Barry O'Farrell
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Barry Robert O'Farrell (born 24 May 1959) is a former Australian politician who has been Australia's High Commissioner to India and non-resident Ambassador to
Bhutan Bhutan (; dz, འབྲུག་ཡུལ་, Druk Yul ), officially the Kingdom of Bhutan,), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is situated in the Eastern Himalayas, between China in the north and India in the south. A mountainous ...
since May 2020. O'Farrell was the 43rd
Premier of New South Wales The premier of New South Wales is the head of government in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The Government of New South Wales follows the Westminster Parliamentary System, with a Parliament of New South Wales acting as the legislature. ...
and Minister for Western Sydney from 2011 to 2014. He was the
Leader of the New South Wales Liberal Party The Liberal Party of Australia (New South Wales Division), commonly known as the New South Wales Liberals, is the state division of the Liberal Party of Australia in New South Wales. The party currently governs in New South Wales in coalition wi ...
from 2007 to 2014, and was a Member of the
New South Wales Legislative Assembly The New South Wales Legislative Assembly is the lower of the two houses of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The upper house is the New South Wales Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament Ho ...
from 1995 to 2015, representing Northcott until 1999 and representing
Ku-ring-gai Kuringgai (also spelled Ku-ring-gai, Kuring-gai, Guringai, Kuriggai) (,) is an ethnonym referring to (a) an hypothesis regarding an aggregation of Indigenous Australian peoples occupying the territory between the southern borders of the Gamilar ...
on the Upper North Shore of Sydney from 1999 to 2015. He is currently President and Independent Board Chair of Diabetes Australia, Chair of the Wests Tigers Rugby League Football Club and CEO of Racing Australia Ltd. Born in
Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
, his father's Army career saw O'Farrell and his family move around Australia, ending up in Darwin in the
Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...
. In 1977 O'Farrell moved to
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to study 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 ...
, where he gained a Bachelor of Arts. O'Farrell started his career as a graduate trainee in the Australian Public Service in Canberra. O'Farrell served as the State Director of the party in New South Wales from 1992 to 1995. At the 1995 New South Wales election, O'Farrell was elected to the safe Liberal seat of Northcott in northern Sydney. Following the seat's abolition in the 1998 redistribution he secured selection for the equally safe seat of Ku-ring-gai in 1999 and held it until 2015. O'Farrell joined the Shadow Ministry in 1998 and served two periods as Deputy Leader (1999–2002 and 2003–2007). Following the Liberal- Nationals' defeat at the 2007 state election (their fourth in a row), O'Farrell challenged
Peter Debnam Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...
for the Liberal leadership. Debnam withdrew from the contest on the day of the ballot and O'Farrell was elected unopposed as the Leader of the New South Wales Liberal Party and consequently as
Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...
. He became Premier in a
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at the 2011 election, winning the largest majority government in New South Wales history. On 16 April 2014, O'Farrell announced his intention to resign as party leader and NSW Premier as well as Minister for Western Sydney after misleading a New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) investigation. ICAC subsequently found "that there was no intention on Mr O'Farrell's part to mislead". He formally resigned on 17 April as Liberal Party leader and on 24 November 2014, O'Farrell announced his intention not to stand for re-election at the 2015 NSW election.


Early life and background

The youngest of three children, Barry Robert O'Farrell was born to Kevin and Mae O'Farrell in the
Royal Women's Hospital The Royal Women's Hospital, located in the Melbourne suburb of Parkville, is Australia's oldest specialist women's hospital. It offers a full range of services in maternity, gynaecology, neonatal care, women's cancers and women's health. It als ...
, Melbourne, on 24 May 1959. He is descended from
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immigrants who arrived in Victoria in the 1860s; and his paternal grandfather was an officer in the Victoria Police Force in
Ballarat Ballarat ( ) is a city in the Central Highlands (Victoria), Central Highlands of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 Census, Ballarat had a population of 116,201, making it the third largest city in Victoria. Estimated resid ...
. The O'Farrells moved to Darwin during his adolescence and he finished his high school education at St John's College. In 1977 O'Farrell began studying 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 ...
in Canberra, residing at Ursula College. During his second year of study, he was elected President of the Ursula College Student Association. In 1980 he received a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in
Australian history The history of Australia is the story of the land and peoples of the continent of Australia. Aboriginal Australians, People first arrived on the Australian mainland by sea from Maritime Southeast Asia between 50,000 and 65,000 years ago, and ...
, politics and Aboriginal studies and has cited Professor
Manning Clark Charles Manning Hope Clark, (3 March 1915 – 23 May 1991) was an Australian historian and the author of the best-known general history of Australia, his six-volume ''A History of Australia'', published between 1962 and 1987. He has been descri ...
and Don Baker as major influences for his continuing interest in Australian history. After serving as a graduate trainee in the
Department of Business and Consumer Affairs The Department of Business and Consumer Affairs was an Australian government department that existed between December 1975 and May 1982. Scope Information about the department's functions and/or government funding allocation could be ...
, in 1980 O'Farrell joined the Liberal Party and worked in the offices of two South Australian Senators, Tony Messner and Gordon Davidson. When
John Howard John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian former politician who served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007, holding office as leader of the Liberal Party. His eleven-year tenure as prime minister is the s ...
became Leader of the Opposition in 1985, his chief of staff,
Gerard Henderson Gerard Henderson (born 1945) is an Australian author, columnist and political commentator. He founded and is executive director of The Sydney Institute, a privately funded Australian current affairs forum. Education and earlier career Henders ...
, hired O'Farrell as a Sydney-based adviser. In May 1988, O'Farrell was employed as Chief of Staff for
Bruce Baird Bruce George Baird, AM (born 28 February 1942), is a former Australian politician whose career included a stint as Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party in New South Wales. Early life Baird was born in Sydney, and was educated at the University ...
, a cabinet minister in the New South Wales government. Four years later, O'Farrell and
Tony Abbott Anthony John Abbott (; born 4 November 1957) is a former Australian politician who served as the 28th prime minister of Australia from 2013 to 2015. He held office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. Abbott was born in Londo ...
sought appointment as the State Director of the New South Wales Liberal Party. O'Farrell succeeded and he held this position until 1995.


