Robert Francis McMullan (born 10 December 1947) is an Australian former politician who represented the Australian Labor Party in both the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

and the House of Representatives. He was the first person to represent the Australian Capital Territory in both houses of federal parliament

Early life

McMullan was born in Perth, Western Australia, and educated at

Governor Stirling Senior High School Governor Stirling Senior High School (abbreviated as GSSHS) is a public co-educational partially selective high day school, located in Woodbridge, a north-eastern suburb of Perth, Western Australia. The school provides both a vocational a ...

and the University of Western Australia where he studied economics and arts. Active in the movement against the Vietnam War, he was conscripted for military service in 1968 but successfully argued in court that he was a

conscientious objector A conscientious objector (often shortened to conchie) is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, or religion. The term has also been extended to object ...

. Grattan, Michelle
Labor man for everyman
'' The Age'', 25 March 1981. He became an industrial advocate for the trade unions, joining the Labor Party in 1973.

Labor Party involvement

In 1975, McMullan became the Labor Party's Western Australian State Secretary. In 1981, he was elected National Secretary of the Labor Party and he directed the ALP's three successful election campaigns in 1983, 1984 and 1987. He remains the most successful National Secretary of the Labor Party ever.

Parliamentary career

On 16 February 1988, McMullan was chosen by a joint sitting of the House of Representatives and the Senate to fill a casual vacancy in the representation of the Australian Capital Territory in the Senate, caused by the resignation of Susan Ryan. This was the second (and last) time that a territory senate vacancy was filled in this way. McMullan was Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer 1990–93, Minister for the Arts and Minister for Administrative Services 1993–94, Minister for Administrative Services 1994 and Minister for Trade 1994–96 in the government of Paul Keating. As Arts Minister he was shadowed by Opposition leader John Hewson who had appointed himself as Shadow Arts Minister. On 6 February 1996 he resigned his Senate seat in order to contest the Division of Canberra in the House of Representatives at the March election; he was successful. The Keating government having been defeated by John Howard, Labor went into opposition and McMullan was elected as a member of the Opposition Shadow Ministry. In 1998, following a redistribution, McMullan moved to the neighbouring seat of Fraser. McMullan became Manager of Opposition Business (opposite number to the Leader of the House) in 1998, and following Labor's 2001 electoral defeat he was made Shadow Treasurer. In July 2003 McMullan was replaced as Shadow Treasurer by Mark Latham and relegated to the post of Shadow Minister for Finance, taking on additional responsibility for Reconciliation and Indigenous Affairs. McMullan then became Shadow Minister for Finance and Shadow Minister for Small Business. In Question Time in Parliament, McMullan gained a reputation for repeatedly asking the same question in different words if he did not get a direct answer. After the 2004 election, McMullan did not stand for election to the Shadow Cabinet, in what was widely seen as an expression of lack of confidence in the leadership of Mark Latham. Following the election of Kevin Rudd on 4 December 2006 as Opposition Leader in place of Kim Beazley, McMullan returned to the front bench in the junior role of Labor spokesperson on Federal-State Relations, the reform of which was one of Rudd's declared priorities. In the

2007 federal election This electoral calendar 2007 lists the national/federal direct elections held in 2007 in the de jure and de facto sovereign states and their dependent territories. Referendums are included, although they are not elections. By-elections are not i ...

McMullan held his seat of Fraser, albeit with a two-party preferred swing to Labor of less than 2%, one-third of the national average swing to Labor. When the First Rudd Ministry was sworn in on 3 December 2007, McMullan was given the junior post of Parliamentary Secretary for International Development Assistance. On 19 January 2010, McMullan announced he would not contest the next federal election.McMullan to quit politics
, '' The Canberra Times'', 19 January 2010. He retired prior to the 2010 federal election.

External links

Biographical and other Details on Official Labor Party Web Site
accessed 15 September 2008.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McMullan, Bob 1947 births Living people Australian conscientious objectors Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian Senate Members of the Australian Senate for the Australian Capital Territory Members of the Cabinet of Australia Members of the Australian House of Representatives Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Canberra Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Fraser (ACT) 21st-century Australian politicians 20th-century Australian politicians Australian Labor Party officials