Mathias Cormann
Encyclopedia
Mathias Hubert Paul Cormann (maˈtiːas ˈkɔʁman, məˈtiːəs ˈkɔrmən; born 20 September 1970) is an Australia
n politician. He is a Liberal Party of Australia
Senator for Western Australia
, having been chosen by the Parliament of Western Australia
on 19 June 2007 to fill the casual vacancy
caused by the resignation of Senator Ian Campbell
. On 8 December 2009 he was appointed Shadow Minister for Employment Participation, Apprenticeships and Training and on 14 September 2010 (after the 2010 election) he was appointed Shadow Assistant Treasurer and Shadow Minister for Financial Services and Superannuation.
Born in Eupen
, Belgium
, Cormann migrated to Perth, Western Australia
in 1996. He earned a Belgian law degree from the Flemish Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
, and it was not until he was 23, when he studied Law at the University of East Anglia
in England, that he actually first learnt how to speak English. As his degree was not recognised in Australia, he took a job as a gardener at Presbyterian Ladies' College
. He joined the Liberal Party in Western Australia and took on a job as ministerial chief-of-staff, then senior adviser to then-Premier of Western Australia, Richard Court
. He then moved to federal politics, working for two years as a senior adviser to then Minister for Justice and Customs Chris Ellison
. Between 2003 and 2008 Cormann was the state senior vice-president of the Liberal Party in Western Australia. He was also acting general manager of HBF, a WA-based health insurance
company, until resigning in May 2007 to contest a Senate seat.
Cormann's preselection for the coveted third position on the Liberal Senate ticket for the 2007 election was all but assured, at the expense of controversial Senator Ross Lightfoot
, who withdrew from the preselection race and resigned from politics when he realised the numbers were against him. On the ABC
's Stateline program on 27 April 2007, Lightfoot stated that he considered Cormann (although he stopped short of naming him) an "inappropriate person" to replace him. Lightfoot's main complaint was that there were "more appropriate people" to succeed him "who have served the party longer" and "who have been in the country longer".
When Senator Ian Campbell
unexpectedly announced his planned resignation on 4 May 2007, Cormann was quickly preselected by the party to fill the resulting casual vacancy. Campbell formally resigned on 31 May 2007. Cormann was sworn in on 20 June 2007 and will serve the remaining four years of Ian Campbell's term until 2011.
In the Senate, other than his role as Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Health Administration, Cormann is also the Chair of the Fuel and Energy Select Committee. He has participated in the Senate Inquiries into Labor’s Workplace Relations (Transition to Forward with Fairness) Bill 2008 and the Wheat Export Marketing Bill 2008. Drawing on his experience in the private health industry Cormann pursued the new Labor Government about the impact of proposed increases in Medicare levy surcharge thresholds on public hospitals.
Cormann is the Organisational Patron of the Western Australian Young Liberals
, Federal Patron of the University of Western Australia University Liberal Club and Vice Patron of the ECU University Liberal Club. He is a Gold Friend of the Young Liberal Movement of Western Australia.
Senator Cormann is a keen flyer and has a light aircraft licence and is also a member of the Royal Aero Club
.
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. He is a 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...
Senator for Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, having been chosen by the Parliament of Western Australia
Parliament of Western Australia
The Parliament of Western Australia consists of the Legislative Council and the Legislative Assembly . The Parliament sits at Parliament House in Harvest Terrace, Perth....
on 19 June 2007 to fill the casual vacancy
Casual vacancy
In the Parliament of Australia, a casual vacancy is caused when a member of either house :* dies* resigns mid-term * is expelled from Parliament and their seat is declared vacant, or...
caused by the resignation of Senator Ian Campbell
Ian Campbell (Australian politician)
Ian Gordon Campbell , Australian politician, was a Liberal member of the Australian Senate representing Western Australia between 1990 and 2007.-Early life:...
. On 8 December 2009 he was appointed Shadow Minister for Employment Participation, Apprenticeships and Training and on 14 September 2010 (after the 2010 election) he was appointed Shadow Assistant Treasurer and Shadow Minister for Financial Services and Superannuation.
Born in Eupen
Eupen
Eupen is a municipality in the Belgian province of Liège, from the German border , from the Dutch border and from the "High Fens" nature reserve...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Cormann migrated to Perth, Western Australia
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
in 1996. He earned a Belgian law degree from the Flemish Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
The Katholieke Universiteit Leuven is a Dutch-speaking university in Flanders, Belgium.It is located at the centre of the historic town of Leuven, and is a prominent part of the city, home to the university since 1425...
