Ian Gordon Campbell (born 22 May 1959) is a former Australian politician who served as a Senator for

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

from 1990 to 2007, representing the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

. He was a minister in the Howard Government from 2003 to 2007.

Early life

Campbell was born in

Perth, Western Australia Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...

and lived for a time in Brisbane where he attended Brisbane Grammar School. He was a commercial and industrial property consultant and company director before entering politics.

Politics

Campbell was chosen by the parliament of Western Australia on 16 May 1990 to replace retiring Senator

Fred Chaney Frederick Michael Chaney, AO (born 28 October 1941) is a former Australian politician who was deputy leader of the Liberal Party from 1989 to 1990 and served as a minister in the Fraser Government. He was a Senator for Western Australia from ...

. He was elected in his own right in 1993, 1998 and 2004. He was a member of the Opposition Shadow Ministry 1994–96. In government, he served in numerous roles: Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Environment (1996); Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Sport, Territories and Local Government (1996); Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the Senate (1996); Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer (1996–98); Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts (1998–2001); and Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer (2001–03). He was responsible for overseeing the federal government's preparations for the Y2K bug. He was involved in presenting the bill that became the ''

Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 The ''Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999'' (Cth) is an Act of the Parliament of Australia that provides a framework for protection of the Australian environment, including its biodiversity and its natural and cult ...

''. Campbell also later served as

Minister for Local Government, Territories and Roads Minister for Local Government, Territories and Roads was a position within the Australian federal government from 7 October 2003 until 3 December 2007. The outer ministry position of Minister for Local Government, Territories and Roads was create ...

(2003–04), Minister for the Environment and Heritage (2004–07), and Minister for Human Services (2007).

Minister for the Environment and Heritage (2004–07)

In July 2004, a pre-election reshuffle saw Campbell become Minister for the Environment and Heritage. In this role, he acknowledged the need for action on

climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to ...

but argued that it was important to consider environmental issues in an economic context. Amid growing community concern over the issue, he also argued for a "post-Kyoto arrangement that is effective" and a "portfolio approach" to the issue, rejecting the notion of "silver bullet" solutions. Campbell was a vigorous critic of

whaling Whaling is the process of hunting of whales for their usable products such as meat and blubber, which can be turned into a type of oil that became increasingly important in the Industrial Revolution. It was practiced as an organized industr ...

. Through the

International Whaling Commission The International Whaling Commission (IWC) is a specialised regional fishery management organisation, established under the terms of the 1946 International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW) to "provide for the proper conservation ...

, he actively campaigned against commercial and "

scientific Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...

" whaling. In 2006, Campbell drew criticism for blocking a wind farm project in south-eastern Victoria on the basis that it may pose a risk to the critically endangered

orange-bellied parrot The orange-bellied parrot (''Neophema chrysogaster'') is a small parrot endemic to southern Australia, and one of only three species of parrot that migrate. It was described by John Latham in 1790. A small parrot around long, it exhibits sex ...

. Commentators and the opposition rejected the decision as inconsistent and politically motivated. In 2006, Campbell was criticised for the approval of the

Cloud Break mine The Cloudbreak mine is an iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, 89 kilometres west-south-west of Nullagine, in the Chichester Range. The mine is fully owned and operated by the Fortescue Metals Group (FMG) and is ...

in the

Pilbara The Pilbara () is a large, dry, thinly populated region in the north of Western Australia. It is known for its Aboriginal peoples; its ancient landscapes; the red earth; and its vast mineral deposits, in particular iron ore. It is also a g ...

region of Western Australia, because of the number of endangered species in the area of the future mine, among them the incredibly rare

night parrot The night parrot (''Pezoporus occidentalis'') is a small parrot endemic to the continent of Australia. It has also been known as porcupine parrot, nocturnal ground parakeet, midnight cockatoo, solitaire, spinifex parrot and night parakeet. It i ...

Minister for Human Services (2007)

In January 2007, a cabinet reshuffle saw Campbell appointed Minister for Human Services, which was elevated to a cabinet position. However, on 3 March 2007, Campbell resigned after revelations he had met disgraced former Western Australian Premier Brian Burke. The resignation came in the midst of Liberal Party attacks on Opposition leader

Kevin Rudd Kevin Michael Rudd (born 21 September 1957) is an Australian former politician and diplomat who served as the 26th prime minister of Australia from 2007 to 2010 and again from June 2013 to September 2013, holding office as the leader of the ...

for also having met with Mr Burke, and was seen as a strategy to pressure and undermine Rudd. Prime Minister

John Howard John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian former politician who served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007, holding office as leader of the Liberal Party. His eleven-year tenure as prime minister is the ...

defended Campbell from charges of any moral wrongdoing, despite deputy leader

Peter Costello Peter Howard Costello (born 14 August 1957) is an Australian businessman, lawyer and former politician who served as the treasurer of Australia in government of John Howard from 1996 to 2007. He is the longest-serving treasurer in Australia' ...

's claim in Parliament that anyone who dealt with Brian Burke was morally compromised. Campbell announced his retirement from politics on 4 May 2007, saying that the Prime Minister had told him the door was still open for a return to the cabinet, but that he had decided to pursue a career in the private sector. The Liberal Party in Western Australia chose

Mathias Cormann Mathias Hubert Paul Cormann (; ; born 20 September 1970) is a Belgian-born Australian politician and diplomat who currently serves as Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), having assumed the off ...

to take his place. Campbell formally resigned his Senate seat on 31 May 2007.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Campbell, Ian 1959 births Living people Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Cabinet of Australia Members of the Australian Senate for Western Australia Members of the Australian Senate 21st-century Australian politicians 20th-century Australian politicians Government ministers of Australia Australian monarchists