Biography

Parliamentary service

• Elected to the House of Representatives for Swan, Western Australia, 1980. Re-elected 1983, 1984, 1987, 1990, 1993. Elected to the House of Representatives for Brand, Western Australia, 1996, following electoral redistribution. Re-elected 1998, 2001 and 2004. Retired prior to general elections 2007.

Parliamentary appointments

• President of the Parliamentary Retiring Allowances Trust from 09.12.1991 to 27.12.1991.
• President of the Parliamentary Retiring Allowances Trust from 23.12.1993 to 11.3.1996.

Parliamentary positions

• Member of the Speaker's Panel from 17.11.2004 to 8.2.2005.

Ministerial appointments

• Minister Assisting the Minister for Defence from 11.3.1983 to 13.12.1984.
• Minister for Aviation from 11.3.1983 to 13.12.1984.
• Special Minister of State from 14.7.1983 to 21.1.1984.
• Cabinet Minister from 13.12.1984 to 11.3.1996.
• Minister for Defence from 13.12.1984 to 4.4.1990.
• Vice-President of the Executive Council from 15.2.1988 to 1.2.1991.
• Minister for Transport and Communications from 4.4.1990 to 9.12.1991.
• Minister for Finance from 9.12.1991 to 27.12.1991.
• Minister for Employment, Education and Training from 27.12.1991 to 23.12.1993.
• Minister for Finance from 23.12.1993 to 11.3.1996.
• Deputy Prime Minister from 20.6.1995 to 11.3.1996.

Committee service

• House of Representatives Standing: Privileges served from 15.2.1988 to 8.2.1993
• Joint Standing: Foreign Affairs and Defence served from 4.12.1980 to 4.2.1983; Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade served from 20.3.2002 to 8.2.2005
• Joint Statutory: Public Accounts served from 26.11.1980 to 4.6.1981; ASIO, ASIS and DSD served from 21.3.2002 to 31.8.2004; Intelligence and Security served from 9.12.2004 to 7.3.2005

Conferences, delegations and visits

• Parliamentary Delegation to Saudi Arabia, Oman and the United Arab Emirates, January 1982.
• Member, Australian Delegation to the South Pacific Commission, Pago Pago, October 1982.
• Official visits to China, September 1984.
• Official visits to New Zealand, March-April 1985.
• Official visits to USA and Canada, August-September 1985.
• Official visits to Indonesia, April-May 1986.
• Official visits to Sweden, Germany and USA, May 1986.
• Official visits to USA, August 1986.
• Official visits to New Zealand, April 1987.
• Official visits to New Zealand, September 1987.
• Official visits to South Pacific, October 1987.
• Official visits to Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Brunei, November 1987.
• Official visits to Malaysia, April 1988.
• Official visits to UK, Sweden and USA, June-July 1988.
• Official visits to Papua New Guinea, July 1988.
• Official visits to Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia, September 1988.
• Official visits to Papua New Guinea, October-November 1988.
• Official visits to New Zealand, December 1988.
• Official visits to New Zealand, February 1989.
• Official visits to USA, Europe and UK, June 1989.
• Official visits to Papua New Guinea, January 1990.
• Official visits to Turkey, April 1990.
• Official visits to Singapore, Japan and South Korea, April 1991.
• Official visits to USA and Hong Kong, September-October 1991.
• Official visits to USA, July-August 1992.
• Official visits to New Zealand, September 1992.
• Official visits to Singapore and Indonesia, November 1992.
• Official visits to USA, UK, Malaysia and Indonesia, June 1993.
• Official visits to Fiji, February 1995.
• Official visits to USA, October 1995.
• Official visits to Indonesia, December 1995.
• Official visits to India, Singapore and Indonesia, November 1996.
• Official visits to Hong Kong, Jordan, Israel, UK and Singapore, July 1997.
• Parliamentary Delegate to the Australian Constitutional Convention, Canberra, February 1998.
• Official visits to East Timor, December 1999.
• Official visits to East Timor, April-May 2000.
• Official visits to Indonesia, Singapore and Indonesia, April-May 2000.
• Official visits to Japan, June 2000.
• Parliamentary Delegation to Kuwait, Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan, July-August 2002.
• Member, Parliamentary Delegation to India, January 2003.
• Member, Parliamentary Delegation to East Timor, July 2003.
• Member, Parliamentary Delegation to Indonesia, February 2004.
• Official visits to Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, April-May 2005.
• Official visits to Turkey, March-April 2005.
• Member, Parliamentary Delegation to Saudi Arabia, China, India, Republic of Korea, United Arab Emirates and Thailand, June-July 2007.

