Biography

Parliamentary Service

Elected Member for Brand and appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Development and Northern Australia, 2007

Ministerial Appointments

Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Development and Northern Australia from 3.12.07.

Committee Service

TBA

Conferences, Delegations and Visits

TBA

Parliamentary Party Positions

TBA

Party Positions

Joined Whyalla Sub Branch of ALP (South Australia) 1974
Worked for British Labour MPs, House of Commons, London 1985
ALP National Organiser 1986 - 1990
ALP Assistant National Secretary & Director of Fundraising 1990 - 1993
ALP National Secretary 1993 - 2000
Member of Centre for Democratic Institutions 2000 -
Member of Western Australian ALP Branch 2000 -
Elected Member for Brand (WA) 2007
Board Member for Australian Political Exchange Council 1993 - 2007

Personal

Gary arrived in Australia from Yorkshire, England in 1966 and settled his family in Whyalla, South Australia.

Gary got his first job after high school in the local BHP steelworks. He later worked with the Savings Bank of South Australia and in 1981 graduated from the Australian National University, Canberra with a degree in economics.

In 1983 Gary moved to Kwinana, Western Australia to study education at the University of Western Australia.

He began working for the Labor Party in the Northern Territory and then in the United Kingdom. From 1986 to 1992 Gary worked on every state election campaign in Australia.

In 1993 Gary was elected as National Secretary of the ALP holding this office until 2000 when he relocated back to Perth with his wife, Deborah Walsh and their three boys.

On returning to Perth in 2000 Gary was asked by the then Chairman of Wesfarmers to take up the position of Executive Director of the West Australian Institute for Medical Research.

In 2001 Gary joined Woodside Energy, Australia's biggest independent oil and gas company, which has its head office in Perth.

Gary represented Woodside before governments on four continents as a negotiator, advocate and leader. Gary left this role early in 2007 to commit to the election of a Labor Government.

Gary's contribution to Australia's democratic process was recognized in 2000 when he was invited to accept the high civil award of Officer in the Order of Australia (AO) and the Centenary Medal by Prime Minister John Howard. Gary was an inaugural board member of the Australian Centre for Democratic Institution.

Qualifications and Occupation before entering Federal Parliament

Senior Executive Woodside Energy 2001 - 2007
Executive Director Medical Research Foundation 2000 - 2001
Australian Labor Party (ALP) National Secretariat ACT 1986 - 2000
Advisor for Northern Territory Labor Leader 1982 - 1986
Bachelor of Economics Australian National University (1982)

Electorate

For more information about this electorate, visit the Australian Electoral Commission website on http://www.aec.gov.au