Wayne Swan
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| The Honourable Wayne Swan BA MP |
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| Assumed office 3 December 2007 |
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| Prime Minister | Kevin Rudd |
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| Preceded by | Peter Costello |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 3 October 1998 |
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| Preceded by | Elizabeth Grace |
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| In office 13 March 1993 – 2 March 1996 |
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| Preceded by | Elaine Darling |
| Succeeded by | Elizabeth Grace |
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| Born | 30 June 1954 Nambour, Queensland, Australia |
| Political party | Australian Labor Party |
| Spouse | Kim Swan |
| Children | Erinn, Libbi, Matthew |
| Alma mater | University of Queensland |
| Occupation | Treasurer of Australia |
| Website | SwanMP.org |
Wayne Maxwell Swan (born 30 June 1954) is an Australian politician. He has been an Australian Labor Party (ALP) member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1993 to 1996, and again since 1998, representing the Division of Lilley, Queensland. Following Labor's win at the 2007 election, he became Treasurer of Australia in the Rudd Cabinet.
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[edit] Background
Swan was born in Nambour, the same town as the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd. He and Rudd simultaneously attended Nambour State High School but, being aged three years apart, they were in different classes and did not know each other at that time.
Swan attended the University of Queensland. He was a lecturer in public administration at the Queensland Institute of Technology before entering politics.
From 1978 to 1980 Swan was an adviser to the Leader of the Opposition Bill Hayden, and from 1983 to 1984 was an adviser to federal Labor ministers Mick Young and Kim Beazley. He was State Secretary of the Queensland branch of the Australian Labor Party 1991-93.
[edit] Political Career
He was elected as the Member for Lilley in the March 1993 election, but was defeated in 1996. In 1996, Swan donated $1,400 to the Australian Democrats campaign manager in his seat of Lilley.[1] At the time speculation surrounded the nature of the donation.[2][3] The matter was referred to the Australian Federal Police, who chose to take no further action.[4][5] Following his election loss he was an adviser to Opposition Leader Kim Beazley. He was re-elected at the October 1998 election.
Shortly afterwards, he was elected a member of the Opposition Shadow Ministry. He was Shadow Minister for Family and Community Services from 1998 and Manager of Opposition Business in the House from November 2001. During the 2003 Labor leadership contests he was a close confidante and supporter of Kim Beazley, but retained his positions under the new leader, Mark Latham. After the 2004 election loss, Swan was appointed Shadow Treasurer. This came as a surprise, since it was rumoured that Latham wished to appoint then Shadow Health Minister, Julia Gillard to the position. However, after strong opposition from Labor's Right Faction, Latham was put under pressure to appoint either Swan or Shadow Industrial Relations Mininster Steven Smith as Treasurer. [6].
Swan worked with Beazley and Industrial Relations spokesperson Stephen Smith to devise Labor's response to the Howard government's 2005/06 budget and tax cuts. The ALP proposed tax relief for low and middle income earners earned mixed responses in the business community and caused many federal Labor members to question his position as Shadow Treasurer during the June 2005 frontbench reshuffle.[citation needed] Swan launched his book, Postcode: The Splintering of a Nation during the same month.
In early November 2007 Wayne Swan and then Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd revisited their old school, Nambour State High School. Rudd gave a speech to students in which he said that, at school, "Wayne was very, very cool; and I was very, very not".[7]
Following the 2007 federal election of the Rudd government, Swan was appointed Treasurer of Australia in Kevin Rudd's cabinet on 3 December 2007.[8]
On the 13th of May 2008, Wayne Swan delivered the first Federal Labor Budget in 13 years. Fighting inflation with spending cuts was a key theme.[9] The Newspoll after the budget showed Swan leading Shadow Treasurer Malcolm Turnbull as preferred Treasurer for the first time, with a margin of 40 to 26 percent.[10] Commentators have attributed this result to leadership tensions in the Liberal party, mixed messages on a fuel excise cut from the opposition and general unpopularity of the opposition leadership of Brendan Nelson.[11]
[edit] Family and other
Swan is married to his wife Kim and has three children: Erinn, Libbi, and Matthew. Swan has also made public a brief marriage earlier in his life at the age of 21, which lasted only a year.[12] He has also admitted that he married his current wife after she was 4 months pregnant.[13]
At age 48, Swan was diagnosed with prostate cancer but has since fully recovered. He has become an advocate for the prostate cancer public awareness campaign.[citation needed]
[edit] References
- ^ 'Kick Swan out' for Democrats donation | The Australian
- ^ 7.30 Report - 27/11/2000: Preferential treatment
- ^ 7.30 Report - 29/11/2000: Tracking the money path of the Swan donation
- ^ Why Wayne Swan will not realise the ALP leadership - theage.com.au
- ^ Swan targeted over Democrats money | The Australian
- ^ Toohey, Paul. "Swan's Song", The Bulletin, 17 April 2007, pp. 17-23. Retrieved on 2008-01-10.
- ^ "Labor says Coalition spending will raise inflation", PM, ABC, 13 November 2007 . Retrieved on 2007-12-05.
- ^ Rudd hands out portfolios, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 29 November 2007.
- ^ "Wayne Swan, 7.30 report interview", ABC Website, ABC, 13 May 2008 . Retrieved on 2008-22-05.
- ^ "Turnbull puts credibility on the line", The Australian, The Australian, 22 May 2008 . Retrieved on 2008-23-05.
- ^ "Visionless leader floundering", The Australian, The Australian, 21 May 2008 . Retrieved on 2008-23-05.
- ^ "Treasurer Wayne Swan's first marriage 'no secret'", Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney Morning Herald, 02 March 2008 . Retrieved on 2008-23-05.
- ^ "Treasurer Wayne Swan's first marriage 'no secret'", Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney Morning Herald, 02 March 2008 . Retrieved on 2008-23-05.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Personal website
- Toohey, Paul. "Swan's Song", The Bulletin, 17 April 2007, pp. 17-23. Retrieved on 2007-04-11. Magazine cover story.
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by Peter Costello |
Treasurer of Australia 2007 – present |
Incumbent |
| Parliament of Australia | ||
| Preceded by Elaine Darling |
Member for Lilley 1993 – 1996 |
Succeeded by Elizabeth Grace |
| Preceded by Elizabeth Grace |
Member for Lilley 1998 – present |
Incumbent |
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| Persondata | |
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| NAME | Swan, Wayne Maxwell |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Australian politician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 30 June 1954 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Nambour, Queensland, Australia |
| DATE OF DEATH | Living person |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
