Elected to the House of Representatives for Werriwa, New South Wales, at by-election 29.1.1994 vice the Hon. JC Kerin (resigned). Re-elected 1996, 1998, 2001 and 2004. Resigned 21.1.2005.

House of Representatives Standing: Banking, Finance and Public Administration from 9.2.94 to 29.1.96; Legal and Constitutional Affairs from 9.2.94 to 29.1.96; Financial Institutions and Public Administration from 29.5.96 to 31.8.98; Economics, Finance and Public Administration from 8.12.98 to 11.12.02; Employment, Education and Training from 19.6.97 to 31.8.98.

Joint Statutory: Native Title from 10.5.94 to 29.3.95; Native Title and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Land Fund from 29.3.95 to 29.1.96; Corporations and Securities from 18.6.96 to 19.6.97.

Member, Parliamentary Delegation to the European Institutions and bilateral visit to Spain, September-October 1995.

Commonwealth Parliamentary Visit, UK, May 1999.

Study tour, India, Europe and the Middle East, January 2001; UK, September 2002; February-March 2003.

Member, Parliamentary Delegation to Vietnam and Indonesia, September 2002.

Official visits to Papua New Guinea, February 2004; New Zealand, April 2004.

Member, Opposition Shadow Ministry from 19.3.96 to 19.10.98 and from 22.11.01 to 18.1.05. Shadow Minister for Competition Policy, Assistant to the Shadow Treasurer and Shadow Minister for Local Government from 20.3.96 to 27.3.97; Shadow Minister for Education and Youth Affairs from 27.3.97 to 19.10.98; Shadow Assistant Treasurer and Shadow Minister for Economic Ownership from 25.11.01 to 23.8.02; Shadow Minister for Urban and Regional Development from 25.11.01 to 23.8.02; Shadow Minister for Economic Ownership, Housing and Urban Development and Community Security from 23.8.02 to 2.7.03; Shadow Treasurer from 2.7.03 to 8.12.03.

Manager of Opposition Business in the House from 16.6.03 to 8.12.03.

Leader of the Federal Parliamentary Labor Party from 2.12.03 to 18.1.05.

Member, ALP from 1979.

Various branch executive and delegate positions.

Born 28.2.1961, Sydney, NSW.

Married.

BEc (Hons) (Syd).

Barman.

Research assistant and consultant.

Councillor, Liverpool City Council 1987-94; Mayor 1991-94.

Reviving Labor's Agenda: a program for local reform, Leichhardt, NSW: Pluto Press, 1990.

Social capital: the individual, civil society and the state (co-author), St Leonards, NSW: Centre for Independent Studies, 1997.

Civilising global capital: new thinking for Australian Labor, St Leonards, NSW: Allen and Unwin, 1998.

What did you learn today?: creating an education revolution, Crows Nest, NSW: Allen and Unwin, 2001.

The enabling state: putting people before democracy, Sydney, NSW: Pluto Press, 2001.

Description: outer metropolitan.

Location: south-western outskirts of Sydney; it includes the suburbs of Austral, Cartwright, Casula, Cecil Hills, Denham Court, Edmondson Park, Glenfield, Green Valley, Hinchinbrook, Hoxton Park, Ingleburn, Kemps Creek, Lurnea, Macquarie Fields, Miller, Minto, Prestons, Raby, St Andrews and Varroville, and parts of Leumeah.

Area: 148 sq km (approx.).

Electors enrolled: 89 764 (at 9.10.04).

Industries: light industries.

State electorates: Werriwa includes the New South Wales Legislative Assembly electorate of Macquarie Fields, and parts of Camden, Campbelltown and Liverpool.