Biography
- Parliamentary service
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- State: Elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for Blue Mountains, 1981. Resigned 22.2.1988.
- Federal: Elected to the House of Representatives for Macquarie, New South Wales, 2007. Retired prior to general elections 2010.
- Ministerial appointments
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- Minister for Home Affairs from 3.12.2007 to 9.6.2009.
- Committee service
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- House of Representatives Standing: Legal and Constitutional Affairs served from 15.6.2009 to 19.7.2010; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs served from 15.6.2009 to 24.6.2009; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs served as Chair from 25.6.2009 to 19.7.2010
- Joint Statutory: Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity served from 19.8.2009 to 19.7.2010
- Conferences, delegations and visits
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- Official visits to Indonesia, February 2008.
- Official visits to Papua New Guinea, April 2008.
- Official visits to Samoa, June 2008.
- Official visits to East Timor, July 2008.
- Official visits to New Zealand, July 2008.
- Official visits to Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, August 2008.
- Official visits to Solomon Islands, April 2009.
- Official visits to Indonesia, April 2009.
- Official visits to Singapore and Indonesia, June 2009.
- Member, Parliamentary Delegation to Bhutan and Mongolia, July 2010.
- Parliamentary party positions
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- Australian Labor Party. Served: 24.11.2007 to 19.07.2010
- Personal
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- Born: 16.9.1943, Sydney, Australia
- Gender: Male
- Qualifications and occupation before entering Federal Parliament
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- BA (University of Sydney).
- LLB (University of Sydney).
- Solicitor at Hickson, Lakeman and Holcombe from 1968 to 1969.
- Editor at Angus and Robertson Publishing from 1969 to 1973.
- Radio producer and presenter at the Australian Broadcasting Commission from 1973 to 1980.
- National Director of the Australian Freedom From Hunger Campaign and Community Aid Abroad from 1988 to 1994.
- State/Territory Government service
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- Elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for Blue Mountains, 1981. Resigned 22.2.1988.
- Minister for Employment from 5.4.1984 to 4.7.1986.
- Minister for Finance from 5.4.1984 to 22.2.1988.
- Minister for Cooperative Societies from 4.7.1986 to 22.2.1988.
- Assistant Minister for Education from 4.7.1986 to 22.2.1988.
- Elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for Blue Mountains, 1995. Resigned 2.3.2007.
- Minister for Emergency Services from 4.4.1995 to 1.12.1997.
- Minister for Corrective Services from 4.4.1995 to 12.1.2001.
- Minister Assisting the Minister for the Arts from 13.3.1996 to 8.4.1999.
- Minister for Energy from 1.12.1997 to 8.4.1999.
- Minister for Tourism from 1.12.1997 to 8.4.1999.
- Minister for Emergency Services from 30.4.1998 to 2.4.2003.
- Minister Assisting the Premier on the Arts from 8.4.1999 to 2.4.2003.
- Minister for the Environment from 8.4.1999 to 2.4.2007.
- Attorney-General from 28.6.2000 to 2.4.2007.
- Electorate
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- Name: Macquarie
- Location: Blue Mountains and central west of New South Wales; it includes the centres of Bathurst, Blackheath, Katoomba, Lithgow, Mount Victoria, Oberon, Portland, Springwood and Wentworth Falls.
- Area: 12,084 Sq km
- Electors enrolled: 94,670 (at 24.11.2007)
- Industries: Tourism, coal and gold mining, power generation, cement works, fruit growing, timber, vineyards, wool processing, transport, whitegoods manufacturing, agriculture and pastoral.
- Includes: Macquarie includes the New South Wales Legislative Assembly electorate of Blue Mountains, and parts of Bathurst, Hawkesbury, Penrith and Wollondilly.
- Honours
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- Appointed a Member of the Order of Australia, 13.6.2011.
- Publications
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- "The things which must be done..": Aboriginal incarceration the urgent need for Aboriginal community solutions, Whitlam Institute, Sydney: 2016.