Christopher Ronald Ketter (born 12 February 1961) is a former Australian politician who represented

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_ ...

for 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 ...

in the

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 1 July 2014, elected at the 2013 election, until 30 June 2019.

Early life

Ketter was born in Brisbane and grew up in the suburb of Holland Park. He holds the degrees of Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Arts (Economics) from University of Queensland. Ketter worked for the

Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association The Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees' Association (SDA) is the largest private sector trade union in Australia, representing retail, fast-food and warehousing workers, and has branches in every state and territory. Its membership is pre ...

(SDA) from 1982 until his election to the Senate in 2014, initially as a research officer and ultimately as Queensland Branch Secretary from 1996.

Political career

In addition to serving as the Deputy Opposition Whip in the Senate, Ketter was the Chair of the Senate Economics References Committee from October 2015. In this capacity, Ketter led Senate Inquiries into high profile issues such as Corporate Tax Avoidance, the Cooperatives and Mutuals sector, the Dairy Industry, and Non-conforming Building products, including asbestos and flammable cladding. In 2016, Ketter sought to amplify regional voices within the Queensland Branch of the Labor Party by co-founding Labor for the Regions, now Regional Labor. In 2018, he Chaired an inquiry into the indicators of, and impact of, regional inequality in Australia. Ketter was active on many Senate committees, including: * Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters * Joint Statutory Committee on Public Accounts and Audit * Joint Statutory Committee on Corporations and Financial Services Ketter was known for his social conservatism, including opposition to euthanasia. Ketter was one of only two Labor Senators (along with Helen Polley) to vote against the

Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Act 2017 The ''Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Act 2017'' (Cth) is an Act of the Parliament of Australia, which legalises same-sex marriage in Australia by amending the '' Marriage Act 1961'' to allow marriage between two persons o ...

, which legalised same-sex marriage in Australia.

Post-politics

In July 2023, the Minister for Trade announced Ketter’s appointment as Consul-General and Senior Trade and Investment Commissioner in San Francisco.

References

External links

Parliamentary Profile

Summary of parliamentary voting for Senator Chris Ketter on TheyVoteForYou.org.au
1961 births Living people Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Australia Labor Right politicians Members of the Australian Senate for Queensland Members of the Australian Senate Trade unionists from Queensland University of Queensland alumni 21st-century Australian politicians {{Australia-Labor-senator-stub