Angus Taylor (politician)

Angus Taylor MP
Member of the Australian Parliament for Hume
Incumbent
Assumed office 7 September 2013
Preceded by	Alby Schultz
Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister for Cities and Digital Transformation
Incumbent
Assumed office 18 February 2016 (2016-02-18)
Prime Minister	Malcolm Turnbull
Preceded by	vacant
Personal details
Born	(1966-09-30) 30 September 1966 Nimmitabel, New South Wales
Nationality	Australian
Political party	Liberal Party of Australia
Spouse	Louise Taylor
Children	4
Residence	Goulburn
Alma mater	University of Sydney New College, Oxford
Occupation	Politician
Profession	Management consultant

Angus Taylor (born 30 September 1966 in Nimmitabel, New South Wales) is an Australian politician. He is a Liberal member of the Australian House of Representatives, representing the Division of Hume in New South Wales, since 7 September 2013. On 18 February 2016 Taylor was sworn in as the Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister for Cities and Digital Transformation following a rearrangement in the Turnbull Ministry.

Early life and education

Taylor was brought up on a sheep and cattle property near Nimmitabel, New South Wales, and was educated at Nimmitabel Public School and The King's School, Parramatta. Taylor then studied at the University of Sydney while residing at St Andrew's College, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Economics, winning the university medal and a Bachelor of Laws. He won a Rhodes Scholarship, to study for a Master of Philosophy in Economics at New College, Oxford and completed his thesis on competition policy, with a focus on the ties between brewers and pubs in the UK brewing industry.

His father was heavily involved in agricultural politics, as a President of the NSW Farmers and Vice President of the National Farmers Federation. His maternal grandfather, William Hudson headed construction of the Snowy Mountains Scheme for hydroelectricity and irrigation in Australia from 1949 to 1967.

Career

After leaving university, Taylor worked for global management consulting firm McKinsey & Co. He was made a partner in 1999.

Taylor went on to become a Director at Port Jackson Partners, an Australian management consulting firm, where most of his consulting work focused on agriculture, infrastructure and resources. Taylor founded and worked with a number of agricultural businesses, including Farm Partnerships Australia, Growth Farms Australia and Eastern Australian agriculture. He was the Director of Rabobank's Executive Development Program for leading farmers in Australia and New Zealand, as well as their Farm Managers Program which focused on younger farmers.

While at Port Jackson Partners, in February 2013, Taylor authored the report “A proposal to reduce the cost of electricity to Australian electricity users” while a director at Port Jackson Partners. The report suggests that the Coalition could immediately drop the renewable energy target entirely and save up to $3.2 billion by 2020 and still meet emissions reduction targets.

During his tenure at Port Jackson Partners Taylor was a member of the Victorian government taskforce to investigate the development of a coal seam gas industry in the state. Reporting in November 2013, the taskforce recommended that the State of Victoria should promote the production of additional and largely on-shore gas supply.

Political career

Following an April 2012 decision by Alby Schultz, the Liberal Member for Hume, that he would not recontest the seat at the 2013 federal election, Taylor sought and gained Liberal endorsement. Under Coalition rules, the Nationals were also entitled to run a candidate against Taylor; however decided not to. Taylor was elected as Member for Hume with over 61% of the two-party preferred vote and over 54% of the primary vote.

Taylor has been appointed to a number of parliamentary committees on employment, trade and investment growth and public accounts. In October 2015 he was appointed Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties.

On economic policy, Taylor has argued against increasing government debt, saying that Australia’s long-term prosperity is characterised by high real wages and low inequality, and that only by increasing productivity and participation, will Australia’s broad-based prosperity continue.

On agriculture, Taylor believes Australian agriculture needs significant investment to the tune of $180billion.

One renewable energy, Taylor was a speaker at the "Wind Power Fraud Rally" organised by the anonymous anti-wind blog StopTheseThings.com and hosted by Alan Jones on 18 June, 2013 in Canberra.

In a 2013 letter to the editor, Taylor stated that he became engaged in "the wind farm debate" in approximately 2003 when a plan was announced to build turbines on a ridge behind his boyhood home, referring to the Boco Rock Wind Farm approximately 10 kilometres from Nimmitabel, which commenced construction in August 2013.

On energy policy, Taylor has called on the Coalition government to reduce its support for wind farms and is concerned with Australia's renewable energy target (RET) based on a belief that renewable energy projects, in particular wind, are increasing electricity costs and a belief that there are cheaper carbon reduction methods.

I am not a climate sceptic. For 25 years, I have been concerned about how rising carbon dioxide emissions might have an impact on our climate. It remains a concern of mine today. I do not have a vendetta against renewables. My grandfather was William Hudson - he was the first Commissioner and Chief Engineer of the Snowy Scheme, Australia's greatest ever renewable scheme. He believed in renewables and renewables have been in my blood since the day I was born.

— Angus Taylor, Wind Power Fraud Rally, 18 June 2013

Taylor has referred to anthropogenic climate change as "the new climate religion" telling Parliament that "religious belief is based on faith not facts. The new climate religion, recruiting disciples every day, has little basis on fact and everything to do with blind faith."

Taylor has argued that lower-emission natural gas is a “better way to reduce carbon emissions” and Australia can supply countries such as China and India “with the energy they need to continue their rise.”

In February 2016 Angus Taylor was appointed as the Assistant Minister for Cities and Digital Transformation.

Taylor is also a major donor to the Liberal Party, significantly exceeding amounts donated to the party by other candidates and members of parliament during 2012-2013.

Publications

Taylor has published reports as part of the ANZ Bank Insight series. The first of these, Earth, Fire Wind and Water – Economic Opportunity and the Australian Commodities Cycle, focused on the opportunities and challenges faced by Australia's commodity exporters in the face of the commodities boom, and was described as a "landmark report" by The Australian. The second report was Greener Pastures – The Soft Commodity Opportunity for Australia and New Zealand, arguing that a soft commodity boom was taking over from the hard commodity boom. Other reports and articles include The Future for Freight, focused on reform in the freight transport sector, and "More to Nation Building than Big Bucks", critiquing the Labor Government's comparison between its National Broadband Network and the Snowy Mountain Scheme.

In February 2013, Taylor authored the report "A proposal to reduce the cost of electricity to Australian electricity users" while a director at Port Jackson Partners. The report claimed that the Coalition could immediately drop the renewable energy target entirely and save up to A$3.2 billion by 2020 and still meet emissions reduction targets.

Taylor, was a member of a taskforce asked by the Victorian Government to investigate the development of a coal seam gas industry in the state. Reporting in November 2013, the report found that Victoria should promote the production of additional and largely on-shore gas supply. The taskforce was headed by former federal Liberal minister Peter Reith with other members representing energy companies, associated industries and lobby groups.

Personal life

Taylor competed in the 2009 triathlon world championships, representing Australia.

He lives near Goulburn on a farm with his wife, Sydney barrister Louise Clegg and their four children, moving to the area from Sydney six months prior to winning pre-selection for the seat of Hume in May 2012.