Patrick Conlon (politician)
Encyclopedia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
n politician. Since 1997 he has represented the Electoral district of Elder
Electoral district of Elder
Elder is an electoral district of the House of Assembly in the Australian state of South Australia. It is named after nineteenth-century businessman and philanthropist Thomas Elder...
in the South Australian House of Assembly
South Australian House of Assembly
The House of Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia. The other is the Legislative Council. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Adelaide.- Overview :...
as a member of the 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...
. He is Minister for Transport, Minister for Infrastructure, and Minister for Energy, as well as the Leader of Government Business in the Lower House. Until early 2005, Conlon was also Emergency Services Minister and took part in the Government's response to the Eyre Peninsula bushfire
Eyre Peninsula bushfire
In January 2005, Eyre Peninsula, South Australia, was the scene of a devastating bushfire in which nine people were killed and at least 113 injured. It was one of Australia’s worst bushfires since the Ash Wednesday fires of 1983....
(also known as Black Tuesday) in January 2005. Conlon was the most senior Labor Left figure in the Labor cabinet until April 2010 when he became unaligned.
Born in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, the seven-year-old Conlon was brought to South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
by his family in 1966. They lived initially in Elizabeth
Elizabeth, South Australia
Elizabeth is a northern suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It is located in the City of Playford.-History:Elizabeth was established in 1955 as part of a planned satellite town by the South Australian Housing Trust on rural land between the older towns of Salisbury and...
before settling in Port Adelaide
Port Adelaide
Port Adelaide is a suburb of Adelaide lying about 14 kilometres northwest of the City of Adelaide. It lies within the City of Port Adelaide Enfield and is the main port for the city of Adelaide...
. Conlon was educated at LeFevre Boys Technical High School.
His early jobs included being a roof tiler, storeperson, timberhand, deckhand, and signalperson. In 1983 he became a union organiser and five years later he took part-time Arts and Law classes at the University of Adelaide
University of Adelaide
The University of Adelaide is a public university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third oldest university in Australia...
, which he funded through part-time work as an office cleaner, industrial officer, project officer and workers compensation employee advocate. He graduated with an Arts degree and with first class honours in Law. He won the Howard Zelling prize for Constitutional Law, the Stow Prize, and the David Murray Scholarship for his honours dissertation on employment law.
Conlon and his wife Tania have a daughter born in December 2004. His hobbies include supporting the Port Adelaide Magpies
Port Adelaide Magpies
The Port Adelaide Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which competes in the South Australian National Football League...
, fishing, fine wine, and cooking.
Conlon was first elected as the Member for the south-western Adelaide seat of Elder at the 1997 election. The 2006 election saw Conlon increase his margin by 11.2% to 14.9%. As of the 2010 state election, Conlon holds Elder
Electoral district of Elder
Elder is an electoral district of the House of Assembly in the Australian state of South Australia. It is named after nineteenth-century businessman and philanthropist Thomas Elder...
with a margin of 3.6 percent.
Conlon took over the Industrial Relations portfolio in 2011 following the resignation of Bernard Finnigan
Bernard Finnigan
Bernard Vincent Finnigan is an Australian politician. He has served in the South Australian Legislative Council for the Australian Labor Party since 2006.-Early life:...
.