010.
• Minister for Foreign Affairs from 14.9.2010 to 26.2.2012.
• Cabinet Minister from 27.6.2013 to 18.9.2013.
• Prime Minister from 27.6.2013 to 18.9.2013.

Committee service

• House of Representatives Select: Address in Reply served from 12.2.2008 to 13.2.2008
• House of Representatives Standing: Publications served from 8.12.1998 to 8.10.2001
• Joint Statutory: Corporations and Securities served from 8.12.1998 to 8.10.2001; Intelligence and Security served from 14.3.2012 to 5.8.2013

Conferences, delegations and visits

• Member, Official Australian Observer Mission to the Indonesian Elections, June 1999.
• Member, Parliamentary Delegation to East Timor, August-September 2001.
• Official visits to Japan, November 2002.
• Official visits to USA, September 2003.
• Official visits to UK, November 2003.
• Official visits to USA, June 2004.
• Official visits to Indonesia, September 2004.
• Official visits to USA, September 2005.
• Official visits to Hong Kong, December 2005.
• Official visits to Indonesia and East Timor, December 2007.
• Official visits to Iraq and Afghanistan, December 2007.
• Official visits to East Timor, February 2008.
• Official visits to Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands, March 2008.
• Official visits to USA, Belgium, UK, Romania and China, March-April 2008.
• Official visits to Japan and Indonesia, June 2008.
• Official visits to Japan and Malaysia, July 2008.
• Official visits to China, Republic of Korea and Singapore, August 2008.
• Official visits to New Zealand and Niue, August 2008.
• Official visits to USA, September and November 2008.
• Official visits to Peru, November 2008.
• Official visits to Bali, December 2008.
• Official visits to Afghanistan and United Arab Emirates, December 2008.
• Official visits to Papua New Guinea, January 2009.
• Official visits to UK, USA and Singapore, March-April 2009.
• Official visits to Singapore, May 2009.
• Official visits to Malaysia, Germany, Switzerland and Italy, July 2009.
• Official visits to USA, July-August 2009.
• Official visits to China and Indonesia, August 2009.
• Official visits to Singapore, August-September 2009.
• Official visits to USA, September 2009.
• Official visits to UK, October 2009.
• Official visits to Indonesia, October 2009.
• Official visits to Thailand, October 2009.
• Official visits to Denmark, November 2009.
• Official visits to Afghanistan, India and Singapore, November 2009.
• Official visits to Trinidad and Tobago, November-December 2009.
• Official visits to Japan and Denmark, December 2009.
• Official visits to Indonesia, February-March 2010.
• Official visits to Canada, March 2010.
• Official visits to Indonesia, May 2010.
• Official visits to Canada, May 2010.
• Official visits to Pakistan and USA, September 2010.
• Official visits to Japan, Belgium and Italy, October 2010.
• Official visits to China and the Republic of Korea, October-November 2010.
• Official visits to United Arab Emirates, Kazakhstan and Bahrain, November-December 2010.
• Official visits to Indonesia, Egypt, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian Territories, Brazil and Chile, December 2010.
• Official visits to Ethiopia, Switzerland, Turkey, Greece, Liechtenstein and Germany, January-February 2011.
• Official visits to South Africa, Egypt, Switzerland, Jordan, Israel, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Tunisia and Oman, February-March 2011.
• Official visits to New Zealand, March 2011.
• Official visits to Indonesia, March 2011.
• Official visits to Singapore, Vietnam and Germany, April 2011.
• Official visits to France, Belgium, Germany, USA, St Kitts, Nevis and Italy, April-May 2011.
• Official visits to Thailand, Finland, Sweden, Norway and China, May 2011.
• Official visits to Hungary, United Arab Emirates, USA and UK, June 2011.
• Official visits to Equatorial Guinea, Kazakhstan and Burma, June-July 2011.
• Official visits to Indonesia and Timor-Leste, July 2011.
• Official visits to Indonesia and Kenya, July 2011.
• Official visits to USA and Mexico, September 2011.
• Official visits to Papua New Guinea, September-October 2011.
• Official visits to Singapore and the Philippines, October 2011.
• Official visits to USA, November 2011.
• Official visits to India, November 2011.
• Official visits to Republic of Korea, November-December 2011.
• Official visits to Germany, Lithuania, Italy, Libya, Qatar, USA and El Salvador, December 2011.
• Official visits to Indonesia and USA, January 2012.
• Official visits to France, Belgium, UK, Germany, Ethiopia and Switzerland, January 2012.
• Official visits to Germany, February 2012.
• Official visits to Mexico, USA and Tunisia, February 2012.

Parliamentary party positions

• Australian Labor Party. Served: 03.10.1998 to 22.11.2013
• Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs from 25.11.2001 to 10.12.2006.
• Shadow Cabinet Minister from 25.11.2001 to 3.12.2007.
• Shadow Minister for International Security from 8.12.2003 to 10.12.2006.
• Shadow Minister for Trade from 24.6.2005 to 10.12.2006.
• Leader of the Opposition from 4.12.2006 to 3.12.2007.
• Leader of the Federal Parliamentary Australian Labor Party from 4.12.2006 to 24.6.2010.
• Leader of the Federal Parliamentary Australian Labor Party from 26.6.2013 to 13.9.2013.

Party positions

• Member of the Australian Labor Party Campaign Committee (Qld), 1989.
• President of the Australian Labor Party Bulimba Branch (Qld) from 1994 to 1998.
• Secretary of the Australian Labor Party Bulimba Branch (Qld) from 1994 to 1998.

Personal

• Born: 21.9.1957, Nambour, Australia
• Gender: Male
• Marital Status: Married

Qualifications and occupation before entering Federal Parliament

• BA(Hons) (Australian National University).
• PhD (University of Oxford).
• Diplomat from 1981 to 1988.
• Chief of Staff to the Hon. W Goss from 1988 to 1991.
• Director-General of the Cabinet Office (Qld) from 1991 to 1995.
• Senior China Consultant for KPMG Australia from 1996 to 1998.

Electorate

• Name: Griffith
• Location: eastern Brisbane; it includes the suburbs of Balmoral, Bulimba, Camp Hill, Carina Heights, Coorparoo, Dutton Park, East Brisbane, Greenslopes, Highgate Hill, Hawthorne, Kangaroo Point, Morningside, Norman Park, Seven Hills, South Brisbane, Woolloongabba and parts of Annerley, Cannon Hill, Carina, Holland Park, Holland Park West, Mount Gravatt East, Murarrie, Tarragindi and West End.
• Area: 60 Sq km
• Electors enrolled: 97,136 (at 7.9.2013)
• Industries: food processing and light industry.
• Includes: Griffith includes parts of the Queensland Legislative Assembly electorates of Bulimba, Chatsworth, Greenslopes, Mansfield, South Brisbane and Yeerongpilly.

Honours

• Appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia, 10.6.2019.

Publications

• Jasper & Abby and the great Australia Day kerfuffle, Allen & Unwin, East Melbourne, Vic.: 2010.
• Not for the faint-hearted: a personal reflection on life, politics and purpose, Pan Macmillan Australia, Sydney: 2017.
• The PM years: volume II, Pan Macmillan Australia, Sydney: 2018.
• The case for courage, Monash University Publishing, Clayton, Vic.: 2021.
• The avoidable war: the dangers of a catastrophic conflict between the US and Xi Jingping's China, Hachette Australia, Sydney: 2022.