Thérèse Rein

Infobox_Officeholder
name = Thérèse Rein


imagesize = 206px
birth_date = Birth date and age|1958|7|17|mf=y
birth_place = Adelaide, South Australia
occupation = Business magnate, Psychologist
order = Spouse of the 26th Prime Minister of Australia
term_start = 3 December 2007
term_end =
predecessor = Janette Howard
successor =
alma_mater = Australian National University
religion = Anglican
spouse = Kevin Rudd
children = Jessica, Nicholas and Marcus Rudd
relations =

Thérèse Rein (pronEng|tə'reɪz reɪn) [cite news |first= Paul |last= Toohey|title= Meet Mrs Rudd|url= http://thebulletinelection.ninemsn.com.au/meet_mrs_rudd.htm|format= |publisher= The Bulletin|pages= |page= |date=13 February 2007 |accessdate=2007-10-25 |quote=She’s long insisted on spelling her name Thérèse... Her Burgmann file shows that someone has hand-penned in the acute (é) and the grave (è) above typed spellings of her name. Nevertheless, these accents do "not" indicate that she uses the usual French pronunciation associated with this spelling (/te'rɛz/), rather she favours an Anglicised pronunciation.] (born 17 July 1958) is an Australian businesswoman and the wife of the 26th Prime Minister of Australia, Kevin Rudd. She is the founder of the Australian employment agency Ingeus, and the first Australian Prime Minister's wife to keep working while her husband is in office. [ [http://www.guardian.co.uk/australia/story/0,,2216469,00.html Profile: Kevin Rudd | World news | guardian.co.uk ] ]

Early life

Rein was born on 17 July 1958. Her father, John Rein, was an RAAF navigator who had suffered severe spinal cord damage during a plane crash. He later became an aeronautical engineer and represented Australia as a paralympian, his achievements playing a pivotal role in inspiring his daughter.cite news
first = Simon
last = Mann
authorlink = Simon Mann (journalist)
coauthors = Kate Askew
title = The thing about Therese
url =http://www.theage.com.au/news/in-depth/the-thing-about-therese/2007/04/23/1177180562164.html
publisher = The Age
page = 9
date = 24 April 2007
accessdate = 2007-05-27 ] He met his wife Elizabeth at a rehabilitation hospital in Sydney where she was working as the head of physiotherapy.

Rein attended St. Peter's Collegiate Girls' School in Adelaide and Firbank Grammar School in Melbourne. She studied arts at the Australian National University and received an honours degree in psychology. There she met Kevin Rudd at a meeting of the Australian Student Christian Movement. Rein is an Anglican, and although Rudd was brought up as a Roman Catholic he later attended Anglican services. [cite news
first = Cosima
last = Marriner
title = The lonely road to the top
url = http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/the-lonely-road-to-the-top/2006/12/08/1165081157750.html
publisher = Sydney Morning Herald
page = 33
date = December 9 2006
accessdate = 2007-05-27 ] They married in 1981.

Business career

In 1986 she worked part-time as a rehabilitation counsellor, primarily helping people get back into the workforce.cite news
first = Andrew
last = Fraser
title = Rise of Rein's company
url = http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21786418-601,00.html
publisher = The Australian
date = May 24 2007
accessdate = 2007-05-27 ] In 1988 she founded Thérèse Rein and Associates, later Ingeus. This international employment services agency assists jobseekers, in particular long-term unemployed people, enter the workforce. Along with many others, Ingeus has taken on the role after the Howard Government abolished Commonwealth Employment Service (CES), whose functions passed into the private sector. [cite news
first = Jocelynne
last = Scutt
title = Sexism in politics, or just politics?
url = http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=5915
publisher = http://www.onlineopinion.com.au
date = May 29 2007
accessdate = 2007-05-27]

In 2005 Ingeus had revenues of $175 million and employed 1300 people in 66 offices in Australia, Britain, France and Germany. It was the third-largest provider of services to the Australian federal Government's Job Network agency.cite news
first = Andrew
last = Fraser
title = Wife winds back day job to prepare for election
url =
publisher = The Australian
date = December 23 2006
page = 6 ]

Other board members of Ingeus include Mike Codd (former federal public service head and current Qantas board member), Barrie Adams (former Australian Securities and Investments Commission Queensland regional commissioner) and prominent business leader Jim Kennedy.

Before her husband's rise to the leadership of the Australian Labor Party Rein stepped down as chairwoman of the board of Ingeus and divested all internal personal involvement within the company for the Australian section of the company so that she could provide more support for her husband and party in the lead up to the 2007 election. She said that they had previously supported her career by jointly borrowing money against their house for the start up capital of Thérèse Rein and Associates.

In May 2007 it was widely reported that her company had underpaid workers through shifting them onto individual common law employment contracts. [cite news
first = Sid
last = Marris
coauthors = Ewin Hannan
title = Award conditions bought for 45c an hour
url = http://www.news.com.au/business/story/0,23636,21796581-462,00.html
publisher = The Australian
page = 8
date = May 26 2007
accessdate = 2007-05-27 ] As she was overseas at the time, Kevin Rudd replied that the underpayment had been an honest mistake. After considerable public embarrassment, the money was repaid to the workers. [cite news
first = Dennis
last = Shanahan
title = Tough choice for Rudd and Rein
url = http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21797016-5007146,00.html
publisher = The Australian
page = 25
date = May 26 2007
accessdate = 2007-05-27 ] The Office of Workplace Services completed an audit and found no further action was necessary. After her return to Australia she made the decision to sell the Australian arm of her business to avoid any conflict of interest issues that may arise should her husband become prime minister. [cite news
title = Rein to sell business
url = http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/therese-rein-defends-life-support/2007/05/26/1179601711711.html
publisher = Australian Associated Press
date = May 26 2007
accessdate = 2007-05-27 ]

Charitable foundation

In 2007 Rein established the Rein Foundation to promote establishment of small businesses as pathways to lasting independence for long-term unemployed and disabled people.

Patronages

Thérèse Rein is Patron of a number of organisations in Australia including: the Indigenous Literacy Project which provides reading materials to increase literacy to remote indigenous communities, Common Ground (Australia) which is a model for street to permanent housing as a means of ending homelessness, the Australian National Portrait Gallery. She is a member of the honorary Board of the International Paralympic Committee.

ources

"Rein and Shine", by Wilmoth, Peter; Sunday Life Magazine, 27 May 2007.

References

External links

* [http://www.workdirections.com.au/ WorkDirections] Dead link|date=August 2008