Parliament of Australia: House of Representatives

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The Hon Philip Ruddock MP, Member for Berowra (NSW)

Parliamentary Service

Elected to the House of Representatives for Parramatta, New South Wales, at by-election 22.9.1973, vice the Hon. NH Bowen (resigned). Re-elected 1974 and 1975.

Re-elected following the 1977 electoral redistribution for Dundas, New South Wales, 1977, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1987 and 1990.

Re-elected following the 1992 electoral redistribution for Berowra, New South Wales, 1993, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2004 and 2007.

Parliamentary Appointments

Parliamentary Representative on the Council of the Australian National University from 24.3.76; on the Council of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies from 28.2.78 to 21.4.83 and on the Australian Council for Union Training from 26.2.81 to 4.2.83.

Parliamentary Positions

Deputy Chair of Committees from 19.9.85 to 12.5.89.

Ministerial Appointments

Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs from 11.3.96 to 26.11.01.
Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs from 26.11.01 to 7.10.03.
Minister for Administrative Services from 25.9.97 to 9.10.97.
Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Reconciliation from 21.10.98 to 30.1.01 and from 26.11.01 to 7.10.03.
Minister for Reconciliation and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs from 30.1.01 to 26.11.01.
Attorney-General from 7.10.03 to 3.12.07.

Committee Service

House of Representatives Standing:
Aboriginal Affairs from 12.3.74 (Chair from 6.4.76) to 4.2.83;
Road Safety from 18.7.74 to 10.11.77;
Members' Interests from 23.9.87 to 8.2.93;
Legal and Constitutional Affairs from 8.10.87 to 15.6.89;
Community Affairs from 12.5.93.

Joint Select:
Aboriginal Land Rights in the Northern Territory from 10.12.76 to 28.2.77 and from 15.3.77 to 18.8.77;
Family Law Act from 12.10.78 (Chair from 18.10.78) to 28.8.80.

Joint Statutory:
Public Accounts from 29.11.85 to 1.6.89;
Intelligence and Security from 12.3.08.

Joint:
Australian Capital Territory from 12.5.83 to 26.10.84.

Joint Standing:
New Parliament House from 12.5.83 to 26.10.84;
Migration Regulations (formerly Joint Select) from 15.6.89 to 8.2.93;
Migration from 26.5.93 to 29.1.96;
Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade from 20.10.87 to 19.2.90 and from 11.3.08.

Joint Select:
Telecommunications Interception from 24.6.86 to 20.11.86.

Conferences, Delegations and Visits

Member, 62nd IPU Conference, London, September 1975.
Attended 14th Australasian Regional Conference, Adelaide, September 1977, and 15th Conference, Perth, September 1979.
Attended 4th Australasian Parliamentary Seminar, Canberra, Port Moresby, Honiara and Suva, October 1978; 5th Seminar, Canberra, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Hong Kong, October 1980.
Leader, Parliamentary Delegation to Pakistan and India, July-August 1981.
Member, 27th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference, Suva, October 1981.
Member, Australian and Pacific Regional Conference, Rarotonga, September-October 1981.
Alternate Delegate, Commonwealth Parliamentary Delegation to the Australian Constitutional Conventions, Adelaide, April 1983 and Brisbane, July 1985.
Member, Parliamentary Delegation to UK and Ireland, April 1988.
Delegate, 34th CPA Conference, Canberra, September 1988.
Member, Parliamentary Exchange Visit to New Zealand, April 1989.
Member, Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade (Defence Sub-Committee) visit to Noumea, New Caledonia, April 1989.
Member, Delegation to Greece and Crete, May 1991.
Attended UN Conference on Human Rights, Vienna, June 1993.
Commonwealth Observer at the South African Elections, April 1994.
Member, Official parliamentary delegation visit to Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, September - October 2008

Official visits:

1996: to Indonesia, April 1996; China, August; UK, Switzerland and the Middle East, September-October.

1997: UK, Austria and Republics of former Yugoslavia, Turkey and Greece, July; Indonesia, Malaysia, China and the Philippines, September.

1998: Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Greece and Turkey, April-May.

1999: South Africa, Kenya, Rwanda, Egypt and UK, January; Thailand, April; USA, Canada, New Zealand and South America, June-July; China, November.

2000:Jordan, Syria, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, South and East Africa and Europe, January; Indonesia, January-February; Switzerland, UK, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Italy, March-April; New Zealand, April; Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, India and France, July; Switzerland and Papua New Guinea, September-October.

2001: Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, United Arab Emirates, Sweden, Switzerland and UK, January; Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, June; Indonesia, September; UK, Switzerland and Spain, December.

2002: Manus Island, Papua New Guinea and Nauru, February; Indonesia, Japan, Cambodia and Laos, February-March; China, UK, Belgium, France, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Pakistan, April-May; Iran and Afghanistan, May; South Africa, Greece, Yugoslavia, Czech Republic, Austria and UK, August; Switzerland, Canada, Malaysia, the Philippines and Republic of Korea, September-October; Papua New Guinea, November.

2003:Indonesia, March and April; UK, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, July; Republic of Armenia, Switzerland and Iran, September-October.

2004: USA, Canada and Indonesia, January-February; New Zealand, November; Papua New Guinea, December.

2005: Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore, April; Ghana, France, Spain, the Netherlands and UK, October.

2006: Papua New Guinea, January; UK, Switzerland and Italy, March; New Zealand, May; Indonesia, China, Cambodia and the Philippines, June-July; Canada and USA, September-October.

2007: India, Pakistan and Indonesia, January.

Parliamentary party positions

Member, Opposition Shadow Ministry from 16.3.83 to 9.9.85, from 12.5.89 to 11.3.96, and Shadow Cabinet Secretary from 8.12.09.

Shadow Minister for the Australian Capital Territory and Shadow Minister Assisting the Opposition Leader on Public Service Matters from 16.3.83 to 14.12.84;
Immigration and Ethnic Affairs from 14.12.84 to 9.9.85 and from 12.5.89 to 7.4.93;
Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader of the Opposition on Ethnic Affairs from 11.4.90 to 7.4.93;
Shadow Minister for Social Security from 7.4.93 to 11.3.96; and Senior Citizens from 31.1.95 to 11.3.96;
Shadow Cabinet Secretary from 8.12.09.

Party Positions

President, Young Liberals (NSW) 1971-72.
Federal Chair, Young Liberal Movement 1973-74.
Member, Liberal Party State Executive (NSW) 1971-74 and 1982-85.
Member, Liberal Party Federal Executive (NSW) 1973-74.

Personal

Born 12.3.1943, Canberra, ACT.

Married.

Qualifications and Occupation before entering Federal Parliament

BA, LLB (Syd).

Solicitor.

Electorate

For more information about this electorate, visit the Australian Electoral Commission website link on the previous page