Chris Bowen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Honourable Chris Bowen MP
Bowen in 2022
Minister for Climate Change and Energy
Incumbent
Assumed office 1 June 2022
Prime Minister	Anthony Albanese
Preceded by	Angus Taylor
Leader of the Opposition
Acting
In office 18 September 2013 – 13 October 2013
Prime Minister	Tony Abbott
Deputy	Anthony Albanese
Preceded by	Tony Abbott
Succeeded by	Bill Shorten
Treasurer of Australia
In office 27 June 2013 – 18 September 2013
Prime Minister	Kevin Rudd
Preceded by	Wayne Swan
Succeeded by	Joe Hockey
Federal Minister 2007–⁠2013 Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Science and Research In office 4 February 2013 – 25 March 2013 Prime Minister Julia Gillard Preceded by Chris Evans Succeeded by Craig Emerson Minister for Small Business In office 4 February 2013 – 22 March 2013 Prime Minister Julia Gillard Preceded by Brendan O'Connor Succeeded by Gary Gray Minister for Immigration and Citizenship In office 14 September 2010 – 4 February 2013 Prime Minister Julia Gillard Preceded by Chris Evans Succeeded by Brendan O'Connor Minister for Human Services In office 9 June 2009 – 14 September 2010 Prime Minister Kevin Rudd Julia Gillard Preceded by Joe Ludwig Succeeded by Tanya Plibersek Minister for Financial Services, Superannuation and Corporate Law In office 9 June 2009 – 14 September 2010 Prime Minister Kevin Rudd Julia Gillard Preceded by Nick Sherry Succeeded by Bill Shorten Assistant Treasurer of Australia In office 3 December 2007 – 8 June 2009 Prime Minister Kevin Rudd Preceded by Peter Dutton Succeeded by Nick Sherry Minister for Competition Policy and Consumer Affairs In office 3 December 2007 – 8 June 2009 Prime Minister Kevin Rudd Succeeded by Craig Emerson
Member of the Australian Parliament for McMahon
Incumbent
Assumed office 21 August 2010
Preceded by	New seat
Member of the Australian Parliament for Prospect
In office 9 October 2004 – 21 August 2010
Preceded by	Janice Crosio
Succeeded by	Seat abolished
Mayor of Fairfield
In office September 1998 – September 1999
Preceded by	Anwar Khoshaba
Succeeded by	Anwar Khoshaba
Councillor of the City of Fairfield
In office 1995–2004
Personal details
Born	Christopher Eyles Guy Bowen (1973-01-17) 17 January 1973 (age 52) Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Political party	Labor
Spouses	Rebecca Mifsud ​ ​ (m. 2003)​
Children	2
Education	St Johns Park High School
Alma mater	University of Sydney (BEc)
Profession	Politician

Christopher Eyles Guy Bowen (born 17 January 1973) is an Australian politician. He is a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP). Since June 2022, he has been the Minister for Climate Change and Energy. This means he helps make decisions about Australia's environment and energy use.

Chris Bowen was first elected to parliament in 2004. He has held many important jobs in the government. From 2007 to 2013, he was a minister in the governments led by Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard. He was also the acting leader of the Labor Party for a short time in 2013.

Chris Bowen's Early Life and Education

Chris Bowen was born in Sydney, Australia, on 17 January 1973. His mother was from the United Kingdom and worked with children. His father worked for a motoring association. Chris grew up in a suburb called Smithfield.

He went to Smithfield Public School and then St Johns Park High School. After high school, he studied at the University of Sydney. In 1994, he earned a degree in Economics.

Chris Bowen's Political Journey

Chris Bowen started his political career at a local level.

Local Government Work

In 1995, Chris Bowen was elected to the Fairfield City Council. He served as a councillor there until 2004. For one year, from 1998 to 1999, he was the Mayor of Fairfield. He also led a group of councils in Western Sydney from 1999 to 2001.

Becoming a Federal Politician

In 2004, Chris Bowen was elected to the House of Representatives. This is one of the two main parts of the Australian Parliament. He represented the area called Prospect. Later, in 2010, he moved to represent the area of McMahon because his old seat was changed.

In 2006, he became a spokesperson for the Labor Party on financial matters. This was when the Labor Party was not in power.

Serving as a Government Minister (2007–2013)

When the Labor Party won the election in 2007, Chris Bowen became a government minister.

• In December 2007, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd made him the Assistant Treasurer. He also helped with rules about fair competition and consumer rights.
• In June 2009, he was promoted to a more senior role. He became the Minister for Financial Services, Superannuation, and Corporate Law. He also looked after Human Services.

In 2010, Chris Bowen introduced important changes to how financial services work. These changes were made to help protect people's money and make sure financial advisors acted honestly.

In September 2010, he became the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship. This job involved making decisions about people coming to live in Australia. Later, in 2013, he also became the Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Science, and Research. He briefly served as Minister for Small Business too.

In March 2013, Chris Bowen resigned from his minister roles. This happened after he supported a change in the Labor Party's leadership that was not successful. However, in June 2013, he was brought back into the government. He was given the very important job of Treasurer. This role involves managing the country's money.

Working in Opposition (2013–2022)

The Labor Party lost the election in 2013. Chris Bowen then became the temporary leader of the Labor Party. He decided not to run for the permanent leadership. Bill Shorten was chosen as the new leader.

Chris Bowen then became the Shadow Treasurer. This meant he was the Labor Party's main spokesperson on money and economic issues while they were not in government. He held this job for many years.

After the 2019 election, Bill Shorten stepped down as leader. Chris Bowen thought about running for leader himself but decided not to. Anthony Albanese became the new leader. Chris Bowen then became the Shadow Minister for Health.

Current Role as Government Minister (2022–Present)

In 2022, the Labor Party won the federal election. Anthony Albanese became the Prime Minister. Chris Bowen was then appointed the Minister for Climate Change and Energy. In this role, he works on Australia's plans to deal with climate change and how the country gets its energy.

Chris Bowen's Views on Important Topics

Chris Bowen supports same-sex marriage. In 2017, even though his local area had many people who voted "No" in a survey, he continued to support it.

In 2020, he supported the idea of a worldwide investigation into how the COVID-19 pandemic started.

Chris Bowen's Personal Life

Chris Bowen is married to Rebecca Mifsud. They met at a Labor Party meeting in 2000. Rebecca works in industrial relations. They have two children and live in Smithfield, the same suburb where Chris grew up.

Chris Bowen has spoken about how his mother lost two baby boys before he was born. He shared this story to help people understand the sadness families feel after a stillbirth.

Chris Bowen also studied the Indonesian language. He supports the Greater Western Sydney Giants football team.

See also

• Rudd government (2007–2010)
• Rudd government (2013)