Brett John Mason (born 5 March 1962) is a former Australian politician and a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

/ Liberal National of Queensland member of the

Australian Senate The Senate is the upper house of the Bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives (Australia), House of Representatives. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Chapter ...

from 1 July 1999 to 15 April 2015, representing the state of

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

. Mason was the Australian Ambassador to the Netherlands from September 2015 to August 2018.

Education

Mason completed BA and LLB(Hons) degrees at the

Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies and ...

, an MPhil degree in International Relations at Trinity Hall,

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

, and a PhD degree at

Griffith University Griffith University is a public research university in South East Queensland on the east coast of Australia. Formally founded in 1971, Griffith opened its doors in 1975, introducing Australia's first degrees in environmental science and Asian s ...

Parliamentary career

Following Mason's entry into the Senate in 1999, he was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health and Ageing in the Howard Government from 21 March 2007 to 3 December 2007, and appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Foreign Affairs in the Abbott Government from 18 September 2013 to 23 December 2014. Along with senators Mitch Fifield and Mathias Cormann, Mason was one of the first to resign from the Coalition front bench in 2009 over the Shadow Cabinet's decision to support Kevin Rudd's ETS. On 24 March 2015, Mason announced he intended to resign from the Senate prior to the parliament's budget sittings in May. He resigned on 15 April 2015. The casual vacancy resulting from his resignation was filled by the appointment of

Joanna Lindgren Joanna Maria Lindgren (born 5 November 1969) is an Australian politician who served as a Senator for Queensland from May 2015 to July 2016. Lindgren was appointed to the Senate on the nomination of the Liberal National Party of Queensland to fi ...

on 21 May 2015.

Diplomatic career

On 21 April 2015, six days after his resignation from the Senate, Foreign Minister

Julie Bishop Julie Isabel Bishop (born 17 July 1956) is an Australian former politician who served as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2013 to 2018 and deputy leader of the Liberal Party from 2007 to 2018. She was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Curtin ...

announced that Mason would be appointed as Australia's ambassador to the Netherlands, replacing Neil Mules in mid-2015. Mason presented his credentials in the Netherlands on 2 September 2015. He completed his posting in August 2018. In June 2018 Mason was appointed the chair of the National Library of Australia's Library Council, commencing on 9 August 2018.

Honours

* Humanitarian Overseas Service Medal, 2003.

Publications

* * * Review:

References

External links

Summary of parliamentary voting for Senator Brett Mason on TheyVoteForYou.org.au

Interview with Mason
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mason, Brett 1962 births Living people Abbott Government Alumni of Trinity Hall, Cambridge Ambassadors of Australia to the Netherlands Australian barristers Australian National University alumni Griffith University alumni Liberal National Party of Queensland members of the Parliament of Australia Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian Senate Members of the Australian Senate for Queensland Queensland University of Technology faculty People from Canberra 21st-century Australian politicians 20th-century Australian politicians National Library of Australia Council members