Steve Herbert
Encyclopedia
Steven Ralph "Steve" Herbert (born 30 April 1954) is an Australia
n politician. He is an Australian Labor Party
member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly
, and has represented the seat of Eltham
since 2002.
, Victoria
, and attended Glenroy Technical School (1965–70), received a Diploma of Arts in 1975 from Swinburne University of Technology
, and a Diploma of Education
in 1977 from Melbourne State Teachers College.
Living in Melbourne's northern suburbs most of his life, Herbert taught at several schools including at his alma mater, Glenroy Tech. He was subsequently a state organiser for the Australian Labor Party
and a senior electorate officer to Senator Kim Carr
. From 1999 to 2002, he was Chief of Staff to Lynne Kosky, the then Victorian Minister for Education and Training and Minister for Finance, an experience which he cites as developing his "strong capacity to deal with the intricacies of government, bureaucracy and the private sector to effectively deliver State Government services and programs".
-held seat of Eltham
prior to the 2002 state election, and defeated sitting member Wayne Phillips
in Labor's land-slide election victory.
Following his election to Victoria's Legislative Assembly, Herbert became the inaugural chair of the all-party Parliamentary Education and Skills Committee, and over-saw the production of a number of reports to Parliament including an investigation into unmet demand for places in higher education institutions on Victoria; the suitability of current pre-service teacher training courses in Victoria; the promotion of maths and science education; and the effects of television and multimedia on education. During this term, he also served on the Legislative Assembly's Privileges Committee, and he continued to serve on the Education and Training committee throughout the 56th Parliament between 2006 and 2010.
Herbert was re-elected in 2006, achieving a swing to him and increasing his margin to 6.4 percent. Herbert was appointed as Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment, assisting the then Deputy Premier John Thwaites. When John Brumby assumed the Premiership in mid-2007, Herbert was appointed as Parliamentary Secretary for education assisting then Education Minister Bronwyn Pike. Subsequent to the narrow defeat of the Brumby Labor Government, Herbert joined Shadow Cabinet, becoming the Shadow Minister for Higher Education and Skills and Shadow Minister for the Teaching Profession. Despite a nail-biting election outcome in Eltham, Herbert retained the seat and holds it with a margin of 0.8 percent.
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 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 Victorian Legislative Assembly
Victorian Legislative Assembly
The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the Parliament of Victoria in Australia. Together with the Victorian Legislative Council, the upper house, it sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Melbourne.-History:...
, and has represented the seat of Eltham
Electoral district of Eltham
The Electoral district of Eltham is an electoral district of the Victorian Legislative Assembly. It is an outer metropolitan electorate and contains Eltham, Lower Plenty as well as parts of Greensborough and Kangaroo Ground....
since 2002.
Education and employment
Herbert was born in MelbourneMelbourne
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...
, 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....
, and attended Glenroy Technical School (1965–70), received a Diploma of Arts in 1975 from Swinburne University of Technology
Swinburne University of Technology
Swinburne University of Technology is an Australian public dual sector university based in Melbourne, Victoria. The institution was founded by the Honourable George Swinburne in 1908 and achieved university status in June 1992...
, and a Diploma of Education
Diploma of Education
The Diploma of Education, often abbreviated to DipEd or GradDipEd, is a postgraduate qualification offered in many Commonwealth countries including Australia, Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom...
in 1977 from Melbourne State Teachers College.
Living in Melbourne's northern suburbs most of his life, Herbert taught at several schools including at his alma mater, Glenroy Tech. He was subsequently a state organiser for 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...
and a senior electorate officer to Senator Kim Carr
Kim Carr
Kim John Carr is an Australian politician. He has been an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian Senate since April 1993, representing the state of Victoria. He was elected to the Senate at the March 1993 election, and was due to take his seat on 1 July...
. From 1999 to 2002, he was Chief of Staff to Lynne Kosky, the then Victorian Minister for Education and Training and Minister for Finance, an experience which he cites as developing his "strong capacity to deal with the intricacies of government, bureaucracy and the private sector to effectively deliver State Government services and programs".
Parliamentary Career
Herbert was preselected as the Labor candidate for the LiberalLiberal 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...
-held seat of Eltham
Electoral district of Eltham
The Electoral district of Eltham is an electoral district of the Victorian Legislative Assembly. It is an outer metropolitan electorate and contains Eltham, Lower Plenty as well as parts of Greensborough and Kangaroo Ground....
prior to the 2002 state election, and defeated sitting member Wayne Phillips
Wayne Phillips (politician)
Wayne Phillips is an Australian politician. He was the Liberal member for Eltham in the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 1992 to 2002....
in Labor's land-slide election victory.
Following his election to Victoria's Legislative Assembly, Herbert became the inaugural chair of the all-party Parliamentary Education and Skills Committee, and over-saw the production of a number of reports to Parliament including an investigation into unmet demand for places in higher education institutions on Victoria; the suitability of current pre-service teacher training courses in Victoria; the promotion of maths and science education; and the effects of television and multimedia on education. During this term, he also served on the Legislative Assembly's Privileges Committee, and he continued to serve on the Education and Training committee throughout the 56th Parliament between 2006 and 2010.
Herbert was re-elected in 2006, achieving a swing to him and increasing his margin to 6.4 percent. Herbert was appointed as Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment, assisting the then Deputy Premier John Thwaites. When John Brumby assumed the Premiership in mid-2007, Herbert was appointed as Parliamentary Secretary for education assisting then Education Minister Bronwyn Pike. Subsequent to the narrow defeat of the Brumby Labor Government, Herbert joined Shadow Cabinet, becoming the Shadow Minister for Higher Education and Skills and Shadow Minister for the Teaching Profession. Despite a nail-biting election outcome in Eltham, Herbert retained the seat and holds it with a margin of 0.8 percent.