Andrew Barr
Encyclopedia
Andrew Barr is an Australia
n politician and Deputy Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory
. He has been an Australian Labor Party
member for the seat of Molonglo
in the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly
since 5 April 2006, after being elected on a countback to replace former Treasurer Ted Quinlan
, who resigned mid-term. Barr was immediately promoted to Cabinet upon his election. As one of only four Ministers in the Territory government, he holds a number of portfolios: Economic Development, Education and Training, and Tourism, Sport and Recreation. Chief Minister Katy Gallagher currently holds the Treasury portfolio, but has indicated she will appoint Barr as Treasurer after the Assembly passes the 2011–12 Territory budget.
He is the first openly gay Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) and Minister in the Australian Capital Territory
and the first openly gay Cabinet member anywhere in Australia . He has also been a vocal supporter of the territory's affordable housing action plan and same-sex civil union/partnerships bill.
, New South Wales
, and was raised in Canberra, attending Holt
Pre-School, the AME School
, Turner
Primary School, Lyneham High School and Lake Ginninderra College
. He studied political science
, economics
and economic history
at the Australian National University
, where he became involved in student politics, serving as Treasurer of the Australian National University Students' Association and as a director on the board of the Australian National University Union
. After graduating in 1995, he worked for the Federal parliamentarian Annette Ellis
and later the then ACT Opposition Leader Jon Stanhope
, before embarking on a career change to the private sector in 1999 as a media analyst and account manager.
During the 1990s Barr became a leading influence within the right faction
of ACT Labor (Centre Coalition) and was involved in the successful election of the first non-left faction ACT party secretary, Michael Kerrisk.
Political opponents within ACT Labor sought to use Barr's homosexuality to discredit him during a territory ALP conference in the late 1990s by outing him with a whispering campaign
. In 2006, Barr said, "When I came out in the late '90s I had already been in the party for some eight years, so people were already used to me.... But it was at this time though that I decided to step back from front-line politics. It was a big change in my life and it was at this time that I met my partner Anthony, so I just needed time to adjust."
He returned to political life in 2002 as Senior Adviser to the Government Whip John Hargreaves
. Following Hargreaves' election to the Ministry in November 2004, Barr was appointed Chief of Staff—a position he held until his election to the Assembly in April 2006.
, which includes Barr's suburb of Dickson
and that of his previous residence in Braddon
. He campaigned largely on financial management, housing affordability and urban infrastructure issues, such as balanced territory budgets, tax concessions for first home buyers, inner city parking permits and footpath and street lighting upgrades, while also expressing support for gay law reform, the reproductive rights of women, multiculturalism and refugees. Barr polled strongly in inner city booths and ultimately found himself in contention for the seventh and final Molonglo seat, along with Liberals Jacqui Burke
, Zed Seselja
and fellow Labor candidate Mike Hettinger
, but narrowly missed out, coming in tenth.
Barr continued working for Hargreaves after the election, but received a second chance at entering the Assembly when the Treasurer, Ted Quinlan
, a close political ally, resigned in March 2006. The resulting countback saw the redistribution of Quinlan's first preference votes and, as the two had campaigned together, Barr was the favourite to take the seat from the beginning. He ultimately finished with 5,318 votes, a majority of 1,089 over his nearest rival, Kim Sattler, who in a surprise result outpolled Hettinger.
Quinlan's resignation from the Assembly sparked a ministerial reshuffle, and Barr was heavily tipped to take Quinlan's place in the ministry. He duly nominated for the position, easily outpolling fellow MLAs Karin MacDonald
and Mary Porter
. As a result, he immediately entered the ministry upon taking his seat, and was assigned the Education, Training, Industrial Relations, Sport and Tourism portfolios. Barr dedicated most of his maiden speech to economic management, housing affordability and progressive social reform
Barr contested the seat of Molonglo for the 2008 ACT poll
and received 5,495 primary votes or 0.51 of a quota. He was elected in fourth position in the seven member Molonglo electorate
behind Liberal Leader Zed Seselja
, then-Deputy Chief Minister Katy Gallagher
and the Greens lead candidate Shane Rattenbury
.
Following the resignation of Jon Stanhope
in May 2011, Barr was appointed Deputy Chief Minister in the cabinet of new Chief Minister Katy Gallagher.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n politician and Deputy Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory
Deputy Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory
The Deputy Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory is the second-most senior officer in the Government of the Australian Capital Territory. The Deputy Chief Ministership has been a ministerial portfolio since its establishment in 1989...
. He has been an Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
member for the seat of Molonglo
Molonglo electorate
The Molonglo electorate is one of the three electorates for the unicameral 17-member Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly. It has seven seats, and is the largest of the electorates in terms of population.-History:...
in the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly
Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly
The Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly is the unicameral legislature of the Australian Capital Territory...
since 5 April 2006, after being elected on a countback to replace former Treasurer Ted Quinlan
Ted Quinlan
Edward Andrew John "Ted" Quinlan is an Australian politician. He was an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly from 1998 to 2006, representing the district of Molonglo....
