Biography

Parliamentary service

• Elected to the House of Representatives for Menzies, Victoria at by-election 1991, vice the Hon. N Brown, QC (resigned). Re-elected 1993, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016 and 2019.

Parliamentary positions

• Member of the Speaker's Panel from 4.3.1998 to 8.10.2001.
• Member of the Speaker's Panel from 18.2.2008 to 23.2.2010.
• Member of the Speaker's Panel from 5.2.2018.

Ministerial appointments

• Minister for Ageing from 26.11.2001 to 7.10.2003.
• Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations from 7.10.2003 to 30.1.2007.
• Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service from 7.10.2003 to 30.1.2007.
• Cabinet Minister from 7.10.2003 to 3.12.2007.
• Minister for Immigration and Citizenship from 30.1.2007 to 3.12.2007.
• Minister for Social Services from 18.9.2013 to 23.12.2014.
• Cabinet Minister from 18.9.2013 to 21.9.2015.
• Minister for Defence from 23.12.2014 to 21.9.2015.

Committee service

• Joint Statutory: Public Accounts and Audit from 8.12.1998 to 11.2.2002; Broadcasting of Parliamentary Proceedings (formerly Broadcasting) from 14.9.2016 to 1.7.2019.
• Joint Standing: Treaties from 11.3.2008 to 10.11.2008; Migration from 22.10.2015 to 9.5.2016; National Disability Insurance Scheme from 5.9.2016 (Chair from 5.9.2016); Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade from 14.9.2016.
• Joint Select: Certain Family Law Issues from 26.5.1993 to 28.11.1995; Intelligence Services from 28.6.2001 to 27.8.2001; Australia's Family Law System from 14.10.2019 to 22.11.2021 (Chair from 24.10.2019 to 22.11.2021).
• House of Representatives Standing: Long Term Strategies from 21.6.1991 to 8.2.1993; Legal and Constitutional Affairs from 19.12.1991 to 8.2.1993; Privileges from 25.6.1992 to 8.10.2001; Legal and Constitutional Affairs from 30.5.1996 to 8.10.2001 (Chair from 30.5.1996 to 8.10.2001); Members' Interests from 14.10.1996 to 8.10.2001; Family and Community Affairs from 8.12.1998 to 8.10.2001; Legal and Constitutional Affairs from 11.3.2008 to 3.2.2010; Health and Ageing from 11.3.2008 to 10.11.2008; Economics from 10.11.2008 to 3.2.2010; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs (Aboriginal Affairs before 4.5.1992) from 3.2.2010 to 19.7.2010; Family, Community, Housing and Youth from 3.2.2010 to 19.7.2010; Privileges and Members' Interests from 14.9.2016; Appropriations and Administration from 4.7.2019.
• House of Representatives Select: Intergenerational Welfare Dependence from 28.6.2018 to 2.4.2019.

Parliamentary party positions

• Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition from 7.8.1992 to 7.4.1993.
• Shadow Minister for Schools, Vocational Education and Training from 7.4.1993 to 26.5.1994.
• Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Leader of the Opposition from 26.5.1994 to 11.3.1996.
• Shadow Minister for Families, Housing and Human Services from 8.12.2009 to 18.9.2013.

Party positions

• Chairman of the Coalition's Federalism Taskforce from 6.4.2008 to 16.9.2008.
• Chairman of the Coalition Policy Review Committee from 14.10.2008 to 8.12.2009.
• Chairman of the Coalition Policy Coordination Committee from 14.10.2008 to 8.12.2009.
• Deputy Chairman of the Coalition Policy Development Committee from 8.12.2009.

Personal

• Born 9.11.1955, Sale, Australia
• Married

Qualifications and occupation before entering Federal Parliament

• BA (University of Melbourne).
• LLM (Monash University).
• LLB (University of Melbourne).
• Research solicitor at the Law Institute of Victoria from 1980 to 1981.
• Co-ordinator for Continuing Legal Education at the Law Institute of Victoria from 1981 to 1983.
• Associate to the Hon. Sir J Gobbo at the Supreme Court (Vic.) from 1983 to 1985.
• Barrister-at-law (Vic.) from 1985 to 1991.

Electorate

• Name: Menzies
• Location: The Division of Menzies consists of: part of Manningham City Council, part of the Maroondah City Council, and part of the Nillumbik City Council.
• Area: 184 Sq km
• Electors enrolled: 107,801 (at 7.6.2019)
• Industries: Retail, healthcare, education and training, manufacturing and various light industries.

Publications

• Rights and Freedoms in Australia (chapter, ed. J Wallace and T Pagone), Federation Press, Sydney: 1990.
• Trends in Biomedical Regulation (chapter, ed. H Caton), Butterworths, Sydney: 1990.
• Issues in Biomedical Ethics (chapter, ed. Dr CJ Vas and EJ de Souza), Macmillan, Delhi: 1990.
• The Heart of Liberalism: the Albury Papers (co-editor with K Aldred and P Filing), The editors, Mitcham, Vic: 1994.
• Changing Australia: social, cultural and economic trends shaping the nation (co-author with M Curtis), Federation Press, Sydney: 1998.
• Maybe 'I do': modern marriage and the pursuit of happiness, Connor Court, Ballan, Vic.: 2012.
• Joseph Lyons and the management of adversity, Connor Court, Redlands Bay, Qld.: 2016.
• One People One Destiny: a work in progress, Threshold Publishing, Melbourne, Vic.: 2017.
• Great Rivalries: cycling and the story of Italy, Connor Court, Redlands Bay, Qld.: 2019.