Member of Parliament

In 1994, O'Farrell was preselected to replace former Transport Minister and Deputy Liberal Leader,
Bruce Baird Bruce George Baird, AM (born 28 February 1942), is a former Australian politician whose career included a stint as Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party in New South Wales. Early life Baird was born in Sydney, and was educated at the University ...
, in the safe Liberal seat of Northcott and won the seat on 25 March 1995 at the 1995 election with 60.05% of the primary vote, 68.63% after preferences against Andrew Leigh, the
Labor Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the la ...
candidate who was elected in 2010 as the federal Member for Fraser. O'Farrell gave his
maiden speech A maiden speech is the first speech given by a newly elected or appointed member of a legislature or parliament. Traditions surrounding maiden speeches vary from country to country. In many Westminster system governments, there is a convention th ...
in Parliament on 19 September 1995. On 14 December 1998, State Opposition Leader
Kerry Chikarovski Kerry Anne Chikarovski (née Bartels; 4 April 1956) is a former Australian politician who served as leader of the Liberal Party in New South Wales and Leader of the Opposition between 1998 and 2002, the first woman to hold the post. Early li ...
appointed O'Farrell Shadow Minister for Small Business and Information Technology. When his seat of Northcott was abolished in the 1998 redistribution, O'Farrell decided to contest the equally safe seat of Ku-ring-gai, which had been vacated by the sitting member,
Stephen O'Doherty Stephen Mark O'Doherty (born 26 October 1959) is a former Australian politician and former member of the Liberal Party. Early life and career O'Doherty was born in Melbourne and raised in New South Wales. He attended Carlingford High School, a p ...
, who had moved to contest the seat of Hornsby following the redistribution. O'Farrell represented Northcott until its abolition on 26 March 1999. His transfer bid was successful at the 1999 election, gaining 56.3% of the primary vote and 70.03% after preferences. When Ron Phillips was defeated at the election, thereby vacating the Deputy Leadership, O'Farrell stood for the position and was elected on 31 March 1999, defeating
Chris Hartcher Christopher "Chris" Peter Hartcher (born 21 December 1946) is an Australian politician. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1988 to 2015, representing the electorates of Gosford (1988–2007) and Terrigal (2007–2 ...
by one vote. Chikarovski then appointed him on 19 April 1999 to the senior role of Shadow Minister for Transport, dropping Small Business. At the 1999 republic referendum, O'Farrell voted against the proposal for Australia to become a republic with a president elected by the
Parliament of Australia The Parliament of Australia (officially the Federal Parliament, also called the Commonwealth Parliament) is the legislature, legislative branch of the government of Australia. It consists of three elements: the monarch (represented by the ...
. In 2007, referring to his vote, O'Farrell stated "I'm not going to buy something that I don't believe is a better deal". In a further Shadow Cabinet reshuffle on 4 January 2002, O'Farrell lost Information Technology and became Shadow Minister for Innovation. However, when John Brogden deposed Chikarovski as Leader on 28 March 2002, O'Farrell also lost the Deputy Leadership, eleven votes to nine, to Chris Hartcher. O'Farrell was sacked from the shadow ministry but, on 1 September 2002, after six months on the backbench O'Farrell was appointed by Brogden as Shadow Minister for Education and Training and Shadow Special Minister of State. Following the 2003 state election, O'Farrell was re-elected as the Member for Ku-ring-gai with 71.60% of the
two-party A two-party system is a political party system in which two major political parties consistently dominate the political landscape. At any point in time, one of the two parties typically holds a majority in the legislature and is usually referr ...
vote, O'Farrell successfully contested the deputy's position, replacing Hartcher. Brogden then appointed him on 8 April 2003 as Shadow Minister for Health, dropping his Education portfolio. After Brogden resigned as leader on 29 August 2005, Peter Debnam became leader when O'Farrell pulled out of the leadership race on the morning of the 1 September party vote. Debnam then appointed him as Shadow Leader of the House, Shadow Minister for Transport and Shadow Minister for Waterways on 20 March 2006. In a November reshuffle, O'Farrell was shifted to the senior position of Shadow Treasurer.


