Mark Butler
Mark Butler | |
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National President of the Labor Party | |
In office 17 June 2015 – 18 June 2018 | |
Preceded by | Jenny McAllister |
Succeeded by | Wayne Swan |
Minister for Climate Change | |
In office 1 July 2013 – 18 September 2013 | |
Prime Minister | Kevin Rudd |
Preceded by | Greg Combet |
Succeeded by | Office abolished |
Minister for the Environment and Water | |
In office 1 July 2013 – 18 September 2013 | |
Prime Minister | Kevin Rudd |
Preceded by | Tony Burke |
Succeeded by | Greg Hunt |
Minister for Social Inclusion | |
In office 14 December 2011 – 1 July 2013 | |
Prime Minister | Julia Gillard Kevin Rudd |
Preceded by | Tanya Plibersek |
Succeeded by | Office Abolished |
Minister for Mental Health and Ageing | |
In office 12 September 2010 – 1 July 2013 | |
Prime Minister | Julia Gillard Kevin Rudd |
Preceded by | Nicola Roxon |
Succeeded by | Jacinta Collins |
Member of the Australian Parliament for Hindmarsh | |
Assumed office 18 May 2019 | |
Preceded by | Steve Georganas |
Member of the Australian Parliament for Port Adelaide | |
In office 24 November 2007 – 11 April 2019 | |
Preceded by | Rod Sawford |
Succeeded by | Division abolished |
Personal details | |
Born | Mark Christopher Butler 1970 (age 50–51) Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia |
Political party | Australian Labor Party |
Alma mater | University of Adelaide Deakin University |
Occupation | Trade unionist |
Website | www |
Mark Christopher Butler (born 1970) is an Australian politician and a member of the Australian Labor Party, representing the electoral division of Hindmarsh in the Australian House of Representatives since 2019, and previously the division of Port Adelaide from 2007 to 2019.
Before entering parliament, Butler was the South Australian secretary of the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Workers Union (LHMU).
Butler was Minister for Climate Change and Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Water in the Second Rudd Ministry. At the change of government following the 2013 Federal Election he became Shadow Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Water, and after the 2016 Federal Election the Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy.
In July 2018, a Labor factional deal saw Butler move to the seat of Hindmarsh for the next federal election due to the abolition of his seat of Port Adelaide in a federal redistribution. The redistributed Hindmarsh absorbed most of Port Adelaide's former territory. The member for Hindmarsh, Steve Georganas, moved to the seat of Adelaide in place of retiring MP Kate Ellis.[citation needed]
Early life[]
Butler was born in Canberra in 1970[1] to Lindsay Nicholson, who worked on the campaign for Bob Hawke and Paul Keating, and David Butler, a Vietnam conscript.[2] He is the great-great-grandson and great-grandson respectively of conservative Premiers of South Australia, Sir Richard B. Butler and Sir Richard L. Butler.[citation needed]
Butler was educated at Unley High School in Netherby, South Australia, completing his senior year in 1986, and then attended the University of Adelaide, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Jurisprudence and a Bachelor of Laws with First Class Honours.[2][3] He later completed a Master of International Relations degree at Deakin University.[1]
Butler was active in student politics while at university and became friends with future South Australian Labor Party leaders, including Penny Wong and Jay Weatherill.[4]
Trade union career[]
In 1996 Butler became the Secretary of the South Australian branch of the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Workers Union (LHMU), and in 1997 he was elected the youngest-ever President of the Labor Party in South Australia.[5]
Butler was a key figure in the Labor Left faction. He developed a close working relationship with his NSW counterpart Anthony Albanese and represented the faction on the ALP National Executive since 2000.[5] He would later be Albanese's campaign manager in the October 2013 election for the Federal ALP Leadership.[6]
Butler was also noted for his constructive relationship with the Labor Right faction in South Australia, particularly then-secretary of the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association, Don Farrell.[5]
Political career[]
Butler was elected as the Labor member for the electoral division of Port Adelaide at the 2007 Federal Election.
In a 2009 First Rudd Ministry reshuffle, Butler was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Health. On 14 September 2010, he was sworn in as Minister for Mental Health and Ageing in the Second Gillard Ministry. On 12 September 2011 he was given the additional responsibility of Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on Mental Health Reform. On 14 December 2011, Butler's ministry was renamed Mental Health and Aged Care, and he became a member of Cabinet.[7]
After the 2013 election, Bill Shorten named Butler as the Shadow Minister for the Environment.
On 17 June 2015, Butler was elected National President of the Australian Labor Party and was succeeded by Wayne Swan on 18 June 2018, becoming senior vice-president to Swan.[8][9][10]
In a Shadow Cabinet reshuffle on 28 January 2021, Butler was moved from shadow Climate Change spokesperson to shadow spokesperson for Health.[11]
Personal life[]
Butler has two children from a previous marriage.[12] In 2021, he married former SBS, BBC World News and ABC journalist Daniela Ritorto.[13] Butler supports the Port Adelaide Football Club.[14]
See also[]
- First Rudd ministry
- First Gillard ministry
- Second Gillard ministry
- Second Rudd ministry
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Hawker Britton profile: Hon Mark Butler MP" (PDF). Hawker Britton. October 2013. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "How far can former Adelaide union boss Mark Butler go in the Australian Labor Party?". The Advertiser. 19 June 2015. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
- ^ "Labor's frontbench, too, is a mostly private affair". Crikey. 20 December 2013. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
- ^ "Freakish powers of a formidable operator". The Sydney Morning Herald. 8 December 2007.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Barry, Paul (26 July 2011). "Political fixers – Mark Butler". The Power Index. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
- ^ Kenny, Mark (25 September 2013). "Labor leader pair make their pitch to party faithful". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
- ^ Thompson, Jenny (12 December 2001). "Gillard unveils expanded Cabinet". Australia: ABC News. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
- ^ "Mark Butler named national president of Australian Labor Party". ABC Australia. 17 June 2015.
- ^ Brown, Greg (18 June 2018). "Wayne Swan elected Labor national president". The Australian. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
- ^ South Australian Butler loses Labor presidency InDaily, 18 June 2018. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
- ^ [1] ABC News, 28 January 2021. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
- ^ "Butler did it". Sunday Mail. 12 September 2010.
- ^ "SPINNERS ON THE MOVE". AdelaideNow. 7 February 2020. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
- ^ Mark Butler profile: ALP
External links[]
- Official website. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
- Parliamentary Profile: Australian Parliament website
- Parliamentary Profile: Labor website
- Search or browse Hansard for Mark Butler at OpenAustralia.org
- Summary of parliamentary voting for Mark Butler MP on TheyVoteForYou.org.au
- 1970 births
- Living people
- Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Australia
- Members of the Australian House of Representatives
- Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Port Adelaide
- Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Hindmarsh
- People from Adelaide
- Australian people of English descent
- Government ministers of Australia
- Members of the Cabinet of Australia
- Labor Left politicians
- 21st-century Australian politicians