Biography

Parliamentary service

• Elected to the House of Representatives for Burke, Victoria, 1984. Re-elected 1987, 1990, 1993, 1996 and 1998. Retired prior to general elections 2001.

Ministerial appointments

• Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Transport and Communications from 24.3.1993 to 23.12.1993.
• Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Transport from 23.12.1993 to 11.3.1996.

Committee service

• House of Representatives Select: Aircraft Noise served from 28.2.1985 to 28.11.1985; Print Media served from 22.8.1991 to 25.3.1992
• House of Representatives Standing: Community Affairs served as Chair from 8.10.1987 to 19.2.1990; Community Affairs served from 7.5.1992 to 8.2.1993; Members' Interests served from 8.12.1998 to 8.10.2001
• Joint Select: Intelligence Services served from 28.6.2001 to 27.8.2001
• Joint Standing: Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade served from 8.12.1998 to 8.10.2001
• Joint Statutory: National Crime Authority served from 8.10.1987 to 8.2.1993

Conferences, delegations and visits

• Delegate to the South Pacific Conference, the Cook Islands, October 1988.
• Attended official meetings in Taiwan and Hong Kong, May 1995.
• Attended official meetings in Fiji, July 1995.
• Attended official meetings in Japan, November 1995.
• Attended study tour in Canada and Hong Kong, August 1998.
• Parliamentary delegation member to East Timor, December 1999.
• Attended study tour in South America from March to April 2000.
• Attended study tour in Peru, the USA, UK, France and Hong Kong from October to November 2000.
• Parliamentary delegation member to Brazil and Argentina, October 2000.
• Attended official meetings in Indonesia and South Korea, July 2001.

Parliamentary party positions

• Australian Labor Party. Served: 01.12.1984 to 08.10.2001
• Shadow Minister for Resources and Energy from 20.3.1996 to 27.3.1997.
• Shadow Cabinet Minister from 20.3.1996 to 20.10.1998.
• Shadow Minister for Primary Industries from 27.3.1997 to 20.10.1998.

Personal

• Born: 7.5.1947, Coburg, Australia
• Gender: Male
• Marital Status: Married

Qualifications and occupation before entering Federal Parliament

• BEd (La Trobe University).
• TSTC (Monash University).
• Secondary school teacher.
• Union official.
• Small business proprietor.
• Credit Union executive.

Electorate

• Name: Burke
• Location: Inland central Victoria; it includes the centres of Bacchus Marsh, Deer Park, Gisborne, Kyneton, Melton, Romsey, Sunbury and Trentham.
• Area: 3,117 Sq km
• Electors enrolled: 80,245 (at 3.10.1998)
• Industries: Dairying, farming, horse studs, market gardening, timber, wine production, service industries.
• Includes: Burke includes parts of the Victorian Legislative Assembly electorates of Gisborne, Melton, Sunshine, Tullamarine and Werribee.