, and it was not until he was 23, when he studied Law at the University of East Anglia
University of East Anglia
The University of East Anglia is a public research university based in Norwich, United Kingdom. It was established in 1963, and is a founder-member of the 1994 Group of research-intensive universities.-History:...
in England, that he actually first learnt how to speak English. As his degree was not recognised in Australia, he took a job as a gardener at Presbyterian Ladies' College
Presbyterian Ladies' College, Perth
The Presbyterian Ladies' College , is an independent, day and boarding school predominantly for girls, situated in Peppermint Grove, a western suburb of Perth, Western Australia....
. He joined the Liberal Party in Western Australia and took on a job as ministerial chief-of-staff, then senior adviser to then-Premier of Western Australia, Richard Court
Richard Court
Richard Fairfax Court AC , was a Western Australian politician, representing the seat of Nedlands in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly for the Liberal Party of Australia from 1982 to 2001. He served as Premier of Western Australia from 1993 to 2001.Court was born into an old political...
. He then moved to federal politics, working for two years as a senior adviser to then Minister for Justice and Customs Chris Ellison
Chris Ellison
Christopher Martin Ellison , is a former Liberal member of the Australian Senate. He represented Western Australia in the Senate from July 1993 to January 2009.-Background:...
. Between 2003 and 2008 Cormann was the state senior vice-president of the Liberal Party in Western Australia. He was also acting general manager of HBF, a WA-based health insurance
Health insurance
Health insurance is insurance against the risk of incurring medical expenses among individuals. By estimating the overall risk of health care expenses among a targeted group, an insurer can develop a routine finance structure, such as a monthly premium or payroll tax, to ensure that money is...
company, until resigning in May 2007 to contest a Senate seat.
Cormann's preselection for the coveted third position on the Liberal Senate ticket for the 2007 election was all but assured, at the expense of controversial Senator Ross Lightfoot
Ross Lightfoot
Philip Ross Lightfoot is a former Australian politician. He was a Liberal member of the Australian Senate from 1997 to 2008, representing the state of Western Australia....
, who withdrew from the preselection race and resigned from politics when he realised the numbers were against him. On the ABC
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
's Stateline program on 27 April 2007, Lightfoot stated that he considered Cormann (although he stopped short of naming him) an "inappropriate person" to replace him. Lightfoot's main complaint was that there were "more appropriate people" to succeed him "who have served the party longer" and "who have been in the country longer".
When Senator Ian Campbell
Ian Campbell (Australian politician)
Ian Gordon Campbell , Australian politician, was a Liberal member of the Australian Senate representing Western Australia between 1990 and 2007.-Early life:...
unexpectedly announced his planned resignation on 4 May 2007, Cormann was quickly preselected by the party to fill the resulting casual vacancy. Campbell formally resigned on 31 May 2007. Cormann was sworn in on 20 June 2007 and will serve the remaining four years of Ian Campbell's term until 2011.
In the Senate, other than his role as Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Health Administration, Cormann is also the Chair of the Fuel and Energy Select Committee. He has participated in the Senate Inquiries into Labor’s Workplace Relations (Transition to Forward with Fairness) Bill 2008 and the Wheat Export Marketing Bill 2008. Drawing on his experience in the private health industry Cormann pursued the new Labor Government about the impact of proposed increases in Medicare levy surcharge thresholds on public hospitals.
Cormann is the Organisational Patron of the Western Australian Young Liberals
Western Australian Young Liberals
The Young Liberal Movement of Western Australia, is the youth wing of the Liberal Party of Australia .Any person under 31 who shares a belief in Liberalism is welcome to join the Young Liberal Movement, which is heavily involved in campaigning for Liberal candidates running in State and Federal...
, Federal Patron of the University of Western Australia University Liberal Club and Vice Patron of the ECU University Liberal Club. He is a Gold Friend of the Young Liberal Movement of Western Australia.
Senator Cormann is a keen flyer and has a light aircraft licence and is also a member of the Royal Aero Club
Royal Aero Club
The Royal Aero Club is the national co-ordinating body for Air Sport in the United Kingdom.The Aero Club was founded in 1901 by Frank Hedges Butler, his daughter Vera and the Hon Charles Rolls , partly inspired by the Aero Club of France...
.