Andrew Robb
Encyclopedia
Andrew John Robb AO
(born 20 August 1951), Australia
n politician and former federal Director of the Liberal Party of Australia
, was elected to the House of Representatives
as member for the Division of Goldstein
, Victoria
for the Liberal Party of Australia
at the 2004 federal election.
Robb, one of nine children, was born on a dairy farm in Epping which lies 18 km north of Melbourne
. He was educated at Dookie Agricultural College and La Trobe University
, and has qualifications in economics
and agricultural science
. He was an agricultural economist with the Victorian Department of Agriculture and a Tutor in Economics at La Trobe University before being an economist for the National Farmers' Federation
, and later Executive Director of both the National Farmers' Federation and the Cattle Council of Australia.
, then Leader of the Opposition, in 1989. In 1990, After Andrew Peacock's resignation after his election defeat, Robb was appointed Federal Director of the Liberal Party.
In this capacity Robb worked with the next Leader of the Liberal Party, John Hewson
, in the unsuccessful 1993 federal election campaign. He was a Federal Director and campaign manager for John Howard
in the 1996 federal election campaign, which defeated the Keating
government and brought the Liberals to power after 13 years in Opposition.
) and became a business consultant based in Sydney
. He was Honorary Finance Director for the NSW Division of the Liberal Party and a member of the NSW State Executive. In that time Robb also sat on the boards of numerous Australian companies including Australia's largest consulting engineering company, Sinclair Knight Merz
. Robb was also a board member of community organisations including the Garvan Medical Research Foundation and the 'Big Brothers Big Sisters' organisation. In 2003, Robb was awarded an Officer of the Order of Australia for service to politics, agriculture and the community.
in Melbourne and was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs on 27 January 2006.
His term as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs was marked by introducing a Citizenship discussion paper which encouraged public debate about whether Australia required a formal citizenship test
. Robb argued that a formal citizenship test would be a clear incentive for aspiring citizens to have basic English language skills and understanding of their community. Robb also focused on dealing with settlement issues for refugees and the challenges of multi-faith relations in Australia.
In 2007, Robb was elevated to the Ministry and took on the role as Minister for Vocational and Further Education.
Robb is also the co-publisher of The Party Room alongside Senator Mitch Fifield
, a journal designed to promote new policy discussion within the Federal Coalition.
Following the Liberal Party's
defeat at the 2007 federal election, Robb put himself forward as a candidate for Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party. In a ballot of Liberal caucus members
, Julie Bishop
prevailed with 44 votes, ahead of Robb who won 25 votes and Christopher Pyne
18 votes. The new Leader of the Liberal Party, former Defence Minister, Brendan Nelson
, announced that Robb would be Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs in the new Coalition Shadow Cabinet.
Following a front-bench re-shuffle in March 2010, Robb was appointed Shadow Minister for Finance and Debt Reduction, a post previously held by Nationals Senator Barnaby Joyce
, and Chairman of the Coalition Policy Development Committee.
Robb was re-elected at the 2010 election and was appointed Shadow Minister for Finance, Deregulation and Debt Reduction and retained his position as Chairman of the Coalition Policy Development Committee.
’s column in The Australian Newspaper, Robb disclosed that he was stepping down from the opposition front bench for three months to address a form of depression brought on by Diurnal Variation, which is typically experienced as positive mood variation (PMV - mood being worse upon waking and better in the evening). Robb disclosed that, since adolescence, he had suffered depression for several hours each day in the morning.
The following week, Robb said in an interview with 3AW
's Neil Mitchell
that he had found "doing things increasingly more difficult, I could be taking on more responsibilities especially in a public sense and decided to confront it a few weeks ago. Rang Jeff Kennett
and within three days he had me in front one of the best professionals in the state and this guy said you know you’ve had a problem for fifty years, you’ve had it for fifty years but he said it was fixable, which was fantastic." Robb was publicly praised as doing a brave thing for revealing a private matter and personalising it, thus sending messages to the community that if they might be going through a similar thing it could be addressed.
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(born 20 August 1951), Australia
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 former federal Director of the Liberal Party of Australia
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
, was elected to the House of Representatives
Australian House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia; it is the lower house; the upper house is the Senate. Members of Parliament serve for terms of approximately three years....
as member for the Division of Goldstein
Division of Goldstein
The Division of Goldstein is an Australian Electoral Division in Victoria. The division was created in 1984, when the former Division of Balaclava was abolished. It is named for Vida Goldstein, an early feminist parliamentary candidate. It is located in the bayside suburbs of Melbourne, including...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
for the Liberal Party of Australia
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
at the 2004 federal election.
