Mark Lionel Furner (born 11 April 1958) is an Australian politician. He was a

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 labour ...

member of

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 2008 to 2014, 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_ ...

. Since the

2015 Queensland state election The 2015 Queensland state election was held on 31 January 2015 to elect all 89 members of the unicameral Legislative Assembly of Queensland. The centre-right Liberal National Party (LNP), led by Premier Campbell Newman, attempted to win a s ...

, he has represented Ferny Grove in the

Queensland Legislative Assembly The Legislative Assembly of Queensland is the sole chamber of the unicameral Parliament of Queensland established under the Constitution of Queensland. Elections are held every four years and are done by full preferential voting. The Assembly ...

Early life and education

Furner was born in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

, Queensland and grew up a housing commission development in . Initially working as a tradesman in the transport industry, he graduated from the

Queensland University of Technology Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is a public research university located in the urban coastal city of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. QUT is located on two campuses in the Brisbane area viz. Gardens Point and Kelvin Grove. The univ ...

with an associate diploma of business with a major in industrial relations. Between 1989 and 2008 he worked as a union official for the Transport Workers' Union, the

Queensland Police The Queensland Police Service (QPS) is the principal law enforcement agency responsible for policing the Australian state of Queensland. In 1990, the Queensland Police Force was officially renamed the Queensland Police Service and the old motto ...

Union, and the

National Union of Workers The National Union of Workers was an Australian trade union formed in 1989. History The National Union of Workers of Australia was formed by a progressive amalgamation of unions from 1989 onwards in a time when all Australian unions were merging ...

. Furner held a range of positions within the Labor Party between 1996 and 2008.

Career

He was elected to the Senate at 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 ...

as the third candidate of the Labor Party Senate ticket in Queensland. He was defeated at the 2013 federal election and his term ended on 30 June 2014. He won the seat of Ferny Grove representing Labor at the

. On 10 February 2017, Furner was appointed to the posts of Minister for Local Government and Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships in a Cabinet reshuffle announced by Premier

Annastacia Palaszczuk Annastacia Palaszczuk ( , Polish: Annastacia Pałaszczuk, ; born 25 July 1969) is an Australian politician who has been the 39th premier of Queensland since 2015 and the leader of the Queensland branch of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) since ...

. In December 2017, Furner was sworn in as Queensland's Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries. He retained this portfolio following the swearing in of the

Third Palaszczuk Ministry The Third Palaszczuk Ministry is a ministry of the Government of Queensland led by Annastacia Palaszczuk Annastacia Palaszczuk ( , Polish: Annastacia Pałaszczuk, ; born 25 July 1969) is an Australian politician who has been the 39th premier ...

in November 2020.

Personal life

Furner is married to Lorraine and they have three children; Troy, Stacey and Sally.

References

External links

Personal website
1958 births Living people Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian Senate Members of the Australian Senate for Queensland Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Queensland 21st-century Australian politicians Labor Right politicians {{Australia-Labor-senator-stub

Early life and education

Career

Personal life

See also

References

External links