Parliamentary party positions

• Australian Labor Party. Served: 18.10.1980 to 17.10.2007
• Leader of the Opposition from 19.3.1996 to 22.11.2001.
• Shadow Cabinet Minister from 19.3.1996 to 22.11.2001.
• Shadow Cabinet Minister from 2.8.2004 to 26.10.2004.
• Shadow Minister for Defence from 2.8.2004 to 26.10.2004.
• Shadow Cabinet Minister from 28.1.2005 to 4.12.2006.
• Leader of the Opposition from 28.1.2005 to 4.12.2006.
• Leader of the House from 15.2.1988 to 11.3.1996.
• Deputy Leader of the Federal Parliamentary Australian Labor Party from 20.6.1995 to 19.3.1996.
• Leader of the Federal Parliamentary Australian Labor Party from 19.3.1996 to 22.11.2001.
• Leader of the Federal Parliamentary Australian Labor Party from 28.1.2005 to 4.12.2006.

Party positions

• Member of the Australian Labor Party State Executive (WA) from 1967 to 1973.
• Vice-President of the Australian Labor Party (WA) from 1970 to 1973.
• Member of the Australian Labor Party State Executive (WA) from 1976.
• Treasurer of the Australian Labor Party (WA) from 1977 to 1980.
• Member of the Australian Labor Party National Executive Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee from 1978 to 1990.
• Member of the Australian Labor Party Administrative Committee (WA) from 1980 to 1982.
• Delegate to the Australian Labor Party National Conference from 1980.
• Secretary to the Australian Labor Party Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence from 1980 to 1983.
• Member of the Australian Labor Party National Executive from 1991 to 2001.
• Member of the Australian Labor Party National Executive from 2005.

Personal

• Born: 14.12.1948, Perth, Australia
• Gender: Male
• Marital Status: Married

Qualifications and occupation before entering Federal Parliament

• MA (University of Western Australia).
• MPhil (University of Oxford).
• Rhodes Scholar (WA 1973).
• Tutor at Murdoch University (WA) from 1976 to 1979.
• Lecturer in Social and Political Theory at Murdoch University (WA), 1980.

Electorate

• Name: Brand
• Location: south of Perth; it includes the centres of Kwinana, Mandurah and Rockingham.
• Area: 430 Sq km
• Electors enrolled: 84,223 (at 9.10.2004)
• Industries: heavy industry in the Kwinana industrial area, alumina refining, tourism and the naval base, HMAS Stirling, on Garden Island.
• Includes: Brand includes parts of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly electorates of Mandurah, Peel and Rockingham, and parts of Cockburn and Serpentine-Jarrahdale.

Honours

• Appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia, 26.1.2009.

Publications

• Post-Evatt Australian Labor Party attitudes to the United States alliance, University of Western Australia, Perth: 1974.
• The politics of intrusion - the superpowers and the Indian Ocean (with I Clark), Alternative Publishing Cooperative, Sydney: 1979.
• Australia and Asia: our strategic neighbourhood, University of Sydney, Sydney: 1989.
• 'New images': an Australian perspective, Sir Robert Menzies Centre for Australian Studies, London: 1997.
• Winning in the global economy: trade policy for the new millenium, The Australian APEC Study Centre, Melbourne, 1999.
• National security: a report to the constituents of Brand, Glide, Perth: 2007.
• On the US alliance and Australia's defence and international security, Australian Strategic Policy Institute, Barton, ACT: 2018.