Hon Bob Debus AM

Hon Bob Debus AM

Former Member

Party
Australian Labor Party
Chamber
House of Representatives

Biography

Parliamentary service
  • 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
  • Minister for Home Affairs from 3.12.2007 to 9.6.2009.
Committee service
  • 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
  • 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
  • Australian Labor Party. Served: 24.11.2007 to 19.07.2010
Personal
  • Born: 16.9.1943, Sydney, Australia
  • Gender: Male
Qualifications and occupation before entering Federal Parliament
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • Appointed a Member of the Order of Australia, 13.6.2011.
Publications
  • "The things which must be done..": Aboriginal incarceration the urgent need for Aboriginal community solutions, Whitlam Institute, Sydney: 2016.

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