Leader of the Opposition (2007–2011)

After the Liberals were defeated in the 2007 state election, O'Farrell announced his intention to challenge Debnam for party leadership. When it was apparent that Debnam did not have enough support to keep his post, he opted not to recontest, leaving O'Farrell to take the leadership unopposed.
Jillian Skinner Jillian Gell Skinner (born 5 August 1944) is an Australian politician who was the New South Wales Minister for Health in the Baird government. Skinner was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing North Shore for the ...
was elected Deputy Leader. He later appointed himself Shadow Minister for Western Sydney in the Shadow Ministry. In June 2008, Newspoll reported that O'Farrell led
Morris Iemma Morris Iemma (; born 21 July 1961) is a former Australian politician who was the 40th Premier of New South Wales. He served from 3 August 2005 to 5 September 2008. From Sydney, Iemma attended the University of Sydney and the University of Techno ...
in the preferred premier stakes. In 2008, O'Farrell led by-election campaigns in Lakemba,
Ryde Ryde is an English seaside town and civil parish on the north-east coast of the Isle of Wight. The built-up area had a population of 23,999 according to the 2011 Census and an estimate of 24,847 in 2019. Its growth as a seaside resort came af ...
, and
Cabramatta Cabramatta ('Cabra') is a suburb in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Cabramatta is located south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Fairfield. Cabramat ...
where the Coalition recorded the largest by-election swing against Labor in its history. The Liberals achieved a swing of 22.7% in Cabramatta and 13% in Lakemba. Ryde, once a safe Labor seat, was taken by Liberal
Victor Dominello Victor Michael Dominello (born 30 July 1967 in Ryde, New South Wales), is an Australian politician who has been the New South Wales Minister for Customer Service in the second Berejiklian ministry since April 2019, and in the Perrottet minis ...
on a swing of 23.1%. On 2 September 2009, in the wake of the resignation of Labor's
John Della Bosca John Joseph Della Bosca (born 18 July 1956) is an Australian former politician, representing the Labor Party in the New South Wales Legislative Council. From 1999 to 2009, Della Bosca served a range of ministerial portfolios, including Minist ...
following an affair, O'Farrell introduced a
motion of no confidence A motion of no confidence, also variously called a vote of no confidence, no-confidence motion, motion of confidence, or vote of confidence, is a statement or vote about whether a person in a position of responsibility like in government or mana ...
on the Premier
Nathan Rees Nathan Rees () (born 12 February 1968) is a former Australian politician who served as the 41st Premier of New South Wales and parliamentary leader of the New South Wales division of the Labor Party from September 2008 to December 2009. Rees wa ...
and the
NSW Government The Government of New South Wales, also known as the NSW Government, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of New South Wales. It is currently held by a coalition of the Liberal Party and the National Party. The Governmen ...
. O'Farrell was hoping to push an early election saying that "The job of changing New South Wales for the better needs to start today. The best thing that Nathan Rees could do is to allow the people to have their say through an early election". The motion was put to the house but defeated on party lines. Despite this, all independent members of the Legislative Assembly voted for the motion. In June 2010, the Liberals' Stuart Ayres won the Penrith by-election with a swing of 25%–at the time, the biggest swing against a sitting government in NSW history. The by-election was caused by the resignation of Karyn Paluzzano after she admitted rorting her electoral mail allowance and lying about it to the ICAC. A jubilant O'Farrell stated, "What we've seen this evening is the Liberal Party win its first seat in Western Sydney in 20 years. It demonstrates once and for all that Labor does not have a lock on Western Sydney." In August 2010, independent MP and lord mayor of Sydney Clover Moore introduced the ''Adoption Amendment (Same Sex Couples) Bill'' as a private member's bill, which, among other things, had the purpose of giving same-sex couples the right to adopt as a couple instead of as individuals. Both O'Farrell and Premier
