Jason Clare

The Honourable Jason Clare MP
Shadow Minister for Communications
Incumbent
Assumed office 18 October 2013
Leader	Bill Shorten
Preceded by	Malcolm Turnbull
Minister for Justice
In office 14 December 2011 – 18 September 2013
Prime Minister	Julia Gillard Kevin Rudd
Preceded by	Brendan O'Connor
Succeeded by	Michael Keenan
Minister for Home Affairs
In office 14 December 2011 – 18 September 2013
Prime Minister	Julia Gillard Kevin Rudd
Preceded by	Brendan O'Connor
Succeeded by	Position abolished
Minister for Defence Materiel
In office 1 March 2012 – 4 February 2013
Prime Minister	Julia Gillard
Preceded by	Kim Carr
Succeeded by	Mike Kelly
In office 14 September 2010 – 14 December 2011
Preceded by	Greg Combet
Succeeded by	Kim Carr
Member of the Australian Parliament for Blaxland
Incumbent
Assumed office 24 November 2007
Preceded by	Michael Hatton
Personal details
Born	22 March 1972 Sydney, Australia
Political party	Labor Party
Spouse(s)	Louise Tran (m. December 2012)[1]
Alma mater	University of New South Wales

Jason Dean Clare (born 22 March 1972)^[2] is the Australian Labor Party member of the Australian House of Representatives for the seat of Blaxland in the western suburbs of Sydney. He first won the seat at the 2007 Australian federal election, and retained it with clear majorities at both the 2010 and 2013 elections.^[3] Clare filled various positions in the Second Gillard (2010–2013) and Second Rudd Ministries (2013), namely Minister for Defence Materiel, Minister for Justice, and Minister for Home Affairs. Following Labor's loss at the 2013 election, he was named Shadow Minister for Communications in the Shadow Cabinet led first by Chris Bowen and then by the current Leader of the Opposition, Bill Shorten.

Early life and career

Clare was born and raised in western Sydney and attended Cabramatta Primary School and Canley Vale High School. He was the dux of Canley Vale High School in 1989. When he left school he joined the Labor Party and was the secretary of the Cabramatta Branch for 10 years (1992 to 2002). He has a BA (Hons) and an LLB (law degree) from the University of New South Wales. He was a senior adviser to former NSW Premier Bob Carr and an executive at Transurban, one of Australia's Top 100 companies.^[3]

Politics

The safe Labor seat Blaxland was the electorate of Prime Minister Paul Keating from 1969 to 1996. From 1996 to 2007 it was held by Michael Hatton, who lost his Labor preselection for the 2007 election in May of that year and was replaced by Clare.^[3][4][5] Clare also competed for preselection against George Williams, who had been "anointed by the ALP executive", had the "blessing of [former Prime Minister] Gough Whitlam" and whose chances had been "talked up" by ABC news reports.^[6] Clare won Blaxland^[7] in the 2007 federal election. Although the seat had a redistribution in 2006, it is likely that the redistribution has made the seat safer for Labor.^[8][9] Clare does not live in his electorate but in neighbouring Banks.^[10]

Clare has been touted as a future ALP leader but has denied any interest in becoming leader.^[11]

Ministerial appointments

Clare was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Employment in June 2009. Following the intra-party power struggle that saw Julia Gillard become Prime Minister, Clare was promoted into the Ministry and appointed Minister for Defence Materiel in September 2010.^[12]

On 12 December 2011, Clare was appointed Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Justice^[13] and in the March 2012 reshuffle he again picked up the portfolio of Defence Materiel.^[14]

See also

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

References

1. Jones, Gemma (2012-10-27). "Asylum minister Jason Clare to wed migrant's daughter Louise Tran". The Australian. Retrieved 2015-09-10.
2. "The Hon Jason Clare MP". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
3. "Hatton dumped for former Carr adviser". Canterbury-Bankstown Express. 8 May 2007. Retrieved 24 September 2007.
4. "Combet confirmed as federal Labor candidate". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 5 May 2007. Retrieved 24 September 2007.
5. Walsh, Kerry-Anne (6 May 2007). "ALP's new faces have a strangely familiar look". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 24 September 2007.
6. Lane, Bernard (15 August 2007). "Former contender becomes adviser". Higher Education. The Australian. Retrieved 24 September 2007.
7. "Blaxland". Divisional profile. Australian Electoral Commission. 2007. Retrieved 24 September 2007.
8. Carr, Adam (2007). "Division of Blaxland". Adam Carr's guide to the 2007 Australian federal election. Retrieved 24 September 2007.
9. Green, Antony (28 September 2007). "Blaxland". ABC Elections: Australia votes 2007: Antony Green's Election Guide. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 29 September 2007. Very Safe Labor 15.2%... Redistribution: Labor's margin rises from 12.9% to 15.3%.
10. "How local is local? The 12 MPs who don't live in the seats they're trying to win". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2016-05-17.
11. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/education-not-leadership-for-me-jason-clare/story-fn59niix-1226703584345
12. http://aph.gov.au/Senators_and_Members/Parliamentarian?MPID=HWL retrieved 18 March 2012
13. http://www.pm.gov.au/press-office/changes-ministry retrieved 18 March 2012
14. http://www.pm.gov.au/press-office/changes-ministry-0 retrieved 18 March 2012

External links

• Parliament of Australia profile
• Search or browse Hansard for Jason Clare at OpenAustralia.org
• Profile at TheyVoteForYou.org.au