Neil O'Keefe
Encyclopedia
Neil Patrick O'Keefe is a retired Australia
n politician and lobbyist. Born in Melbourne
, he was educated at La Trobe University
and then Monash University
before becoming a teacher, union official and small business proprietor. In 1984, he was elected to the Australian House of Representatives
as the Labor
member for Burke
. On 24 March 1993 he was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Transport and Communications. On 24 December 1993 this portfolio became Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industrial Relations and Transport. On 24 March 1994 he became Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Transport, a position he held until Labor's electoral defeat in 1996. O'Keefe retired unexpectedly in 2001, after he'd been preselected to run again in the election scheduled that year.
After his retirement from politics, he was able to use his close relationship with then Victorian Premier Steve Bracks
who he once employed as an adviser to build another career as a lobbyist and through government appointments. On 8 May 2003 O'Keefe accepted a Victorian government appointment as chairman of the joint venture between the government and the Royal Agricultural Society
to redevelop the Royal Melbourne Showgrounds
. His role as chairman involved selecting bidders to develop the site. Controversy ensued when it was revealed that O'Keefe had private commercial links with at least one and as many as three groups bidding for the public private partnership which was worth as much as $700 million to the successful bidder.
He resigned as Chairman on 27 May 2004 amid controversy over potential conflicts of interest. He said he resigned because "disgruntled losing bidders for the project may make an issue of perceived links to other bidders" but would not willingly disclose his role with those bids
O'Keefe is a director of the Western Bulldogs
Football Club where he is championing the Club's pub with 25 poker machines against the opposition of local residents, the Victoria University
Foundation and was executive producer of Australian film production "The Independent." He also served as an independent director of Water for Rivers, an agency created jointly by federal, NSW and Victorian governments that administers the Snowy and Murray Rivers. He also served as Chair of the Centre for Public Infrastructure and Director of Melbourne University Private, before it folded.
An active motorcyclist, Neil O'Keefe has also served as the Ministerial appointed chair of the Victorian Motorcycle Advisory Council for the past seven years.
The former politician is now a lobbyist, through his company O'Keefe Solutions. His clients include large-scale property developers.
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 lobbyist. Born in 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 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 then Monash University
Monash University
Monash University is a public university based in Melbourne, Victoria. It was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. Monash is a member of Australia's Group of Eight and the ASAIHL....
before becoming a teacher, union official and small business proprietor. In 1984, he was elected to 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....
as the Labor
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 Burke
Division of Burke (1969-2004)
The Division of Burke was an Australian Electoral Division in Victoria. The division was created in 1969 and abolished in 2004.The division was named after Robert O'Hara Burke, an explorer who led the Victorian expedition in 1860, the first to cross Australia from south to north.It was located in...
. On 24 March 1993 he was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Transport and Communications. On 24 December 1993 this portfolio became Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industrial Relations and Transport. On 24 March 1994 he became Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Transport, a position he held until Labor's electoral defeat in 1996. O'Keefe retired unexpectedly in 2001, after he'd been preselected to run again in the election scheduled that year.
After his retirement from politics, he was able to use his close relationship with then Victorian Premier Steve Bracks
Steve Bracks
Stephen Philip Bracks AC is a former Australian politician and the 44th Premier of Victoria. He first won the electoral district of Williamstown in 1994 for the Australian Labor Party, and was party leader and Premier from 1999 to 2007....
who he once employed as an adviser to build another career as a lobbyist and through government appointments. On 8 May 2003 O'Keefe accepted a Victorian government appointment as chairman of the joint venture between the government and the Royal Agricultural Society
Royal Agricultural Society
The Royal Agricultural Society of England was established in the United Kingdom in 1838 with the motto "Practice with Science". The RASE aim is to promote the scientific development of agriculture. The society received its Royal Charter from Queen Victoria in 1840.From its early days the society...
to redevelop the Royal Melbourne Showgrounds
Royal Melbourne Showgrounds
The Melbourne Showgrounds is located in the inner north-western suburb of Ascot Vale, Victoria, Australia, next door to Flemington Racecourse. Is the home of the annual Royal Melbourne Show, as well as major exhibitions, trade shows, and music concerts....
. His role as chairman involved selecting bidders to develop the site. Controversy ensued when it was revealed that O'Keefe had private commercial links with at least one and as many as three groups bidding for the public private partnership which was worth as much as $700 million to the successful bidder.
He resigned as Chairman on 27 May 2004 amid controversy over potential conflicts of interest. He said he resigned because "disgruntled losing bidders for the project may make an issue of perceived links to other bidders" but would not willingly disclose his role with those bids
O'Keefe is a director of the Western Bulldogs
Western Bulldogs
The Western Bulldogs are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based at the Whitten Oval in West Footscray, an inner-western suburb of Melbourne...
Football Club where he is championing the Club's pub with 25 poker machines against the opposition of local residents, the Victoria University
Victoria University, Australia
Victoria University is a multi-sector tertiary institution based in Melbourne, Australia with 10 campuses.VU offers qualifications in higher education, vocational education , and short courses...
Foundation and was executive producer of Australian film production "The Independent." He also served as an independent director of Water for Rivers, an agency created jointly by federal, NSW and Victorian governments that administers the Snowy and Murray Rivers. He also served as Chair of the Centre for Public Infrastructure and Director of Melbourne University Private, before it folded.
An active motorcyclist, Neil O'Keefe has also served as the Ministerial appointed chair of the Victorian Motorcycle Advisory Council for the past seven years.
The former politician is now a lobbyist, through his company O'Keefe Solutions. His clients include large-scale property developers.