Kristina Keneally Kristina Marie Kerscher Keneally (born 19 December 1968) is an American-born Australian politician who was a Labor Senator for New South Wales from February 2018 until April 2022, when she resigned to unsuccessfully contest the House of Repres ...
allowed a conscience vote on the bill. O'Farrell supported the reforms: "I support this measure today ... for the sake of children but also because I don't believe our society should exclude because of gender, sexuality, faith, background or some other factor, people who have a contribution they can make... That's not the free and confident society I seek." The bill was passed by the Legislative Assembly 46 votes to 44. In late 2010, following the government announcement of the sale of NSW's electricity assets, O'Farrell called for a judicial inquiry into the matter. After rejecting a judicial inquiry, Premier Kristina Keneally shut down or "
prorogued A legislative session is the period of time in which a legislature, in both parliamentary and presidential systems, is convened for purpose of lawmaking, usually being one of two or more smaller divisions of the entire time between two elections ...
" Parliament early to try to stop a parliamentary inquiry announced by O'Farrell. O'Farrell maintained pressure on the issue over the Christmas/New Year period arguing the public had a right to know whether fair price had been achieved, why eight directors had resigned over the sale and what impact the sale would have on power bills. On 6 January, Keneally bowed to pressure and agreed to attend an inquiry she had earlier called "unconstitutional". On the eve of the 2011 election, ABC radio reported that NSW Labor could be facing "the biggest loss in Australian political history", with the statewide swing predicted at between 16 and 18 points. Asked to define himself ideologically, O'Farrell told the ABC:
I describe myself as a classic Liberal. You know, ascribe to those Liberal principles but like
Menzies Menzies is a Scottish surname, with Gaelic forms being Méinnearach and Méinn, and other variant forms being Menigees, Mennes, Mengzes, Menzeys, Mengies, and Minges. Derivation and history The name and its Gaelic form are probably derived f ...
believe that the role of government is to apply the principles, the plans, the policies to an issue that suit the times. So Menzies used to say that it must be great being an ideologue because it saves time thinking. Menzies wanted to deliver real change, wanted to deliver real solutions and that's where I put myself.
The Coalition were unbackable favourites to win the 2011 election; by the time the writs were dropped they had been ahead in opinion polling for almost three years. The final Newspoll saw a
two-party-preferred In Australian politics, the two-party-preferred vote (TPP or 2PP) is the result of an election or opinion poll after preferences have been distributed to the highest two candidates, who in some cases can be independents. For the purposes of TPP ...
figure of 64.1 percent for the Coalition and 35.9 percent for Labor. Opinion polls and commentators had almost universally written Labor off by the time the writs were dropped. Indeed, speculation centred on how large O'Farrell's majority would be, and whether Labor would hold onto enough seats to form a credible opposition. As a measure of how far Labor's stocks had fallen, the Coalition was threatening Labor in seats that the non-Labor side hadn't held in over a century, as well as seats where the Coalition had not been a serious threat since the Great Depression. As expected, O'Farrell went on to lead the Coalition to a comprehensive victory on a swing of over 16%, the highest for a general election in Australia since World War II. The Coalition won several seats in Labor's traditional west Sydney heartland, many of which had previously been safe for Labor; two of them, Smithfield and Campbelltown, fell to the Liberals on 20 percent swings. The Liberal Party achieved an overall gain of 27 seats, while the National Party gained 5 seats, for a total of 69 seats–the largest majority government in NSW history. In his own seat of Ku-ring-gai, already considered an ultra-safe Liberal seat, O'Farrell achieved 72.7% of the primary vote, 87% after preferences, for an overall majority of 37%, making his own seat the safest in the state. The Liberals won a majority in their own right, with 51 seats—the first time the main non-Labor party in New South Wales had won an outright majority since adopting the Liberal label in 1945. Although O'Farrell did not require the support of the Nationals in order to govern, he opted to retain the Coalition.