Robb, one of nine children, was born on a dairy farm in Epping which lies 18 km north of Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. He was educated at Dookie Agricultural College and La Trobe University
La Trobe University
La Trobe University is a multi-campus university in Victoria, Australia. It was established in 1964 by an Act of Parliament to become the third oldest university in the state of Victoria. The main campus of La Trobe is located in the Melbourne suburb of Bundoora; two other major campuses are...
, and has qualifications in 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 agricultural science
Agricultural science
Agricultural science is a broad multidisciplinary field that encompasses the parts of exact, natural, economic and social sciences that are used in the practice and understanding of agriculture. -Agriculture and agricultural science:The two terms are often confused...
. He was an agricultural economist with the Victorian Department of Agriculture and a Tutor in Economics at La Trobe University before being an economist for the National Farmers' Federation
National Farmers' Federation
The National Farmers' Federation is an Australian industry association that represents Australian farmers at a national level, including through lobbying the Australian Government...
, and later Executive Director of both the National Farmers' Federation and the Cattle Council of Australia.
Liberal Party
Robb became Deputy Director of the Liberal Party before being appointed Chief of Staff to Andrew PeacockAndrew Peacock
Andrew Sharp Peacock AC, GCL , is a former Australian Liberal politician. He was a minister in the Gorton, McMahon and Fraser governments, and was federal leader of the Liberal Party of Australia 1983–1985 and 1989–1990...
, then Leader of the Opposition, in 1989. In 1990, After Andrew Peacock's resignation after his election defeat, Robb was appointed Federal Director of the Liberal Party.
In this capacity Robb worked with the next Leader of the Liberal Party, John Hewson
John Hewson
John Robert Hewson AM is an Australian economist, company director and a former politician. He was federal leader of the Liberal Party of Australia from 1990 to 1994 and led the party to defeat at the 1993 federal election.-Early life:...
, in the unsuccessful 1993 federal election campaign. He was a Federal Director and campaign manager for John Howard
John Howard
John Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....
in the 1996 federal election campaign, which defeated the Keating
Paul Keating
Paul John Keating was the 24th Prime Minister of Australia, serving from 1991 to 1996. Keating was elected as the federal Labor member for Blaxland in 1969 and came to prominence as the reformist treasurer of the Hawke Labor government, which came to power at the 1983 election...
government and brought the Liberals to power after 13 years in Opposition.
Professional career
Robb resigned in 1997 (he was replaced by Lynton CrosbyLynton Crosby
Lynton Crosby AO is an Australian political strategist.Having masterminded four successive election victories for John Howard, he has been described as a "master of the dark political arts," "the Australian Karl Rove," and in 2002 The Age newspaper described Crosby as "one of the most powerful and...
) and became a business consultant based in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. He was Honorary Finance Director for the NSW Division of the Liberal Party and a member of the NSW State Executive. In that time Robb also sat on the boards of numerous Australian companies including Australia's largest consulting engineering company, Sinclair Knight Merz
Sinclair Knight Merz
Sinclair Knight Merz is an engineering, sciences and project delivery firm. It is based in Australia with offices in Asia, South America, Europe, the Middle East, and New Zealand.-Overview:...
. Robb was also a board member of community organisations including the Garvan Medical Research Foundation and the 'Big Brothers Big Sisters' organisation. In 2003, Robb was awarded an Officer of the Order of Australia for service to politics, agriculture and the community.
Parliamentary career
In 2004, he was comfortably elected to the safe Liberal seat of GoldsteinDivision of Goldstein
The Division of Goldstein is an Australian Electoral Division in Victoria. The division was created in 1984, when the former Division of Balaclava was abolished. It is named for Vida Goldstein, an early feminist parliamentary candidate. It is located in the bayside suburbs of Melbourne, including...
in Melbourne and was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs on 27 January 2006.
His term as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs was marked by introducing a Citizenship discussion paper which encouraged public debate about whether Australia required a formal citizenship test
Australian citizenship test
The Australian citizenship test is a test applicants for Australian citizenship who also meet the basic requirements for citizenship are required to take. It was introduced in 2007 to assess the applicants' adequate knowledge of Australia, the responsibilities and privileges of citizenship and...
