Warren Truss

The Honourable
Warren Truss
MP
16th Deputy Prime Minister of Australia
Incumbent
Assumed office
18 September 2013
Prime Minister Tony Abbott
Preceded by Anthony Albanese
Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development
Incumbent
Assumed office
18 September 2013
Prime Minister Tony Abbott
Preceded by Anthony Albanese (Infrastructure and Transport)
Sharon Bird (Regional Development)
Leader of the National Party of Australia
Incumbent
Assumed office
3 December 2007
Deputy Nigel Scullion
Barnaby Joyce
Preceded by Mark Vaile
Minister for Trade
In office
10 August 2006 – 3 December 2007
Prime Minister John Howard
Preceded by Mark Vaile
Succeeded by Simon Crean
Minister for Transport and Regional Services
In office
6 July 2005 – 10 August 2006
Prime Minister John Howard
Preceded by John Anderson
Succeeded by Mark Vaile
Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
In office
20 July 1999 – 6 July 2005
Prime Minister John Howard
Preceded by Mark Vaile
Succeeded by Peter McGauran
Member of the Australian Parliament
for Wide Bay
Incumbent
Assumed office
24 March 1990
Preceded by Clarrie Millar
Personal details
Born 8 October 1948
Kingaroy, Queensland, Australia
Political party National Party of Australia (Federal)
Liberal National Party of Queensland (State)
Other political
affiliations		 Coalition
Spouse(s) Lyn Truss
Website Official website
Warren Truss on Twitter

Warren Errol Truss (born 8 October 1948) is the leader of the National Party of Australia in the Parliament of Australia. He has been the member of the House of Representatives for Wide Bay since the 1990 election. Following the merger of the Queensland branches of the Nationals and Liberals, Truss was re-elected in 2010 for the Liberal National Party.

Truss is the 16th Deputy Prime Minister of Australia and is the Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development in the Abbott Ministry since 18 September 2013.[1]

Early life

Truss was born in Kingaroy, Queensland, and was a farmer before entering politics. He was chair of the Sugar Coast Burnett Regional Tourism Board and a councillor of the Shire of Kingaroy 1976–90.[2] He was Chairman of Kingaroy Shire Council from 1983 to 1990. [3]

Politics

Truss's first attempt at a parliamentary seat was in the Queensland state parliament as the Nationals candidate at the 1988 Barambah by-election, triggered by the retirement of former premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen. However, Truss lost in an upset to the Citizens Electoral Council candidate Trevor Perrett, who later joined the National Party.[4]

Parliament

Truss was elected to the seat of Wide Bay at the 1990 election. He was a member of the Opposition Shadow Ministry 1994–96.

With the Liberal/National Coalition defeating the Australian Labor Party at the 1996 election, Truss was appointed Deputy Leader of the House 1997–98, Minister for Customs and Consumer Affairs 1997–98, and Minister for Community Services 1998–99. He was promoted to the John Howard cabinet and served as Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry 1999–2005.[2]

Nationals leadership

In June 2005 John Anderson announced his intention to resign as National Party Leader. Deputy Leader Mark Vaile was elected the new Leader, and Truss was elected Deputy Leader. In the reshuffled ministry following Anderson's resignation Truss became Minister for Transport and Regional Services.

Truss in 2009

In 2006, following the AWB oil for food scandal, Truss and Vaile swapped portfolios, with Truss becoming Minister for Trade and Vaile taking the Transport and Regional Services portfolio until the defeat of the Liberal/National Coalition government at the 2007 election.[2]

After the election, Mark Vaile discontinued his role as National Party Leader, citing the party's need for "generational renewal". Truss was elected leader of the federal National Party of Australia on 3 December 2007.[5][6][7]

In 2008, Coalition leader Malcolm Turnbull appointed Truss as Shadow Minister for Trade, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government.[8] He retained that portfolio after Tony Abbott became Coalition leader in late 2009.[9] Following the 2010 election, Truss became Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport.[10]

Deputy Prime Minister

Main article: Abbott Government

Truss retained his seat in the 2013 Federal election, in which the Coalition was elected to a strong majority government. On 18 September, Truss was sworn in as Deputy Prime Minister, per a longstanding agreement between the Liberals and Nationals. The leader of the Nationals has ranked second in all but two non-Labor governments since the Coalition was first formed in 1923.

Honours and awards

On 1 January 2001 Warren Truss was awarded the Centenary Medal for 'service as Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry'.[11]

References

  1. ↑ "Tony Abbott's cabinet and outer ministry". smh.com.au. AAP. 16 September 2013. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "The Hon Warren Truss MP, Member for Wide Bay (Qld)". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 8 November 2007.
  3. ↑ "Landscapes Of Change", by Dr Tony Mathews, p688
  4. ↑ "Political Chronicle: Australia and Papua New Guinea January–June 1988.". Wiley InterScience. 28 November 2007. Retrieved 27 February 2009.
  5. ↑ Pearlman,, Jonathan (4 December 2007). "Nationals decide it is a matter of Truss". Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax. Retrieved 1 September 2010.
  6. ↑ Murphy, Katharine (29 November 2007). "Truss puts his hand up for Nats job". The Age. Fairfax. Retrieved 1 September 2010.
  7. ↑ "Truss wins Nationals leadership". ABC News. ABC. 3 December 2007. Retrieved 3 December 2007.
  8. ↑ Appointment of Shadow Ministry
  9. ↑ http://www.australia.to/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=17088:a-reshaped-coalition-team-for-australias-future&catid=72:australian-news&Itemid=200
  10. ↑ http://www.aph.gov.au/Library/parl/43/Shadow/index.htm
  11. ↑ It's an honour entry – Centenary Medal – 1 January 2001 Citation: For service as Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Warren Truss.
Parliament of Australia
Preceded by
Clarrie Millar		 Member of Parliament
for Wide Bay
1990–present 		Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by
Chris Ellison		 Minister for Customs and Consumer Affairs
1997–1998 		Succeeded by
Amanda Vanstone
Preceded by
Judi Moylan		 Minister for Community Services
1998–1999 		Succeeded by
Larry Anthony
Preceded by
Mark Vaile		 Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
1999–2005 		Succeeded by
Peter McGauran
Preceded by
John Anderson		 Minister for Transport and Regional Services
2005–2006 		Succeeded by
Mark Vaile
Preceded by
Mark Vaile		 Minister for Trade
2006–2007 		Succeeded by
Simon Crean
Preceded by
Anthony Albanese		 Deputy Prime Minister of Australia
2013–present 		Incumbent
Preceded by
Anthony Albanese
as Minister for Infrastructure and Transport		 Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development
2013–present
Preceded by
Sharon Bird
as Minister for Regional Development
Party political offices
Preceded by
Mark Vaile		 Deputy Leader of the National Party of Australia
2005–2007 		Succeeded by
Nigel Scullion
Leader of the National Party of Australia
2007–present 		Incumbent