Information AboutAndrew Barr |
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Barr was born in Lismore , New South Wales , but was raised in Canberra , attending the AME School, Turner Primary School , Lyneham High School and Lake Ginninderra College . He studied political science, economics and economic history at the Australian National University , where he became involved in student politics, serving as Treasurer of the Australian National University Students' Association and as a director on the board of the Australian National University Union . After graduating in 1995 , he worked for federal MP Annette Ellis and (then) ACT Opposition Leader Jon Stanhope before embarking on a career change to the private sector in 1999 as a media analyst and account manager. He returned to politics in 2002 as Senior Adviser to Government Whip John Hargreaves . Following Hargreaves' election to the Ministry in November 2004, as Minister for Police and Emergency Services, Barr was appointed chief-of-staff - a position he held until his election to parliament in April 2006. In early 2004 , Barr successfully won pre-selection for the Labor ticket in the seven-member Molonglo electorate, which includes Barr's suburb of Braddon . He campaigned largely on financial management, housing affordability and urban infrastructure issues, such as balanced territory budgets, tax concessions for first home buyers, inner city parking permits and footpath and street lighting upgrades, while also expressing support for gay law reform, the reproductive rights of women, multiculturalism and refugees. Barr polled strongly in inner city booths and ultimately found himself in contention for the seventh and final Molonglo seat, along with Liberals Jacqui Burke and Zed Seselja and fellow Labor candidate Mike Hettinger, but narrowly missed out, coming in ninth overall. Barr continued working for Hargreaves after the election, but received a second chance at entering the Assembly when Treasurer Ted Quinlan , a close political ally, resigned for health and personal reasons in March 2006 . The resulting countback saw the redistribution of Quinlan's first preference votes, and as the two had campaigned together, Barr was the favourite to take the seat from the beginning. He ultimately finished with 5318 votes, a significant majority of 1089 over nearest rival Kim Sattler (who, in a surprise result, outpolled Hettinger). Quinlan's resignation from the Assembly sparked a ministerial reshuffle, and Barr was heavily tipped to take Quinlan's place in the ministry. He duly nominated for the position, easily outpolling fellow MLAs Karin MacDonald and Mary Porter . As a result, he immediately entered the ministry upon taking his seat, and was assigned the education, training, industrial relations, sport and tourism portfolios. Barr's first major task in his new portfolio will likely be dealing with the end of a bitter industrial dispute over teachers' working conditions. EXTERNAL LINK |
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