Premier of New South Wales (2011–2014)

O'Farrell was sworn in as Premier by the
Governor of New South Wales The governor of New South Wales is the viceregal representative of the Australian monarch, King Charles III, in the state of New South Wales. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia at the national level, the governors of the ...
,
Marie Bashir Dame Marie Roslyn Bashir (born 1 December 1930) is the former and second longest-serving Governor of New South Wales. Born in Narrandera, New South Wales, Bashir graduated from the University of Sydney in 1956 and held various medical positio ...
, on 28 March 2011. Although O'Farrell's victory was beyond doubt, counting was still underway in a few seats at the time. For this reason, O'Farrell had himself and NSW Nationals leader
Andrew Stoner Andrew John Stoner (born 14 January 1960), an Australian former politician, was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Oxley from 1999 state election to 2015. Stoner was the Leader of the New South Wales National P ...
sworn in as an interim two-man governmenta move similar to how
Gough Whitlam Edward Gough Whitlam (11 July 191621 October 2014) was the 21st prime minister of Australia, serving from 1972 to 1975. The longest-serving federal leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 1967 to 1977, he was notable for being the he ...
took office after winning the 1972 federal election. The full ministry was sworn in on 3 April 2011 at a formal ceremony at
Government House Government House is the name of many of the official residences of governors-general, governors and lieutenant-governors in the Commonwealth and the remaining colonies of the British Empire. The name is also used in some other countries. Gover ...
by the Lieutenant Governor,
Justice Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...
James Spigelman James Jacob Spigelman (born 1 January 1946) is a former Australian judge who served as Chief Justice of New South Wales from 1998 to 2011. He was also Lieutenant-Governor of New South Wales from 1998 to 2012. He served on the Court of Final Ap ...
. Upon taking office, O'Farrell reduced the size of the Premier's personal staff and moved the office from Governor Macquarie Tower back to the historic Premier's office within Parliament House. Following the swearing in of cabinet, on 4 April O'Farrell announced a "100 Day Action Plan", outlining the agenda of his government for his first one hundred days in office. O'Farrell moved to rein in public expenditure by capping public service wage increases at 2.5% a year, with any additional increases to be justified by real productivity increases, and by abolishing the 'unattached list' for public servants. O'Farrell ensured the wages cap also applied to Members of Parliament and even secured agreement from the Governor, Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir, for the limit to apply to her wage increases. The new Government also enshrined the independence of the public service by the establishing of an independent Public Service Commission, to implement structural reform, chaired by former federal department head
Peter Shergold Peter Roger Shergold is an Australian academic, company director, and former public servant. Shergold was the Chancellor of Western Sydney University from 2011 through 2022. Between February 2003 and February 2008, he was the Secretary of t ...
. As part of his determination to rein in spending, O'Farrell proposed reducing the lifetime office, staff, car and driver entitlements of former Premiers. In response three former Premiers – Neville Wran, Nick Greiner and Bob Carr – obtained legal advice and threatened to take court action to maintain their emoluments. After negotiations, changes were effected that saw the bill to taxpayers reduced by $770,000 in 2012/13 from $1.6 million in 2011/12. O'Farrell then managed to increase the minimum term to five years; O'Farrell himself would not eligible for the full pension and neither will Gladys and many others. In announcing the changes, O'Farrell said "We went to the election with a commitment to cut costs. It's only fair former premiers do their bit. Long-serving premiers in NSW have until now been given lifelong entitlements, but it's time that practice ended." O'Farrell also fulfilled his election promise to repeal the controversial powers granted under part 3A of the Planning and Assessment Act that allowed the government to over-ride decisions by local councils about major developments. Another aspect was the creation of
Infrastructure NSW Infrastructure NSW is an government agency, agency of the Government of New South Wales that provides independent advice to assist the NSW Government in identifying and prioritising the delivery of critical public infrastructure across the Austra ...
, which is to decide upon which infrastructure projects take precedence, funding requirements and overall delivery. O'Farrell then appointed former Liberal Premier Nick Greiner as its Chairman. On 13 May 2011, the O'Farrell Government moved to retrospectively change commercial contracts relating to the
Solar Rebate Scheme Solar may refer to: Astronomy * Of or relating to the Sun ** Solar telescope, a special purpose telescope used to observe the Sun ** A device that utilizes solar energy (e.g. "solar panels") ** Solar calendar, a calendar whose dates indicate t ...
that saw eligible households paid a gross feed-in tariff of 60 cents a kilowatt hour. This move followed revelations the scheme had blown out in cost from A$400 million to A$1.9 billion. Without compensation, the rebate tariff would have been reduced by 33% to 40 cents a kilowatt hour from 1 July 2011 through to the conclusion of the scheme in 2016. However, the Legislative Council made it clear that they would not agree to roll the bonus back and the government conceded. The scheme was closed to new customers 28 April 2011. On 7 October 2011, O'Farrell announced that the Governor of New South Wales, Marie Bashir, would live in Government House, 15 years after Premier
Bob Carr Robert John Carr (born 28 September 1947) is an Australian retired politician and journalist who served as the 39th Premier of New South Wales from 1995 to 2005, as the leader of the NSW Branch of the Australian Labor Party (ALP). He later en ...
's decision to not have the governor live there, arguing "that's what it was built for". In the lead up to the 2011 election, as part of his determination to reinvigorate the State's economy, O'Farrell committed to re-engaging NSW with Asia, especially
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
and
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. In July 2011 he led a trade delegation to China, travelling to India in November of that year. As Premier O'Farrell visited each country annually, renewing NSW's sister-state relationship with China's
Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...
province and establishing one with the State of
Maharastra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the second-most populous state in India and the second-most populous country subdivi ...
in India. In 2013, during a meeting with then
Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...
Chief Minister,
Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (; born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician serving as the 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Parliament from ...
, O'Farrell secured agreement for a second sister state relationship. In 2014 he joined Australian Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, and other State Premiers on a trade mission to China. During 'Australia in China' week, O'Farrell visited Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Shanghai and Beijing participating in a State banquet hosted by China's President
Xi Jinping Xi Jinping ( ; ; ; born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has served as the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), and thus as the paramount leader of China, s ...
in Beijing's
Great Hall of the People The Great Hall of the People is a state building located at the western edge of Tiananmen Square in Beijing. It is used for legislative and ceremonial activities by the government of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the ruling Chinese Co ...
. During a visit to
Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...
and the
United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
in May 2012, O'Farrell was awarded an
honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...
from the
Lebanese Maronite Order The Baladites, formally known as the Lebanese Maronite Order (; abbreviated OLM), is a monastic order among the Levant-based, Catholic Maronite Church, which from the beginning has been specifically a monastic Church. The order was founded in 16 ...
Université Saint-Esprit de Kaslik The Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (french: Université Saint-Esprit de Kaslik (USEK); ar, جامعة الرّوح القدس – الكسليك, ''Jāmiʿah al-Rūḥ al-Quddus – al-Kaslīk''), is a private, not-for-profit Catholic univer ...
. In receiving the honour, O'Farrell said: At the December 2012
Council of Australian Governments The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) was the primary intergovernmental forum in Australia from 1992 to 2020. Comprising the federal government, the governments of the six states and two mainland territories and the Australian Local G ...
meeting, O'Farrell reached agreement with
Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
Gillard, for NSW to become the first state or territory to secure funding for the full rollout of the
National Disability Insurance Scheme The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is a scheme of the Australian Government that funds costs associated with disability. The scheme was legislated in 2013 and went into full operation in 2020. The scheme is administered by the Na ...
. When fully operational in 2018/19, the Federal Government will commit A$3.3 billion and the NSW Government A$3.1 billion to provide individualised care and support to an estimated people with disabilities throughout New South Wales. At a joint media conference with Gillard, O'Farrell praised the efforts of his Minister for Ageing and Disabilities
Andrew Constance Andrew James Constance (born 31 October 1973) is a former Australian politician and was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Bega for the Liberal Party between 2003 and December 2021. Constance served as the New ...
in helping to finalise the deal. On 19 April 2013, O'Farrell expressed support for legalising
same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same Legal sex and gender, sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being ...
, on the ground of individual freedom, after it had been legalised in New Zealand. O'Farrell also urged federal
Opposition leader The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...
Tony Abbott to allow a conscience vote on same-sex marriage in the federal parliament. On 23 April 2013, O'Farrell became the first state premier to sign up to the federal government's Gonski national education reforms, securing A$5 billion in additional funding for the State's schools. In mid-March 2014, the O'Farrell state government's Community Services Minister,
Pru Goward Prudence Jane "Pru" Goward (born 2 September 1952) is a former Australian politician and was a Liberal member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 2007 to 2019, representing the seat of Goulburn. She was the New South Wales Minis ...
, announced the prospective sale of around 300 harbourfront public housing properties under the management of Government Property NSW. Goward explained that the proceeds generated from the sale, expected to be in the hundreds of millions, will be reinvested into the public housing system. Considered historic structures, the harbourfront properties are located at Millers Point, The Rocks and on Gloucester Street, and include the Sirius complex, a high-rise, 79-unit apartment complex near the Harbour Bridge that is an example of
brutalist architecture Brutalist architecture is an architectural style that emerged during the 1950s in the United Kingdom, among the reconstruction projects of the post-war era. Brutalist buildings are characterised by minimalist constructions that showcase the ba ...
. Throughout his political career, O'Farrell was a strong supporter or multiculturalism and as Opposition Leader he sought to actively engage Sydney's ethnic communities. Commentators attributed this to his strong 2011 election victory with Professor Andrew Jakubowic stating: "...the massive margins once enjoyed by Labor in seats such as Lakemba, Auburn, Bankstown, Canterbury, Liverpool and Kogarah may never return, at least at a state level, because of Barry O’Farrell’s appeal to ethnic voters. He could lock in that vote for the Coalition for a long time if he continues to build on his reputation as a moderate". As Premier, O'Farrell implemented the Multicultural Advantage Action Plan 2012–2015. In 2014 O'Farrell took issue with the claim by Federal Attorney General, Senator George Brandis that people 'have a right to be a bigots' stating: "In commendably seeking to protect freedom of speech, we must not lower our defences against the evil of racial and religious intolerance. Bigotry should never be sanctioned, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Vilification on the grounds of race or religion is always wrong. There's no place for inciting hatred within our Australia society."


