Biography

Parliamentary service

• Declared elected 22.12.2017 as a Senator for New South Wales by the High Court of Australia (vice F NASH, disqualified under section 44 of the Constitution, 27.10.2017) (term begun 22.12.2017).

Committee service

• Senate Legislative and General Purpose Standing: Community Affairs: Legislation and Refererences Committees from 5.2.18; Economics: Legislation and References Committees from 5.2.18; Education and Employment: Legislation Committee from 5.2.18; Legal and Constitutional Affairs: Legislation and References Committees from 5.2.18.
• Joint Standing: Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade from 5.2.18; Migration from 5.2.18.
• Senate Select: Political Influence of Donations from 5.2.18.
• Senate Standing: Senators' Interests from 5.2.18.
• Senate Select: Stillbirth Research and Education from 28.3.18 (Deputy Chair from 6.4.18).

Personal

• Born 11.4.1950, East Melbourne, Victoria.
• Married.

Qualifications and occupation before entering Federal Parliament

• Bachelor of Arts (University of New South Wales).
• Bachelor of Economics (University of Queensland).
• Graduate, Royal Military College Duntroon.
• Defence and Security Commentator.
• Consultant on Defence issues.
• Director, National Aerial Firefighting Centre.
• Co-author, Operation Sovereign Borders, 2013.
• Prime Minister's Special Envoy, Operation Sovereign Borders, from 2013 to 2014.
• Special Adviser to the Defence Minister, 2014.

Military Service

• Officer, Australian Army from 1968 to 2008.
• Major-General.
• Chief of Operations, Coalition Forces, Iraq, from 2004 to 2005.
• Defence Materiel Advocate.
• Adviser, Vice Chief of the Defence Force on Joint Warfighting.
• Commander, Australian Defence Colleges.

Honours

• Officer of the Order of Australia, 2000.
• Member of the Order of Australia, 1992.
• Distinguished Service Cross, 2006.
• Australian Active Service Medal (East Timor and Iraq).
• Defence Force Service Medal (Federation Star).
• Australian Defence Medal.
• Papua New Guinea Independence Medal (PNG).
• Order of the Star of Yudha Dharma 3rd Class (Indonesia), 1995.
• Legion of Merit (United States; Officer), 2004.

Publications

• Running the War in Iraq, HarperCollins, Sydney, 2008.