Philip Ruddock

Philip Maxwell Ruddock (born 12 March 1943) is an Australian politician who served as the 32nd Attorney-General of Australia from 2003 to 2007 under prime minister John Howard. A member of the Liberal Party, he was elected to the House of Representatives from 1973 to 2016; by the time of his retirement Ruddock was the last Member of Parliament (MP) to have sat during the Whitlam and Fraser governments. He was both the Father of the House and the Father of the Parliament from 1998 to retirement. He is the second longest-serving parliamentarian in the history of the Australian Parliament; only Billy Hughes has served longer.

First elected in a by-election in Parramatta, Ruddock held the seat of Dundas from 1977 to 1993, then that of Berowra. He served continuously in the ministry during the Howard government, as Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs from 1996 to 2001 (promoted to the federal Cabinet in 2003), Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs from 2001 to 2003, and Attorney-General from 2003 to 2007. As Immigration Minister, Ruddock played a central role in implementing the Pacific Solution in 2001.

In 2016 Ruddock was appointed the Australian Special Envoy for Human Rights. He later served as Mayor of Hornsby Shire Council from 2017 to 2024. He is a Vice Chair of the Global Panel Foundation Australasia.