Christian Porter

The Honourable Christian Porter MP
Minister for Social Services
Incumbent
Assumed office 21 September 2015
Prime Minister	Malcolm Turnbull
Preceded by	Scott Morrison
Member of the Australian Parliament for Pearce
Incumbent
Assumed office 7 September 2013
Preceded by	Judi Moylan
Treasurer of Western Australia
In office 14 December 2010 – 12 June 2012
Preceded by	Colin Barnett
Succeeded by	Colin Barnett
Attorney-General of Western Australia
In office 23 September 2008 – 12 June 2012
Preceded by	Jim McGinty
Succeeded by	Norman Moore
Member of the Western Australian Parliament for Murdoch
In office 23 February 2008 – 23 September 2008
Preceded by	Trevor Sprigg
Succeeded by	none (abolished)
Member of the Western Australian Parliament for Bateman
In office 23 September 2008 – 9 March 2013
Preceded by	Constituency Created
Succeeded by	Matt Taylor
Personal details
Born	11 July 1970[1] Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Nationality	Australian
Political party	Liberal Party
Spouse(s)	Jennifer Porter[2]
Alma mater	University of Western Australia London School of Economics
Profession	Lawyer

Charles Christian Porter (born 11 July 1970) is an Australian politician who is the current Liberal Party member for the federal Division of Pearce since the 2013 federal election. Porter was a Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister in the Abbott Government from December 2014, before being promoted to Minister for Social Services in the Turnbull Government from September 2015.^[3][4]

Before his election to the federal parliament, Porter had served in the Parliament of Western Australia. He first entered the Legislative Assembly after winning the seat of Murdoch in a 2008 by-election following the death of the sitting member, Trevor Sprigg, and he was subsequently elected to the new seat of Bateman at the 2008 general election. After the Liberals formed government, Porter was appointed Attorney-General in the Barnett ministry. In December 2010, he was also appointed Treasurer, and held both portfolios until June 2012, when he resigned from the ministry to contest the 2013 federal election.

From Perth, Porter attended the University of Western Australia and later the London School of Economics, and practised law at Clayton Utz and taught law at the University of Western Australia before his election to parliament. He is the son of the 1956 Olympic silver medalist, Charles "Chilla" Porter, and the grandson of Queensland Liberal political, Charles Porter, who was a member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly from 1966 to 1980.^[5][6]

Political career

At the 2008 election, Porter contested and won the newly created seat of Bateman following the abolition of the seat of Murdoch in the 2007 redistribution. He was appointed Attorney-General and Minister for Corrective Services after the election,^[7] having held the equivalent shadow portfolios prior to the election.^[8]

On 14 December 2010, Porter was sworn in as Treasurer of Western Australia. He retained the portfolio of Attorney General, while the Corrective Services portfolio was transferred to Terry Redman.

On 12 June 2012, he announced he was stepping down from his ministerial portfolios to contest the seat of Pearce at the 2013 Australian federal election.^[9]

On 20 September 2015, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced that Porter would replace Scott Morrison as Social Services Minister as part of a Cabinet overhaul^[10]

Legal career

Prior to entering Parliament, Porter worked predominantly as a lawyer, starting as a commercial litigator at Clayton Utz before moving to public practice. He spent a year as an advisor to the Federal Minister for Justice and then began working for the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions as a senior state prosecutor. Before his election in 2008, Porter was working as a lecturer at the University of Western Australia as well as retaining, part-time, his position as senior prosecutor at the DPP.^[2]

Education

Porter was educated at the University of Western Australia where he graduated Bachelor of Economics and Bachelor of Arts with first-class honours in politics, before completing a Bachelor of Laws degree. Porter later studied at the London School of Economics for a Master of Science in political theory, from which he graduated at the top of his class with distinction.

Family

Porter's father was Charles "Chilla" Porter, who during the 1970s and 1980s was director of Western Australia's Liberal Party.^[6] His grandfather, Sir Charles Robert Porter, was a Queensland Liberal state MP between 1966 and 1980 and served in the ministry of Joh Bjelke-Petersen.^[6]

References

1. WA Parliament bio
2. "Christian Porter Biography". Christian Porter: Federal Member for Pearce. Retrieved 2015-11-07.
3. Taylor, Lenore (21 December 2014). "Tony Abbott cabinet reshuffle moves Scott Morrison out of immigration". Guardian Australia. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
4. "Tony Abbott's revamped Ministry sworn in at Government House". news.com.au (News Corp Australia). 23 December 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
5. "First Speech: Hon Christian Porter MP". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 2015-11-07.
6. Poprzeczny, Joseph (7 July 2012). "Promising WA MP's Canberra bid". News Weekly. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
7. Anglie Raphael, Christian Porter is given the role of Shadow Attorney General, Melville times community, 18 March 2008, p.3
8. Tullberg, Julie (23 February 2008). "SMH Online News – Porter claims win in Murdoch by-election". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2008-06-12.
9. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-06-12/treasurer-christian-porter-quits-portfolios/4066142?section=wa
10. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-09-20/malcolm-turnbull-announces-new-cabinet/6790098