Murray Patrick Watt (born 20 January 1973) is an Australian politician who has served as Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry in the Albanese government since June 2022. He is a member of the

Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also simply known as Labor, is the major centre-left political party in Australia, one of two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. The party forms the f ...

(ALP) and has been a

Senator 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 ...

for

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 2016 federal election. He previously served 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 ...

from 2009 to 2012.

Early life

Watt 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 ...

on 20 January 1973. His parents were both schoolteachers from working-class backgrounds. He grew up in Brisbane's southern suburbs. Watt was educated at

Brisbane State High School , motto_translation = Knowledge is Power , city = South Brisbane , state = Queensland , country = Australia , coordinates = , type = Public, selective, co-educational, secondary, ...

where he was school captain in 1989. In 1996, he graduated from the

University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...

with the degrees of

Bachelor of Commerce A Bachelor of Commerce (abbreviated BComm or BCom; also, ''baccalaureates commercii'') is an undergraduate degree in business, usually awarded in Canada, Australia, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Ireland, New Zealand, Ghana, South Africa, Myanmar, ...

and

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

. He practised as a solicitor from 1997 to 2002 and was a

judge's associate A judge's associate is an individual who provides assistance to a judge or court. In Australia, a judge's associate (not to be confused with a tipstaff) is a recent law graduate or lawyer who performs various duties to assist a specific judge, ...

from 1999 to 2000. He was then a public servant in the Queensland Department of Premier and Cabinet and the Department of State Development from 2007 to 2009, and chief of staff to

Anna Bligh Anna Maria Bligh (born 14 July 1960) is a lobbyist and former Australian politician who served as the 37th Premier of Queensland, in office from 2007 to 2012 as leader of the Labor Party. She was the first woman to hold either position. In 2 ...

from 2002 to 2007, and again in 2008. He had long been active in the

, serving as president of Queensland Young Labor in 1998 and delegate to various state conferences. Watt was also a senior associate with the Brisbane office of the legal firm

Maurice Blackburn Maurice McCrae Blackburn (19 November 1880 – 31 March 1944) was an Australian politician and socialist lawyer, noted for his protection of the interests of workers and the establishment of the legal firm known as Maurice Blackburn Lawyers. ...

State politics

In 2009, Watt was elected to the

Legislative Assembly of Queensland 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 Assembl ...

for Everton, succeeding

Rod Welford Rodney Jon (Rod) Welford (born 30 September 1958) is an Australian former politician from Queensland. He served as a Labor Party Member of Parliament in the Legislative Assembly of Queensland from 1989 to 2009. Early life Welford was born in ...

, who had retired. He was defeated at the 2012 state election. When

Meaghan Scanlon Meaghan Alana Jenkins Scanlon is an Australian politician and lawyer. She has been the Labor member for Gaven in the Queensland Legislative Assembly since 2017 and is currently serving as the Minister for the Environment and the Great Barrier R ...

was preselected as the Labor candidate for Gaven at the 2017 state election, it was claimed that Watt was the deciding factor and that it was against the wishes of the branch members. One member of the branch claimed "factional politics prior to Murray coming to the Gold Coast didn't happen".

Federal politics

Following the retirement of Senator

Jan McLucas Jan Elizabeth McLucas (born 27 March 1958) is a former Australian politician. McLucas was an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian Senate representing Queensland from 1999 to 2016. McLucas was the Minister for Human Services in the Ru ...

in 2015, Watt was endorsed by the Labor Party as a Senate candidate for Queensland at the 2016 federal election and was subsequently elected. After the 2019 election, Watt was included in Anthony Albanese's shadow ministry as Shadow Minister for Northern Australia and Shadow Minister for Disaster and Emergency Management. In 2021 he was also appointed to the role of Shadow Minister for Queensland Resources. He is also Deputy Opposition Whip in the Senate. Watt is a member of

Labor Left The Labor Left, also known as the Progressive Left or Socialist Left, is political faction of the Australian Labor Party (ALP). It competes with the more economically liberal Labor Right faction. The Labor Left operates autonomously in each s ...

. Re-elected at the 2022 election, Watt became Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and

Minister for Emergency Management The Minister for Emergency Management is an Australian Government cabinet position which is currently held by Murray Watt following the swearing in of the full Albanese ministry on 1 June 2022. In the Government of Australia, the minister adm ...

References

1973 births Living people Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly People educated at Brisbane State High School Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Queensland University of Queensland alumni Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian Senate Members of the Australian Senate for Queensland 21st-century Australian politicians Labor Left politicians Albanese Government {{Australia-Labor-senator-stub