2014 ICAC investigation and subsequent resignation

In April 2014, O'Farrell appeared as a witness during an investigation by the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption into alleged actions by Australian Water Holdings (AWH). At the inquiry, it was alleged that O'Farrell had received a A$3,000 bottle of Grange Hermitage wine from an AWH executive, which he had failed to declare. O'Farrell initially denied his receipt of the gift, but on the evening of 15 April, he was advised of a "thank you" note, to be presented to the ICAC, that he handwrote for AWH CEO Nick Di Girolamo. The note, presented as an ICAC exhibit, read: "Dear Nick & Jodie, We wanted to thank you for your kind note & the wonderful wine. 1959 was a very good year, even if it is getting even further away! Thanks for all your support. Kind regards." On 16 April 2014, O'Farrell stated in a press conference that he had had "a massive memory fail" and he still could not explain a gift that he had "no recollection of". At a media conference he announced his intention to resign as the Premier of NSW. O'Farrell then re-appeared at ICAC, apologising for his error. The Counsel assisting the Commission reiterated there was no suggestion O'Farrell engaged in corrupt conduct. ICAC's report subsequently cleared him finding that it was satisfied, "that there was no intention on Mr O'Farrell's part to mislead". Responding to subsequent media criticism, the counsel assisting, Geoffrey Watson SC, said that "at a personal level" he was sorry that his questions had unexpectedly resulted in O'Farrell's resignation. On 23 April 2014 Treasurer
Mike Baird Michael Bruce Baird (born 1 April 1968) is an Australian investment banker and former politician who was the 44th Premier of New South Wales, the Minister for Infrastructure, the Minister for Western Sydney, and the Leader of the New South W ...
was elected unopposed as Liberal Party leader and was subsequently sworn in as the 44th NSW Premier. On 24 November 2014, O'Farrell announced his intention not to stand for re-election at the 2015 NSW election, and he retired from politics at that election.


Post-politics career

On 9 June 2015, 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 ...
appointed O'Farrell to be Deputy Chairman of the Australia-India Council, which aims to promote trade and investment ties between the two countries: "Mr O'Farrell's commitment to building deeper economic and community ties between Australia and India is well demonstrated. As Premier of New South Wales, he led annual trade missions to India. He also initiated the sister State relationship between New South Wales and Maharashtra in 2012." He began his term on the council on 1 August. In September 2015, the Federal Social Services Minister,
Scott Morrison Scott John Morrison (; born 13 May 1968) is an Australian politician. He served as the 30th prime minister of Australia and as Leader of the Liberal Party of Australia from 2018 to 2022, and is currently the member of parliament (MP) for t ...
, announced that O'Farrell would also lead a Federal Government review into offshore gambling websites. In February 2016, the Minister for Sport, Stuart Ayres, announced O'Farrell's appointment to the Sydney Cricket Ground Trust. In 2016, O'Farrell also joined the boards of the Royal Flying Doctor Service South Eastern Section (https://www.flyingdoctor.org.au/nswact/) and Obesity Australia (http://www.obesityaustralia.org) In September 2016 NSW Premier Mike Baird announced that O'Farrell had been appointed to the unpaid position of NSW's Special Envoy – India. O'Farrell left these three positions on 31 December 2018 to take on a new not-for-profit role with Diabetes Australia. On 7 December 2016, the Board of Racing Australia announced that O'Farrell had been appointed as the organisation's CEO. He commenced in the full-time position in early 2017. In January 2018, he became inaugural Chair of the New South Wales Rugby League's Foundation Diabetes Australia announced his appointment as its Independent President and Board Chair on 16 January 2019. On 12 March 2019, it was announced that O'Farrell had been appointed Chair of
Wests Tigers The Wests Tigers are an Australian professional Rugby league, rugby league football team, based in the Inner West and South West Sydney. They have competed in the National Rugby League since being formed at the end of the 1999 NRL season as a j ...
, the
NRL The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...
football club


