Concetto Antonio "Con" Sciacca AO

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 13 June 1947 Italy), 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, was 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 of the Australian 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....

 from July 1987 to March 1996 and again from October 1998 to October 2004, representing the Division of Bowman

Division of Bowman

The Division of Bowman is an Australian Electoral Division in Queensland. The division was created in 1949 and is named for David Bowman, an early leader of the Australian Labor Party, in Queensland...

, Queensland

Queensland

Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...

. He was born in Sicily

Sicily

Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...

, Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

, and was a solicitor and bank officer before entering politics.

Sciacca was Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Social Security from 1990-94. Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Arts and Administrative Services 1993-94, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Administrative Services 1994, Minister for Veterans' Affairs

Minister for Veterans' Affairs (Australia)

The Australian Minister for Veterans' Affairs oversees income support, compensation, care and commemoration programs for more than 400,000 veterans and their widows, widowers and dependants....

  1994-96 and Minister Assisting the Treasurer for Superannuation 1995-96.

After his re-election in 1998, Sciacca was a member of the Opposition Shadow Ministry 1998-2001. Sciacca contested the new Division of Bonner

Division of Bonner

The Division of Bonner is an Australian Electoral Division in Queensland. The division was created in 2004 and is named after Neville Bonner, the first Aborigine to serve in the Australian Parliament. Bonner served in the federal Senate as a Queensland Liberal Senator...

 at the 2004 election, but was narrowly defeated by Liberal candidate Ross Vasta

Ross Vasta

Ross Xavier Vasta , Australian politician, was elected to the House of Representatives as member for the Division of Bonner, Queensland for the Liberal Party of Australia at the 2004 federal election...

.