John Faulkner

Infobox_Politician
name = Senator John Faulkner


imagesize = 224px
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birth_date =Birth date and age|1954|4|12|df=y
birth_place =Leeton, New South Wales
death_date =
death_place =
office = Special Minister of State
salary =
term_start = 3 December 2007
term_end =
predecessor = Gary Nairn
successor = incumbent
party = Australian Labor Party
spouse =
religion =
website =
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John Philip Faulkner (born 12 April 1954), has been an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian Senate since April 1989, representing the state of New South Wales. Faulkner was born in Leeton, New South Wales, and was educated at Macquarie University, Sydney, where he graduated in arts and education. He worked as a teacher in government schools before entering politics. He was Assistant General Secretary of the NSW ALP 1980-89, and has been a member of the ALP National Executive since 1989.

A leading member of the Socialist Left faction of the ALP, Faulkner succeeded the former left-wing minister Arthur Gietzelt in the Senate in 1989. In the Keating Labor government he was Minister for Veterans Affairs and Minister for Defence Science and Personnel 1993-94, and Minister for the Environment, Sport and Territories, with a seat in the Cabinet, 1994-96.

After the defeat of the Keating government in 1996, Faulkner became Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, and was a member of the Opposition Shadow Ministry 1996-2004. He was at various times Shadow Minister for Social Security, Public Administration and Home Affairs. He was a key Labor strategist in the 1998, 2001 and 2004 federal elections, and was a particularly close advisor to Mark Latham during the 2004 election. In the wake of Labor's defeat in that election, he resigned his positions. In October 2006 John Faulkner was elected as the National President of the Australian Labor Party until February 2008. Three people are elected to the rotating position of Party President every three years, each serving one year. Faulkner topped the poll ahead of South Australian Premier Mike Rann, ahead of Simon Crean, former Federal Leader, with Linda Burney MP, NSW Member for Canterbury coming in 4th. While Crean outpolled Burney, Burney was elected under the Party's Affirmative Action requirementsFact|date=November 2007. Faulkner chaired the ALP's National Conference in 2007, each of the rotating Presidents will chair the National Executive for one year. John Faulkner is the Vice-President of the Executive Council and Special Minister of State in the first Rudd Ministry.

Publications

John Faulkner has authored and co-authored several books on the subject of representative government and the history of the Australian Labor Party.
* "Deadlock or democracy: the future of the Senate", with Meg Lees, Helen Coonan and Harry Evans. UNSW Press, Sydney, 2000. ISBN 0868405701.
* "True believers: the story of the federal parliamentary Labor Party", with Stuart Macintyre. Allen & Unwin, 2001. ISBN 1865086096.
* "Parliamentary privilege: precedents, procedure and practice in the Australian Senate 1966-2005". Committee of Privileges, 2005. ISBN 0642716013.

ee also

* First Rudd Ministry

References

* [http://www.aph.gov.au/senate/senators/homepages/senators.asp?id=5K4 Senator The Hon. John Faulkner] Parliament of Australia- retrieved 21 April 2007
* [http://www.alp.org.au/people/nsw/faulkner_john.php John Faulkner - Senator for New South Wales] ALP - retrieved 21 April 2007

Persondata
NAME = Faulkner, John
ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
SHORT DESCRIPTION = Australian politician
DATE OF BIRTH = 12 April 1954
PLACE OF BIRTH = Leeton, New South Wales
DATE OF DEATH = Living person
PLACE OF DEATH =