Barry O'Farrell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Barry O'Farrell
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O'Farrell in 2020
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| Australian High Commissioner to India | |
| In office 21 May 2020 – 30 June 2023 |
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| Preceded by | Harinder Sidhu |
| Succeeded by | Philip Green |
| 43rd Premier of New South Wales | |
| In office 28 March 2011 – 17 April 2014 |
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| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Governor | Marie Bashir |
| Deputy | Andrew Stoner |
| Preceded by | Kristina Keneally |
| Succeeded by | Mike Baird |
| 19th Leader of the New South Wales Liberal Party | |
| In office 4 April 2007 – 17 April 2014 |
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| Deputy | Jillian Skinner |
| Preceded by | Peter Debnam |
| Succeeded by | Mike Baird |
| 35th Leader of the Opposition in New South Wales | |
| In office 4 April 2007 – 28 March 2011 |
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| Premier | Morris Iemma Nathan Rees Kristina Keneally |
| Deputy | Jillian Skinner |
| Preceded by | Peter Debnam |
| Succeeded by | John Robertson |
| Member of the New South Wales Parliament for Ku-ring-gai |
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| In office 27 March 1999 – 6 March 2015 |
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| Preceded by | Stephen O'Doherty |
| Succeeded by | Alister Henskens |
| Majority | 37% |
| Member of the New South Wales Parliament for Northcott |
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| In office 25 March 1995 – 26 March 1999 |
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| Preceded by | Bruce Baird |
| Succeeded by | Constituency abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Barry Robert O'Farrell
24 May 1959 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Spouse | Rosemary Cowan (1992–present) |
| Residence | Turramurra |
| Education | St John's College, Darwin Australian National University |
| Website | Liberal member website |
Barry Robert O'Farrell (born 24 May 1959) is a former Australian politician. He served as Australia's High Commissioner to India and Ambassador to Bhutan from 2020 to 2023. Before that, O'Farrell was the 43rd Premier of New South Wales from 2011 to 2014.
He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for 20 years, from 1995 to 2015. He represented the electorates of Northcott and later Ku-ring-gai on Sydney's Upper North Shore. After leaving politics, he held several important roles, including CEO of Racing Australia and Chair of the Wests Tigers Rugby League Football Club.
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Early Life and Education
Barry O'Farrell was born in Melbourne, Victoria. His father was in the army, so his family moved around Australia often. They eventually settled in Darwin, where he finished high school.
In 1977, O'Farrell moved to Canberra to study at the Australian National University. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1980. After university, he started working for the Australian government. He joined the Liberal Party and worked for several politicians, including future Prime Minister John Howard. From 1992 to 1995, he was the State Director of the Liberal Party in New South Wales.
Political Career
Entering Parliament
In 1995, O'Farrell was elected to the New South Wales Parliament. He represented the safe Liberal seat of Northcott in northern Sydney. When this seat was removed in 1998, he was elected to the nearby seat of Ku-ring-gai, which he held until he retired from politics in 2015.
In 1998, he was given his first major role in the opposition, called a Shadow Minister. He later became the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party in NSW for several years.
Leader of the Opposition
After the Liberal-National Coalition lost the 2007 state election, Barry O'Farrell became the leader of the Liberal Party in NSW. This made him the Leader of the Opposition. His job was to challenge the government and present the Coalition's alternative plans for the state.
Under his leadership, the Coalition started to become more popular. They won several important by-elections, which are special elections held to fill a vacant seat in parliament. These wins showed that public support was shifting away from the Labor government.
In 2010, O'Farrell supported a bill to allow same-sex couples to adopt children. He said, "I don't believe our society should exclude... people who have a contribution they can make." The bill was passed by the parliament.
Winning the 2011 Election
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By the time of the 2011 election, the Coalition was very popular. People were unhappy with the Labor government, and polls predicted a huge win for O'Farrell and the Coalition.
On election day, the Coalition won in a landslide. They won 69 seats in the 93-seat parliament, the largest majority government in the history of New South Wales. The Liberal Party won 51 seats, enough to govern on its own, but O'Farrell chose to keep the Coalition with the National Party.
Premier of New South Wales (2011–2014)
Barry O'Farrell was sworn in as the 43rd Premier of New South Wales on 28 March 2011. He immediately started a "100 Day Action Plan" to guide his new government.
Some of his key actions as Premier included:
- Controlling Spending: He limited pay raises for public servants and politicians to 2.5% per year to help manage the state's budget.
- Infrastructure NSW: He created a new agency called Infrastructure NSW to plan and manage major building projects like roads and hospitals. He appointed former Premier Nick Greiner to lead it.
- Planning Laws: He changed controversial planning laws to give local councils more say over large developments in their areas.
- Building Ties with Asia: O'Farrell led trade missions to China and India every year to build stronger economic relationships. He set up "sister-state" relationships with regions in both countries.
- Disability Care: He signed an agreement with the federal government to bring the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) to NSW. This secured billions of dollars to support people with disabilities.
Resignation
In April 2014, O'Farrell appeared at an investigation by the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC). He was asked about receiving a A$3,000 bottle of wine as a gift, which he had forgotten to declare.
At first, O'Farrell said he did not remember receiving the gift. However, a handwritten thank-you note he had written was presented as evidence. O'Farrell said he had a "massive memory fail" and could not explain why he had forgotten about the wine.
On 16 April 2014, he announced he would resign as Premier. He said that even though he had made an honest mistake, he felt it was the right thing to do. The ICAC later stated that it was satisfied O'Farrell had not intended to mislead the investigation. On 24 November 2014, he announced he would not run for re-election and retired from politics in 2015.
Life After Politics
After leaving parliament, O'Farrell took on many new roles. He was appointed deputy chairman of the Australia–India Council to help improve ties between the two countries. He also led a government review into online gambling websites.
He served on the boards of the Royal Flying Doctor Service and Diabetes Australia. In 2016, he became the CEO of Racing Australia, the main organisation for horse racing in the country. He also became the chairman of the Wests Tigers NRL club in 2019.
High Commissioner to India
In February 2020, Barry O'Farrell was appointed as Australia's High Commissioner to India and non-resident Ambassador to Bhutan. A High Commissioner is the top-ranking diplomat representing Australia in another Commonwealth country.
During his time as High Commissioner, he worked to strengthen the relationship between Australia and India. This included agreements on defence, security, and trade. He often said he wanted to move beyond the "3 Cs" (cricket, commonwealth, and curry) to the "4 Ds" (democracy, defence, diaspora, and dosti, which means friendship in Hindi). He finished his term in June 2023.
Personal Life
In 1992, O'Farrell married Rosemary Cowan, the daughter of a former politician. They have two sons.
O'Farrell is known for having lost a significant amount of weight between 2003 and 2005. He is also a strong supporter of the Wests Tigers NRL team. He has walked the famous Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea twice, once with each of his sons.
In the 2020 Australia Day Honours, O'Farrell was made an Officer of the Order of Australia. This award recognised his long service to the parliament and people of New South Wales.
Images for kids
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O'Farrell's former electorate office in Wahroonga.
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O'Farrell at the 2008 NSW Country Liberals Annual Conference in Wagga Wagga.
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O'Farrell at the Entrance on the NSW Central Coast in 2010.
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O'Farrell with Victor Dominello, Andrew Stoner and Gladys Berejiklian outside a school in 2008.
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See also
In Spanish: Barry O'Farrell para niños
