Gary Gray (Australian politician)
| The Honourable Gary Gray AO |
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|---|---|
 |
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| Special Minister of State | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 14 September 2010 |
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| Preceded by | Joe Ludwig |
| Member of the Australian Parliament for Brand |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 24 November 2007 |
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| Preceded by | Kim Beazley |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 30 April 1958 Rotherham, Yorkshire, UK |
| Nationality | Australian, British |
| Political party | Australian Labor Party |
| Spouse(s) | Deborah Walsh |
Gary Gray AO (born 30 April 1958), Australian politician, is the Australian Labor Party representative for the Division of Brand in Western Australia in the Australian House of Representatives. Gray is currently the Special Minister of State and the Special Minister of State for the Public Service and Integrity.
Gary got his first job after high school in the local BHP steelworks. In 1981, he graduated from the Australian National University, Canberra with a degree in economics.
[edit] Biography
He was born in Rotherham, Yorkshire, England, and emigrated to Australia with his family in 1966, settling in state housing in Whyalla, South Australia. After finishing high school in 1976 at Whyalla High School, Gray worked at the local BHP steelworks, and then at the Savings Bank of South Australia.[1] He joined the Labor Party in 1974,[2] and in May 1983, after graduating from the Australian National University with a degree in economics, he moved to Darwin. From then until May 1985 he was the assistant to Northern Territory opposition leader Bob Collins. He became a national organiser in March 1986, in which capacity he worked on every state Labor campaign between 1986 and 1993 and initiated the National Marginal Seats Campaign. During this time he met and married his wife Deborah, the daughter of former Labor finance minister Peter Walsh.[3]
On 30 April 1993, just after Paul Keating won the 1993 election, he became National Secretary of the Australian Labor Party.[2][4] Keating, in 2007, blamed Gray for the loss of the 1996 and 1998 elections, a view that was not shared by the leadership of the ALP at the time.[5][6] He resigned after seven years on 10 November 1999, citing personal and family reasons, and moved to Perth, Western Australia.[7] In April 2000, he quit working for the party hierarchy entirely,[4] and took up a role with Wesfarmers as the Executive Director of the Western Australian Institute of Medical Research. Within a year, he was engaged by Woodside Petroleum as an adviser on their ultimately successful bid to repel the takeover of the company by the Shell Oil Company,
Gary was then asked to join the company, becoming the Director of Corporate Affairs and a member of the company executive team. In this position Gary represented Woodside before governments on four continents as a negotiator, advocate and leader.[1]
He was made an Officer of the Order of Australia in the Australia Day honours of 2003, for service to the Australian Labor Party and to politics through the introduction of modern campaign techniques, fundraising protocols for all political parties, affirmative action guidelines, and by strengthening the party's organisational and financial structure.[8]
Gray left Woodside to contest the 2007 federal election for the seat of Brand in Western Australia, replacing retiring MP Kim Beazley. He won the seat on a 0.97% swing,[9] and was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Infrastructure with Responsibility for Northern and Regional Australia in the First Rudd Ministry.[10]
At the 2010 Federal election he was re-elected as the Federal Member for Brand and later appointed Special Minister of State & Special Minister of State for the Public Service and Integrity in the Second Gillard Ministry.[11]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Australian Labor Party. "Gary Gray – Member for Brand". http://www.alp.org.au/people/wa/gray_gary.php. Retrieved 12 February 2008.
- ^ a b Australian Labor Party (WA Division) (May–June 1993). "Gary Gray". Labor Voice (Vol 15, No. 2): p. 15.
- ^ Lane, Terry (14 November 1999). "The National Interest". Radio National (ABC). http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/natint/stories/s66088.htm. Retrieved 10 April 2008.
- ^ a b Ramsey, Alan (10 August 2002). "Two decades on, a party stalwart finds karma waters". Sydney Morning Herald. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/08/09/1028158016922.html. Retrieved 12 February 2008.
- ^ 'Sad' man Paul Keating dailytelegraph.com.au, published: 9 June 2010, accessed: 22 August 2010
- ^ Brand Australian Broadcasting Corporation: 2010 Election, accessed: 22 August 2010
- ^ "Gary Gray resigns as ALP national secretary". The World Today (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). 10 November 1999. http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/stories/s65499.htm. Retrieved 12 February 2008.
- ^ Gary Gray AO, It's an Honour (Australian Government).
- ^ Australian Electoral Commission (14 December 2007). "Virtual Tally Room – WA Division – Brand". http://results.aec.gov.au/13745/website/HouseDivisionFirstPrefs-13745-235.htm. Retrieved 12 February 2008.
- ^ "Rudd hands out portfolios". ABC Online. 29 November 2007. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/11/29/2105169.htm. Retrieved 12 February 2008.
- ^ "Gillard unveils major frontbench shake-up". ABC Online. 11 September 2011. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2010-09-11/gillard-unveils-major-frontbench-shake-up/2256992. Retrieved 10 June 2011.
[edit] External links
- Personal homepage
- Search or browse Hansard for Gary Gray at OpenAustralia.org
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Joe Ludwig |
Special Minister of State 2010 – present |
Incumbent |
| Parliament of Australia | ||
| Preceded by Kim Beazley |
Member for Brand 2007–present |
Incumbent |
|
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- 1958 births
- Living people
- Australian Labor Party politicians
- Members of the Australian House of Representatives
- Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Brand
- Officers of the Order of Australia
- Australian National University alumni
- Australian people of English descent
- Government ministers of Australia
