Biography

Parliamentary service

• Elected to the House of Representatives for Eden-Monaro, New South Wales, 2007 and 2010. Defeated at general elections 2013.
• Re-elected 2016.

Ministerial appointments

• Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence from 3.12.07 to 6.2.08.
• Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Support from 6.2.08 to 14.9.10.
• Parliamentary Secretary for Water from 25.2.09 to 14.9.10.
• Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry from 14.9.10 to 14.12.11.
• Parliamentary Secretary for Defence from 14.12.11 to 4.2.13.
• Minister for Defence Materiel from 4.2.13 to 18.9.13.

Committee service

• Joint Standing: Intelligence and Security from 15.9.16.

Conferences, delegations and visits

• Official visits to New Zealand, June-July 2008; Vietnam, August 2009; Ethiopia, March 2010; Israel, December 2010; France and Italy, June 2011; Samoa, June 2011; United Arab Emirates, March 2012; USA, June 2012.

Parliamentary party positions

• Shadow Assistant Minister for Defence Industry and Support from 23.07.16.

Personal

• Born 23.2.1960, Adelaide, SA.
• Married.

Qualifications and occupation before entering Federal Parliament

• BA, LLB (Macq), PhD (UNSW).
• Solicitor 1984-87.
• Army officer 1987-2007 (see Military service below).
• Security advisor, Office of Hon. WR Shorten MP, 2013-16.

Military Service

• Army officer 1987-2007.
• Chief of General Staff Commendation Medal.
• Australian Active Service Medal (three clasps: Somalia, Timor Leste, Iraq).
• Australian Service Medal (Balkans).
• United Nations Medal (Timor Leste).
• Iraq Campaign Medal.
• Australian Defence Medal.
• Defence Long Service Medal.

Electorate

Description: rural.
Location: the Snowy Mountains and tablelands; it includes the centres of Yass, Murrumbateman and Bungendore in the north and south to the Victorian border, excluding the Australian Capital Territory. The main towns include Adaminaby, Adelong, Batlow, Bega, Berridale, Bodalla, Bombala, Braidwood, Bungendore, Cabramurra, Captains Flat, Cooma, Dalmeny, Delegate, Eden, Jindabyne, Merimbula, Murrumbateman, Narooma, Queanbeyan, Talbingo, Tathra, Tumbarumba, Tumut and Yass.

Area: 41 617 sq km (approx.).

Electors enrolled: 107 817 (at 2.7.16).

Industries: timber industries, beef cattle, sheep and wool, dairy farming, dairy products and mixed farming, the Snowy Mountains hydroelectric scheme, snowfields and tourism.

State electorates: Eden-Monaro includes the New South Wales Legislative Assembly electorate of Bega, and parts of Monaro.

Honours

• Appointed Member of the Order of Australia, June 1994.

Publications

• Peace operations: tackling the military, legal and policy challenges, Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service, 1997.
• Restoring and maintaining order in complex peace operations: the search for a legal framework, The Hague: Kluwer Law International, 1999.