, who resigned mid-term. Barr was immediately promoted to Cabinet upon his election. As one of only four Ministers in the Territory government, he holds a number of portfolios: Economic Development, Education and Training, and Tourism, Sport and Recreation. Chief Minister Katy Gallagher currently holds the Treasury portfolio, but has indicated she will appoint Barr as Treasurer after the Assembly passes the 2011–12 Territory budget.
He is the first openly gay Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) and Minister in the Australian Capital Territory
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
and the first openly gay Cabinet member anywhere in Australia . He has also been a vocal supporter of the territory's affordable housing action plan and same-sex civil union/partnerships bill.
Biography
Barr was born in LismoreLismore, New South Wales
Lismore is a subtropical town in northeastern New South Wales, Australia. Lismore is the main population centre in the City of Lismore local government area. Lismore is a regional centre in the Northern Rivers region of the State.-History:...
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, and was raised in Canberra, attending Holt
Holt
- Natural world :* Holt, an otter den* Holt, an occasional name for a fox den* Holt, an area of woodland, e.g. a grove or copse, especially as a place-name in Great Britain, Scandinavia, Iceland, and Germany...
Pre-School, the AME School
AME School
The Association of Modern Education School was opened in 1972 and ran as an independent community based school in Canberra until 1996....
, Turner
Turner, Australian Capital Territory
Turner is a leafy early Canberra suburb, close to Canberra City and the Australian National University ....
Primary School, Lyneham High School and Lake Ginninderra College
Lake Ginninderra College
University of Canberra Senior Secondary College Lake Ginninderra, formerly known as Lake Ginninderra College until 2011, is a public secondary college catering for students in Years 11 and 12...
. He studied political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
, economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
and economic history
Economic history
Economic history is the study of economies or economic phenomena in the past. Analysis in economic history is undertaken using a combination of historical methods, statistical methods and by applying economic theory to historical situations and institutions...
at the Australian National University
Australian National University
The Australian National University is a teaching and research university located in the Australian capital, Canberra.As of 2009, the ANU employs 3,945 administrative staff who teach approximately 10,000 undergraduates, and 7,500 postgraduate students...
, where he became involved in student politics, serving as Treasurer of the Australian National University Students' Association and as a director on the board of the Australian National University Union
Australian National University Union
The Australian National University Union Inc. is the university union of the Australian National University. This is not to be confused with the Australian National University Student Association.-About the ANU Union:...
. After graduating in 1995, he worked for the Federal parliamentarian Annette Ellis
Annette Ellis
Annette Louise Ellis , Australian politician, was a Labor Party member of the Australian House of Representatives from March 1996 to August 2010, representing the Division of Namadgi 1996–98 and the Division of Canberra from 1998 to 2010.In the 1996 federal election she contested Namadgi against...
and later the then ACT Opposition Leader Jon Stanhope
Jon Stanhope
Jonathan Ronald Stanhope is a former Australian politician who was Labor Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory from 2001 to 2011. Stanhope represented the Ginninderra electorate in the ACT Legislative Assembly from 1998 until 2011. He resigned as Chief Minister on 12 May 2011 and as...
, before embarking on a career change to the private sector in 1999 as a media analyst and account manager.
During the 1990s Barr became a leading influence within the right faction
Labor Right
The Labor Right, or Labor Unity in some State branches, or Centre Unity in NSW, is the organised faction of the Australian Labor Party that tends to be more economically liberal and socially conservative than Labor Left....
of ACT Labor (Centre Coalition) and was involved in the successful election of the first non-left faction ACT party secretary, Michael Kerrisk.
Political opponents within ACT Labor sought to use Barr's homosexuality to discredit him during a territory ALP conference in the late 1990s by outing him with a whispering campaign
Whisper campaign
A whispering campaign or whisper campaign is a method of persuasion in which damaging rumors or innuendo are spread about the target, while the source of the rumors seeks to avoid being detected while spreading them...
. In 2006, Barr said, "When I came out in the late '90s I had already been in the party for some eight years, so people were already used to me.... But it was at this time though that I decided to step back from front-line politics. It was a big change in my life and it was at this time that I met my partner Anthony, so I just needed time to adjust."
He returned to political life in 2002 as Senior Adviser to the Government Whip John Hargreaves
John Hargreaves (politician)
John Leo Hargreaves is an Australian politician. He has been an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly since 1998...
. Following Hargreaves' election to the Ministry in November 2004, Barr was appointed Chief of Staff—a position he held until his election to the Assembly in April 2006.
Political career
In early 2004, Barr successfully won pre-selection for the Labor ticket in the seven-member Molonglo electorateMolonglo electorate
The Molonglo electorate is one of the three electorates for the unicameral 17-member Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly. It has seven seats, and is the largest of the electorates in terms of population.-History:...
