Patrick Martin Conroy (born 10 May 1979) is an Australian politician. 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 the Labor Left faction and has been a member of the
House of Representatives
House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
since 2013. He represented the
Division of Charlton
The Division of Charlton was an Australian electoral division in the state of New South Wales. The division was created in 1984 and is named for Matthew Charlton, who was Leader of the Australian Labor Party 1922–28.
The division was locate ...
in New South Wales until its abolition in 2016, and since then has represented the
Division of Shortland
The Division of Shortland is an Australian electoral division in the state of New South Wales.
Geography
Since 1984, federal electoral division boundaries in Australia have been determined at redistributions by a redistribution committee appo ...
. He is currently the
Minister for Defence Industry
In the Government of Australia, the Minister for Defence Industry is currently the Hon Pat Conroy MP since 1 June 2022, following the Australian federal election in 2022.
The Minister for Defence Industry, or previously the Minister of Supply ...
and
Minister for International Development and the Pacific
The Minister for Foreign Affairs (commonly shortened to Foreign Minister) is the minister in the Government of Australia who is responsible for overseeing the international diplomacy section of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Senato ...
.
Early life
Conroy was born in
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
,
[ however he moved to the Central Coast of New South Wales when he was one year old. His parents were "union delegates throughout their lives and long-time Labor activists".] He was born a British citizen by descent through his father, who was born in Bishop Auckland
Bishop Auckland () is a market town and civil parish at the confluence of the River Wear and the River Gaunless in County Durham, northern England. It is northwest of Darlington and southwest of Durham.
Much of the town's early history surro ...
, County Durham, England. He renounced his dual citizenship before standing at the 2013 election in accordance with section 44 of the constitution.
Conroy attended Ettalong Public School and Gosford High School. Growing up he played for the Woy Woy Football Club and the Gosford Rugby Club. Conroy holds the degree of Bachelor of Economics
The Bachelor of Economics (BEc or BEcon),
or the "Bachelor of Applied Economics", is a bachelor's degree awarded by many universities and colleges for completion of an undergraduate program in economics, econometrics, or applied economics;
the ...
(Hons.
Honours degree has various meanings in the context of different degrees and education systems. Most commonly it refers to a variant of the Undergraduate education, undergraduate bachelor's degree containing a larger volume of material or a high ...
) from the University of Sydney
The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...
. He joined the ALP in 1994 and served as a state and federal vice-president of Australian Young Labor Australian Young Labor, also known as the Young Labor Movement or simply Young Labor, is the youth wing of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) representing all ALP members aged between 15 to 26. The organisation operates as a federation with independen ...
from 2003 to 2004. Prior to entering parliament, he worked as an electorate officer for Anthony Albanese
Anthony Norman Albanese ( or ; born 2 March 1963) is an Australian politician serving as the 31st and current prime minister of Australia since 2022. He has been leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) since 2019 and the member of parlia ...
(2000), an industrial/policy officer with the CFMEU
The Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union (CFMMEU, though most commonly still referred to as CFMEU) is Australia's main trade union in construction, forestry, maritime, mining, energy, textile, clothing and footwear producti ...
's forestry division (2000–2002), a policy adviser to George Campbell (2002–2004), national economist to the Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union
The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU), or more fully the Automotive, Food, Metals, Engineering, Printing and Kindred Industries Union, is an Australian trade union. The AMWU represents a broad range of workers in the manufacturing se ...
(2004–2008), and as principal policy adviser (2008–2011) and deputy chief of staff (2011–2013) to Greg Combet
Gregory Ivan Combet (; born 28 April 1958) is a former Australian politician and trade unionist. He was Secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions between 1999 and 2007. He was elected member for the New South Wales Federal seat of Ch ...
.
Parliament
Conroy was elected to parliament at the 2013 federal election, retaining the Division of Charlton
The Division of Charlton was an Australian electoral division in the state of New South Wales. The division was created in 1984 and is named for Matthew Charlton, who was Leader of the Australian Labor Party 1922–28.
The division was locate ...
for the Labor Party following Greg Combet's retirement. He transferred to the Division of Shortland
The Division of Shortland is an Australian electoral division in the state of New South Wales.
Geography
Since 1984, federal electoral division boundaries in Australia have been determined at redistributions by a redistribution committee appo ...
at the 2016 election, following Charlton's abolition. After the election he was appointed to Bill Shorten
William Richard Shorten (born 12 May 1967) is an Australian politician currently serving as Minister for Government Services and Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme since 2022. He previously served as leader of the opposition a ...
's shadow ministry as an assistant minister for the portfolios of infrastructure and climate change and energy. He retained his place in Anthony Albanese
Anthony Norman Albanese ( or ; born 2 March 1963) is an Australian politician serving as the 31st and current prime minister of Australia since 2022. He has been leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) since 2019 and the member of parlia ...
's shadow ministry after the 2019 election, and was promoted to Shadow Minister for International Development and the Pacific as well as minister assisting in the portfolios of climate change, defence and government accountability.[
Conroy is aligned with the ALP's Socialist Left faction, and serves as one of the two federal parliamentary convenors of the ]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 ...
faction, along with Andrew Giles.
References
External links
*
Profile at TheyVoteForYou.org.au
1979 births
Living people
Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Australia
Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Charlton
Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Shortland
Members of the Australian House of Representatives
Australian economists
University of Sydney alumni
Labor Left politicians
21st-century Australian politicians
Australian people of English descent
People who lost British citizenship
Citizens of the United Kingdom through descent
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