High Commissioner to India

On 18 February 2020, the Minister for Foreign Affairs,
Marise Payne Marise Ann Payne (born 29 July 1964) is an Australian politician who served in the Morrison Government as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2018 to 2022 and as Minister for Women from 2019 to 2022. She has been a Senator for New South Wales si ...
, announced O'Farrell's appointment as Australian High Commissioner to India and non-resident accredited Ambassador to
Bhutan Bhutan (; dz, འབྲུག་ཡུལ་, Druk Yul ), officially the Kingdom of Bhutan,), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is situated in the Eastern Himalayas, between China in the north and India in the south. A mountainous ...
. On 21 May 2020, O'Farrell presented his commission to the President of India,
Ram Nath Kovind Ram Nath Kovind (; born 1 October 1945) is an Indian politician who served as the 14th President of India from 2017 to 2022. He is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He is the second person after K. R. Narayanan, from the Dalit community ...
, in India's first-ever virtual credentials ceremony. On 15 November 2020, O'Farrell sparked an outcry when he met
Mohan Bhagwat Mohan Bhagwat (, Marathi pronunciation: oːɦən bʱaːɡʋət̪ born 11 September 1950) is an activist currently serving as the 6th and current Sarsanghchalak of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in India. He was chosen as the successor to ...
, the leader of the far-right
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ( ; , , ) is an Indian right-wing, Hindu nationalist, paramilitary volunteer organisation. The RSS is the progenitor and leader of a large body of organisations called the Sangh Parivar (Hindi for "Sangh family" ...
(RSS), a paramilitary group which has been implicated in large-scale religious riots and other acts of extremist violence. Despite COVID and lockdowns in Australia and India, O'Farrell oversaw a virtual 'leadership summit' held on 4 June 2020 between the Prime Minister
Scott Morrison Scott John Morrison (; born 13 May 1968) is an Australian politician. He served as the 30th prime minister of Australia and as Leader of the Liberal Party of Australia from 2018 to 2022, and is currently the member of parliament (MP) for t ...
and Indian Prime Minister,
Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (; born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician serving as the 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Parliament from ...
. The summit elevated the Australia/India relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, with eleven accompanying agreements ranging from maritime and defence security through to education and economic co-operation. As high commissioner O'Farrell announced his intention to replace the "3 C's" (cricket, commonwealth and curry) with the "4 Ds" (democracy, defence, diaspora and dosti) in seeking to characterise Australia India relations. On 7 October 2022, O'Farrell presented his credentials as ambassador to the
King of Bhutan The Druk Gyalpo (; 'Dragon King') is the head of state of the Kingdom of Bhutan. In the Dzongkha language, Bhutan is known as ''Drukyul'' which translates as "The Land of the Thunder Dragon". Thus, while kings of Bhutan are known as ''Druk ...
,
Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck ( dz, འཇིགས་མེད་གེ་སར་རྣམ་རྒྱལ་དབང་ཕྱུག་, ; born 21 February 1980) is the Druk Gyalpo (Dzongkha: Dragon King) of the Kingdom of Bhutan. After his ...
, at
Tashichho Dzong Tashichho Dzong ( dz, ) is a Buddhist monastery and fortress on the northern edge of the city of Thimphu in Bhutan, on the western bank of the Wang Chu. It has traditionally been the seat of the Druk Desi (or "Deb Raja"), the head of Bhutan's ci ...
in
Thimphu Thimphu (; dz, ཐིམ་ཕུག ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of Bhutan. It is situated in the western central part of Bhutan, and the surrounding valley is one of Bhutan's ''dzongkhags'', the Thimphu District. The ancient ...
.


Personal and community life

O'Farrell was first married in 1987. The union lasted for less than a year and he seeks to maintain the privacy of his former wife. While working for Bruce Baird in Sydney, O'Farrell met Rosemary Cowan, Baird's personal assistant and the daughter of Bruce Cowan, a former Nationals state and federal politician. O'Farrell and Rosemary Cowan married in late 1992 and had two sons. Soon after becoming a Member of Parliament, he had been nicknamed "Fatty O'Barrel" by political opponents due to his weight. But in the period 2003–2005 O'Farrell is reported to have lost 40–50 kilograms. As a Member of Parliament 1995–2005, O'Farrell was involved in various local organisations including Ku-ring-gai Amateur Swimming Club, the Ku-ring-gai Historical Society and was an honorary Member of the Rotary Club of
Wahroonga Wahroonga is a suburb in the Upper North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, 18 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government areas of Ku-ring-gai Council and Hornsby Shire. ...
. O'Farrell was also Vice Patron of the Sir David Martin Foundation and Patron of the RSPCA NSW Branch. O'Farrell has walked the 110 km long
Kokoda Track The Kokoda Track or Trail is a single-file foot thoroughfare that runs overland – in a straight line – through the Owen Stanley Range in Papua New Guinea (PNG). The track was the location of the 1942 World War II battle between Japanes ...
twice. The first time was in 2008 with his eldest son, and the second time was in 2014, with his youngest son and ''
Seven News ''7NEWS'' is the television news service of the Seven Network and, as of 2021, the highest-rating in Australia. National bulletins are presented from Seven's high-definition television, high definition studios in Martin Place, Sydney, while f ...
'' state political reporter
Lee Jeloscek Lee Jeloscek is an Australian journalist. He is a former reporter for ''Seven News'' in Sydney. Career His career began in 1999, working at '' The Advertiser'' newspaper in Adelaide. He maintained his position there for nearly five years. He ...
. O'Farrell was made an Officer of the
Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...
in the
2020 Australia Day Honours The 2020 Australia Day Honours are appointments to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by Australian citizens. The list was announced on 26 January 2020 by the Governor General of Australia, David Hurley. The Australia ...
for "distinguished service to the people and Parliament of New South Wales, particularly as Premier, and to the community."


External links


Parliamentary Profile


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ofarrell, Barry 1959 births Living people Australian monarchists Australian National University alumni Australian people of Irish descent Australian public servants Leaders of the Opposition in New South Wales Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of New South Wales Officers of the Order of Australia People educated at St John's College, Darwin People from the North Shore, Sydney Politicians from Melbourne Premiers of New South Wales 21st-century Australian politicians High Commissioners of Australia to India Ambassadors of Australia to Bhutan