, which includes Barr's suburb of Dickson
Dickson, Australian Capital Territory
Dickson is a suburb in the Inner North of Canberra, Australia. It is named after Sir James Dickson who was a Queensland advocate of Australian Federation and one of the founders of the Australian Constitution...
and that of his previous residence in Braddon
Braddon, Australian Capital Territory
Braddon is an inner north suburb of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia. Located north of the Canberra CBD, Braddon contains a commercial area centred on Mort and Lonsdale streets, which run parallel to Northbourne Avenue...
. He campaigned largely on financial management, housing affordability and urban infrastructure issues, such as balanced territory budgets, tax concessions for first home buyers, inner city parking permits and footpath and street lighting upgrades, while also expressing support for gay law reform, the reproductive rights of women, multiculturalism and refugees. Barr polled strongly in inner city booths and ultimately found himself in contention for the seventh and final Molonglo seat, along with Liberals Jacqui Burke
Jacqui Burke
Jacqui Burke is an Australian politician and was a member of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly representing the electorate of Molonglo for the Australian Liberal Party...
, Zed Seselja
Zed Seselja
Zed Seselja is a Liberal Party Australian politician. He has been a member of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly since 2004. He has been the territory's 12th Opposition Leader since December 2007, when he was appointed to the position following the resignation of Bill Stefaniak...
and fellow Labor candidate Mike Hettinger
Mike Hettinger
Mike Hettinger is a Labor political activist in the Australian Capital Territory and a candidate for the seat of Molonglo in the 2008 election for the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly....
, but narrowly missed out, coming in tenth.
Barr continued working for Hargreaves after the election, but received a second chance at entering the Assembly when the Treasurer, Ted Quinlan
Ted Quinlan
Edward Andrew John "Ted" Quinlan is an Australian politician. He was an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly from 1998 to 2006, representing the district of Molonglo....
, a close political ally, resigned in March 2006. The resulting countback saw the redistribution of Quinlan's first preference votes and, as the two had campaigned together, Barr was the favourite to take the seat from the beginning. He ultimately finished with 5,318 votes, a majority of 1,089 over his nearest rival, Kim Sattler, who in a surprise result outpolled Hettinger.
Quinlan's resignation from the Assembly sparked a ministerial reshuffle, and Barr was heavily tipped to take Quinlan's place in the ministry. He duly nominated for the position, easily outpolling fellow MLAs Karin MacDonald
Karin MacDonald
Karin MacDonald is an Australian politician and was a member of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly representing the electorate of Brindabella for the Australian Labor Party. MacDonald was elected at the 2001 ACT general election and retired at the 2008 ACT general...
and Mary Porter
Mary Porter (politician)
Mary Edith Porter AM is a Labor member of the ACT Assembly. She was first elected to the Assembly in October 2004. Prior to that, she was CEO of the Volunteering Association from 1993 until October 2004...
. As a result, he immediately entered the ministry upon taking his seat, and was assigned the Education, Training, Industrial Relations, Sport and Tourism portfolios. Barr dedicated most of his maiden speech to economic management, housing affordability and progressive social reform
Barr contested the seat of Molonglo for the 2008 ACT poll
Australian Capital Territory general election, 2008
Elections to the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly were held on Saturday, 18 October 2008. The incumbent Labor Party, led by Jon Stanhope, was challenged by the Liberal Party, led by Zed Seselja. Candidates were elected to fill three multi-member electorates using a single...
and received 5,495 primary votes or 0.51 of a quota. He was elected in fourth position in the seven member Molonglo electorate
Molonglo electorate
The Molonglo electorate is one of the three electorates for the unicameral 17-member Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly. It has seven seats, and is the largest of the electorates in terms of population.-History:...
behind Liberal Leader Zed Seselja
Zed Seselja
Zed Seselja is a Liberal Party Australian politician. He has been a member of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly since 2004. He has been the territory's 12th Opposition Leader since December 2007, when he was appointed to the position following the resignation of Bill Stefaniak...
, then-Deputy Chief Minister Katy Gallagher
Katy Gallagher
Katy Gallagher , an Australian politician, is the sixth and current Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory and a member of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly since 2001, representing the electorate of Molonglo for the Australian Labor Party...
and the Greens lead candidate Shane Rattenbury
Shane Rattenbury
Shane Rattenbury , Australian politician and Speaker of the ACT Legislative Assembly, is a member of the multi-member unicameral Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly representing the electorate of Molonglo for the ACT Greens since 2008...
.
Following the resignation of Jon Stanhope
Jon Stanhope
Jonathan Ronald Stanhope is a former Australian politician who was Labor Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory from 2001 to 2011. Stanhope represented the Ginninderra electorate in the ACT Legislative Assembly from 1998 until 2011. He resigned as Chief Minister on 12 May 2011 and as...
in May 2011, Barr was appointed Deputy Chief Minister in the cabinet of new Chief Minister Katy Gallagher.