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

• Attended official meetings in Indonesia, February 2008.
• Attended official meetings in Papua New Guinea, April 2008.
• Attended official meetings in Samoa, June 2008.
• Attended official meetings in East Timor and New Zealand, July 2008.
• Attended official meetings in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, August 2008.
• Attended official meetings in Indonesia and the Solomon Islands, April 2009.
• Attended official meetings in Singapore and Indonesia, June 2009.
• Parliamentary delegation member 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.