Brendan O'Connor
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Brendan Patrick O'Connor (born 2 March 1962), Australian politician, has been an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian House of Representatives since November 2001, representing the Division of Burke, Victoria 2001-04 and the Division of Gorton since October 2004. He was born in London, United Kingdom, to Irish parents, and was educated in Ireland and Australia, taking degrees in Arts and Law at Monash University. In 1995, he participated in the Harvard Trade Union Program at Harvard Law School, Harvard University. He was Assistant National Secretary with the Australian Services Union before entering politics. The Electoral Division of Burke was abolished by the 2003 redistribution, and O'Connor contested the new Electoral Division of Gorton at the 2004 election.
He is a member of the Independent Left faction of the Victorian branch of the Australian Labor Party, more commonly known as the Ferguson Left.
In December 2005, he was elected to the position of Chair of the Federal Labor Industrial Relations Taskforce, in a caucus ballot. The Taskforce was instigated by the caucus in order to investigate the adverse effects of the Howard Government's controversial WorkChoices legislation, a radical package of industrial relations changes. In 2006, the Taskforce travelled to every state and territory convening meetings with individuals, employers, church and community groups and trade unions, collecting testimony. An interim report, 'WorkChoices: A Race to the Bottom' was launched by Opposition Leader Kim Beazley at Parliament House, Canberra on 20 June 2006.
Shortly after the election of Kevin Rudd to the office of federal Labor leader and Leader of the Opposition on 4 December 2006, O'Connor was appointed Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Industrial Relations.
Following the Labor victory at the 2007 federal election, the new Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced that O'Connor would serve as the Minister for Employment Participation on November 29, 2007.[1]
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| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sharman Stone |
Minister for Employment Participation 2007 – present |
Incumbent |
| Parliament of Australia | ||
| Preceded by Neil O'Keefe |
Member for Burke 2001 – 2004 |
Division abolished |
| New division | Member for Gorton 2004 – present |
Incumbent |
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