Ben Wyatt (politician) facts for kids

Benjamin Sana Wyatt (born 1 April 1974) is an Australian politician. He was a member of the Labor Party. From 2006 to 2021, he represented the area of Victoria Park. This was in the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia.

Ben Wyatt was born in Wewak, Papua New Guinea. His parents were Australian. He moved to Western Australia when he was very young. In 2006, he was elected to parliament. This happened during a special election called the Victoria Park by-election. He took the place of Geoff Gallop, who used to be the Premier. Ben Wyatt was the state's Minister for Aboriginal Affairs. His second cousin, Ken Wyatt, was also a minister. Ken was the federal Indigenous Australians Minister.

Growing Up and Learning

Where Ben Wyatt Grew Up

Ben Wyatt was born in Wewak. This town is on the northern coast of what was then called the Territory of Papua New Guinea. His parents were both school teachers. They were there as part of an exchange program. His father, Cedric Wyatt, was from the Pilbara region in Australia. His mother was from Newcastle, New South Wales. Ben Wyatt has Yamatji heritage through his father's family.

His family moved back to Perth, Western Australia, in 1976. Ben grew up in different parts of regional Western Australia. His parents taught in places like Laverton and Kalgoorlie. These towns are in the Goldfields area.

His Education Journey

Ben returned to Perth for high school. He went to Aquinas College. Later, he studied at the University of Western Australia. He earned a Bachelor of Laws degree, which means he became a lawyer.

He also attended the Royal Military College, Duntroon. He became an officer in the Australian Army Reserve in 1996. He later received the Australian Defence Medal for his service. After working as a lawyer in Perth and Sydney, Ben received a special scholarship. It was from the Rotary Foundation in 2001. This scholarship allowed him to study comparative politics at the London School of Economics. This is a famous university in London.

His Career Path

Working as a Lawyer

In 2002, Ben Wyatt came back to Western Australia. He started working at MinterEllison. This is one of the biggest law firms in Australia. Later, he worked for the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. This office handles legal cases for the government.

Entering Politics

Ben Wyatt decided to run for state parliament in 2006. This was for the Victoria Park by-election. The election happened because Geoff Gallop, the Premier of Western Australia at the time, resigned. Ben won the election. He became the second-youngest person in parliament. He was also the third Aboriginal Australian to be in the Western Australian parliament.

After the Labor Party lost the state election in 2008, Ben Wyatt got a new role. He became the Treasurer in the new shadow cabinet. A "shadow cabinet" is a group of politicians from the opposition party. They prepare to take over if their party wins the next election. He was also the Shadow Minister for Federal–State Relations and for Culture and the Arts.

In January 2011, Ben thought about becoming the Leader of the Opposition. This means leading the main party that is not in power. However, he didn't get enough support from other politicians. So, he decided not to try. In January 2012, the leader, Eric Ripper, resigned. Ben Wyatt did not try for the leadership again. Instead, Mark McGowan became the new Leader of the Opposition.

After the 2017 election, Ben Wyatt made history. He became the first Indigenous Treasurer for any Australian state or territory. The Treasurer is in charge of the state's money and economy.

On 25 February 2020, Ben Wyatt announced he would leave parliament in 2021. He planned to continue as Treasurer until then. But in March 2020, he changed his mind. He decided to stay to help the McGowan government with the state's economy. This was important because of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. In November 2020, he announced again that he would retire at the March 2021 state election.

About His Life

Ben Wyatt is a Roman Catholic. He has two daughters.

His second cousin is Ken Wyatt. Ken was the first Aboriginal Australian to be a member of the Australian House of Representatives. This is part of the federal parliament.

Roles Ben Wyatt Held

From 2006 until he left parliament in 2021, Ben Wyatt held many important roles:

• 26 September 2008 – 8 April 2009: Shadow Treasurer; Shadow Minister for Federal–State Relations; Shadow Minister for Culture and the Arts
• 8 April 2009 – 27 January 2012: Shadow Treasurer; Shadow Minister for Federal–State Relations
• 27 January 2012 – 9 April 2013: Shadow Treasurer; Shadow Minister for Indigenous Affairs; Shadow Minister for Native Title; Shadow Minister for Cost of Living
• 9 April 2013 – 17 March 2017: Shadow Treasurer; Shadow Minister for Aboriginal Affairs; Shadow Minister for Native Title; Shadow Minister for Cost of Living; Shadow Minister for the Kimberley; Shadow Minister for the Pilbara
• 17 March 2017 – 13 December 2018: Treasurer; Minister for Finance; Minister for Energy; Minister for Aboriginal Affairs
• 13 December 2018 – 13 March 2021: Treasurer; Minister for Finance; Minister for Aboriginal Affairs; Minister for Lands