Kim Carr

Senator The Honourable Kim Carr
Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research
In office 1 July 2013 – 18 September 2013
Prime Minister	Kevin Rudd
Preceded by	Greg Combet
Succeeded by	Ian Macfarlane
In office 3 December 2007 – 12 December 2011
Prime Minister	Kevin Rudd Julia Gillard
Preceded by	Ian Macfarlane
Succeeded by	Greg Combet
Minister for Higher Education
In office 1 July 2013 – 18 September 2013
Prime Minister	Kevin Rudd
Preceded by	Craig Emerson
Succeeded by	Christopher Pyne
Minister for Human Services
In office 2 March 2012 – 22 March 2013
Prime Minister	Julia Gillard
Preceded by	Brendan O'Connor
Succeeded by	Jan McLucas
Minister for Defence Materiel
In office 14 December 2011 – 2 March 2012
Prime Minister	Julia Gillard
Preceded by	Jason Clare
Succeeded by	Jason Clare
Minister for Manufacturing
In office 14 December 2011 – 2 March 2012
Prime Minister	Julia Gillard
Preceded by	New office
Succeeded by	Office abolished
Senator for Victoria
Incumbent
Assumed office 28 April 1993
Personal details
Born	Kim John Carr 2 July 1955 Tumut, New South Wales, Australia
Nationality	Australian
Political party	Australian Labor Party
Alma mater	University of Melbourne
Occupation	Politician
Profession	Teacher

Kim John Carr (born 2 July 1955) is an Australian politician. Senator Carr was the Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research and Minister for Higher Education and served in the Second Rudd Cabinet, from July 2013 to September 2013.^[1] He has been an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian Senate since April 1993, representing the state of Victoria. Carr is a leading figure in Labor's left faction. He has previously held a range of ministerial responsibilities between 2007 and 2013, including serving in the First Rudd Cabinet and the first and second Gillard ministries.

Background and early career

Carr was born in Tumut, New South Wales and educated at the University of Melbourne where he obtained Bachelor of Arts with Honours and Master of Arts degrees in History and a Diploma of Education.^[2] He joined the Labor Party in 1975. He was a secondary school teacher for nine years before becoming a political staffer for Victorian government ministers Joan Kirner and Andrew McCutcheon.

Parliamentary career

Carr was elected to the Senate at the March 1993 election, and was due to take his seat on 1 July. When retiring Senator John Button resigned before the expiry of his term, however, Carr was appointed to the resulting casual vacancy on 28 April.^[3]

Carr became a Shadow Parliamentary Secretary in March 1996 in addition to being the Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate until his election to the Opposition Shadow Ministry in November 2001. He was Shadow Minister for Science and Research from then until October 2004. He was also Shadow Minister for Industry and Innovation from July 2003 to October 2004. He has been Shadow Minister for Public Administration and Open Government, Shadow Minister for Indigenous Affairs and Reconciliation and Shadow Minister for the Arts October 2004 to June 2005, when he was appointed Shadow Minister for Housing, Urban Development, Local Government and Territories. He is one of five voting Victorian members of the party's National Executive.

Carr is a leading figure in Labor's left faction.^[4][5][6][7]

After the Labor's victory in the 2007 federal election, the new Prime Minister Kevin Rudd appointed Carr as Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, and he was sworn into office by Governor-General Michael Jeffery on 3 December.^[8]

Carr was re-elected in the 2010 election and retained his portfolio of Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research in the Second Gillard Ministry, which was sworn in on 14 September 2010.^[9] He was dropped from the cabinet on 12 December 2011, amid speculation that it was due to his links with former prime minister Kevin Rudd.^[10] He remained in the outer Ministry however, as Minister for Manufacturing and Minister for Defence Materiel.^[11]

In the Ministerial reshuffle of 2 March 2012, Carr was appointed as Minister for Human Services.^[12] Carr resigned his ministerial portfolio on 22 March 2013 after he supported an unsuccessful attempt to reinstall Kevin Rudd as Labor Leader.

Following a subsequent successful leadership spill where Gillard was defeated, Rudd appointed Carr as the Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, and Minister for Higher Education and member of Cabinet in the Second Rudd Ministry.^[1]

See also

• First Rudd Ministry
• First Gillard Ministry
• Second Gillard Ministry
• Second Rudd Ministry

References

1. "Second Rudd Ministry" (PDF). Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. Commonwealth of Australia. 1 July 2013. Retrieved 3 July 2013.
2. Australian Government. "Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research". Retrieved 24 July 2008.
3. Parliamentary Biography: Kim Carr; Retrieved 16 August 2013
4. "ALP meeting leaves some unhappy" (transcript). PM (ABC Radio) (Australia). 7 October 2002.
5. Factional wars at Victoria's ALP State Conference, PM, ABC, 23 May 2005
6. Ernest Healy (1993), 'Ethnic ALP Branches – The Balkanisation of Labor,' in People and Place, Vol.1, No.4, Page 40
7. Ernest Healy (1995), 'Ethnic ALP Branches – The Balkanisation of Labor Revisited,' People and Place, Vol.3, No.3, p.48-54
8. "Rudd hands out portfolios". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 29 November 2007. Retrieved 24 July 2008.
9. http://www.aph.gov.au/Library/parl/43/ministry/ministry.htm
10. Reported on ABC Radio National news bulletins, 12 December 2011.
11. Gillard, Julia (12 December 2001). "Changes to the Ministry" (Press release). Prime Minister of Australia. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
12. Gillard, Julia (2 March 2012). "Changes to the Ministry" (Press release). Prime Minister of Australia. Retrieved 18 March 2012.

External links

Media related to Kim Carr at Wikimedia Commons

• Ministerial site
• Parliamentary site
• Party site
• Summary of parliamentary voting for Senator Kim Carr on TheyVoteForYou.org.au