. Robb argued that a formal citizenship test would be a clear incentive for aspiring citizens to have basic English language skills and understanding of their community. Robb also focused on dealing with settlement issues for refugees and the challenges of multi-faith relations in Australia.
In 2007, Robb was elevated to the Ministry and took on the role as Minister for Vocational and Further Education.
Robb is also the co-publisher of The Party Room alongside Senator Mitch Fifield
Mitch Fifield
Mitchell Peter "Mitch" Fifield , Australian politician, is member of the Australian Senate since March 2004, representing the state of Victoria for the Liberal Party.-Early years:...
, a journal designed to promote new policy discussion within the Federal Coalition.
Following the Liberal Party's
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
defeat at the 2007 federal election, Robb put himself forward as a candidate for Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party. In a ballot of Liberal caucus members
Liberal Party of Australia leadership election, 2007
An election for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Australia was held on 29 November 2007. At the same time an election for the deputy leadership of the party was held, as under Liberal Party rules, all leadership positions are declared vacant after a general election, no matter what the...
, Julie Bishop
Julie Bishop
Julie Isabel Bishop is an Australian politician and the current Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Parliament of Australia. She holds this title as the deputy leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. She is the party's first female Deputy Leader and the third woman in Australian history to...
prevailed with 44 votes, ahead of Robb who won 25 votes and Christopher Pyne
Christopher Pyne
Christopher Maurice Pyne, MP , Australian politician, has been a Liberal member of the Australian House of Representatives since 13 March 1993, representing the Division of Sturt, South Australia.-Early years:...
18 votes. The new Leader of the Liberal Party, former Defence Minister, Brendan Nelson
Brendan Nelson
Dr Brendan John Nelson is a former Australian politician and former federal Opposition leader. He served as a member of the Australian House of Representatives from the 1996 federal election until 19 October 2009 as the Liberal member for Bradfield, a northern Sydney seat...
, announced that Robb would be Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs in the new Coalition Shadow Cabinet.
Following a front-bench re-shuffle in March 2010, Robb was appointed Shadow Minister for Finance and Debt Reduction, a post previously held by Nationals Senator Barnaby Joyce
Barnaby Joyce
Barnaby Thomas Gerald Joyce , Australian politician, has been a National Party member of the Australian Senate representing the state of Queensland since July 2005...
, and Chairman of the Coalition Policy Development Committee.
Robb was re-elected at the 2010 election and was appointed Shadow Minister for Finance, Deregulation and Debt Reduction and retained his position as Chairman of the Coalition Policy Development Committee.
Depression Disclosure
On the 19th of September 2009, in Laurie OakesLaurie Oakes
Laurie Oakes is an Australian political journalist, commentator, and media personality. Since 1966, he has worked in the Canberra Press Gallery, covering the Parliament of Australia and federal elections....
’s column in The Australian Newspaper, Robb disclosed that he was stepping down from the opposition front bench for three months to address a form of depression brought on by Diurnal Variation, which is typically experienced as positive mood variation (PMV - mood being worse upon waking and better in the evening). Robb disclosed that, since adolescence, he had suffered depression for several hours each day in the morning.
The following week, Robb said in an interview with 3AW
3AW
3AW is a talkback radio station in Melbourne, Australia on 693 kHz AM. It began transmission on 22 February 1932 as Melbourne's fifth commercial radio station.-History:...
's Neil Mitchell
Neil Mitchell
Neil Mitchell AO is an Australian radio announcer on Melbourne AM talk-back station 3AW. The son of a school teacher, he entered journalism at an early age straight after completing high school...
that he had found "doing things increasingly more difficult, I could be taking on more responsibilities especially in a public sense and decided to confront it a few weeks ago. Rang Jeff Kennett
Jeff Kennett
Jeffrey Gibb Kennett AC , a former Australian politician, was the Premier of Victoria between 1992 and 1999. He is currently the President of Hawthorn Football Club. He is the founding Chairman of beyondblue, a national depression initiative.- Early life :Kennett was born in Melbourne on 2 March...
and within three days he had me in front one of the best professionals in the state and this guy said you know you’ve had a problem for fifty years, you’ve had it for fifty years but he said it was fixable, which was fantastic." Robb was publicly praised as doing a brave thing for revealing a private matter and personalising it, thus sending messages to the community that if they might be going through a similar thing it could be addressed.