Robert McClelland (Australian politician)
| The Honourable Robert McClelland MP |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Vice President of the Executive Council | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 13 September 2010 |
|
| Prime Minister | Julia Gillard |
| Preceded by | John Faulkner |
| Succeeded by | Tony Burke (Designate) |
| Attorney General of Australia | |
| In office 3 December 2007 – 14 December 2011 |
|
| Prime Minister | Kevin Rudd Julia Gillard |
| Preceded by | Philip Ruddock |
| Succeeded by | Nicola Roxon |
| Member of the Australian Parliament for Barton |
|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 2 March 1996 |
|
| Preceded by | Gary Punch |
| Majority | 50,902 (62.1%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 26 January 1958 Sydney, Australia |
| Political party | Labor Party |
| Alma mater | University of New South Wales University of Sydney |
| Website | Official website |
Robert Bruce McClelland (born 26 January 1958) is a former Attorney-General of Australia. He has been an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian House of Representatives since March 1996, representing the Division of Barton, New South Wales. He was born in Sydney, the son of Doug McClelland, who was a Senator for New South Wales 1962–87, a minister in the Whitlam government and President of the Senate 1983–87.
McClelland was educated at Blakehurst High School before studying at the University of New South Wales, where he gained bachelors degrees in arts and law, and the University of Sydney where he gained a masters degree in law. He was an Associate to the Justice Phillip Evatt of the Federal Court of Australia 1981–82 before becoming a solicitor and ultimately partner with law firm Turner Freeman.[1]
Two years after his election to parliament, McClelland became a member of the Opposition Shadow Ministry. He was Shadow Attorney-General 1998–2003, Shadow Minister for Workplace Relations 2001–03, Shadow Minister for Homeland Security 2003–05, Shadow Minister for Defence 2004–06 and Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs 2006–07. In November 2007, Robert McClelland was appointed as the Attorney-General. [2] As part of a cabinet reshuffle in December 2011 he was moved to oversee the portfolio of emergency management and housing. [3]
After McClelland indicated on 8 October 2007 his party's disapproval of death sentences for all south Asian countries, his leader Kevin Rudd criticized the speech as "insensitive" because it was made on the eve of the anniversary of the Bali bombings.[4][5] McClelland apologized,[6] but critics called the positions inconsistent.[7]
In the 2007 Federal election, McClelland was re-elected to the seat of Barton with a 4.53% swing toward the Labor Party.[8]In the 2010 Federal election, McClelland was re-elected to the seat of Barton, but suffered an 8.08% swing against the Labor Party.<
In February 2008, McClelland stated that it was unacceptable that the ACT government, which is proposing to allow same-sex couples to enter into unions, would give the right to hold public ceremonies to celebrate their unions.[9] McClelland was criticised by Greens Senator Bob Brown, who said it was displaying the ugly face of Labor conservatism.[10]
[edit] Notes
- ^ "Biography". Attorney-General's Department. Archived from the original on 18 July 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080718222251/http://www.attorneygeneral.gov.au/www/ministers/robertmc.nsf/Page/Biography. Retrieved 21 July 2008.
- ^ "The Hon Robert McClelland MP, Member for Barton (NSW)". Australian Parliament House. http://www.aph.gov.au/house/members/biography.asp?id=JK6. Retrieved 21 July 2008.
- ^ "Gillard says cabinet reshuffle 'difficult'". Sydney Morning Herald. 13 December 2011. http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/gillard-says-cabinet-reshuffle-difficult-20111213-1orya.html. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
- ^ "No mercy for terrorists: Rudd". The Sydney Morning Herald. 9 October 2007. http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/no-mercy-for-terrorists-rudd/2007/10/09/1191695871021.html. Retrieved 4 December 2007.
- ^ "PM slams Rudd over death penalty". The Age. 9 October 2007. http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/pm-slams-distasteful-death-penalty-bid/2007/10/09/1191695867280.html. Retrieved 4 December 2007.
- ^ "McClelland apologises to victims of Bali". news.com,au. 11 October 2007. http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22563869-421,00.html. Retrieved 4 December 2007.
- ^ "Australia under fire for 'inconsistent' death penalty stance". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 9 October 2007. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/10/09/2055099.htm. Retrieved 4 December 2007.
- ^ "Australian Electoral Commission summary of Barton, Federal Election 2007.". Australian Electoral Commission. 19 December 2007. http://results.aec.gov.au/13745/website/HouseDivisionFirstPrefs-13745-104.htm. Retrieved 19 December 2007.
- ^ Maley, Paul (7 February 2008). "Gay unions are OK ... just don't do it in public". The Australian. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23172362-12339,00.html. Retrieved 7 February 2008.
- ^ "ACT civil partnerships issue will cause government rift: Brown". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 7 February 2008. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/02/07/2157100.htm. Retrieved 7 February 2008.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
| Parliament of Australia | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Gary Punch |
Member of Parliament for Barton 1996–present |
Incumbent |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Philip Ruddock |
Attorney General of Australia 2007–2011 |
Succeeded by Nicola Roxon |
| Preceded by John Faulkner |
Vice President of the Executive Council 2010–2012 |
Succeeded by Tony Burke Designate |
|
|||||||||||
|
|
|||||
|
||||||||||||||
