Gary Humphries facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gary Humphries AO
Senator for the Australian Capital Territory
In office 18 February 2003 – 6 September 2013
Preceded by	Margaret Reid
Succeeded by	Zed Seselja
4th Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory Elections: 2001
In office 18 October 2000 – 5 November 2001
Preceded by	Kate Carnell
Succeeded by	Jon Stanhope
Member of the ACT Legislative Assembly
In office 4 March 1989 – 18 February 1995 Serving with Berry, Collaery/Carnell, Duby/Cornwell, Follett, Grassby, Jensen/De Domenico, Kaine, Kinloch/Ellis, Maher/Lamont, Moore, Nolan/McRae, Prowse/Westende/Szuty, Stefaniak, Stevenson, Whalan/Connolly, Wood
Succeeded by	multi-member multiple constituencies
In office 18 February 1995 – 25 November 2002 Serving with Follett/Corbell, Connolly/Reilly/Quinlan, Carnell/Burke/Quinlan, Cornwell, Tucker, Moore/Cross
Preceded by	multi-member single constituency
Succeeded by	Jacqui Burke
Constituency	Molonglo
Personal details
Political party	Liberal Party of Australia
Alma mater	Australian National University
Profession	Solicitor

Gary John Joseph Humphries (born on 6 July 1958) is an important person in Australian law and politics. He is currently a Deputy President of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. Before this, he was a Senator for the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) in the Australian Senate. He served in this role from 2003 to 2013.

Gary Humphries was also the Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory from 2000 to 2001. He was first elected to the ACT's local parliament in 1989. He continued to represent the Molonglo electorate in the ACT until 2003. He is a member of the Liberal Party of Australia.

Early Life and Education

Gary Humphries was born in Sydney in 1958. He went to St Patrick's College, Strathfield for his schooling. Later, he studied at the Australian National University in Canberra. He earned degrees in Arts and Law from the university.

In 1977, he was chosen as the President of the ANU Students' Association. Before becoming a politician, he worked as a solicitor, which is a type of lawyer. He also worked as a legal officer for the ACT government. He was also a political advisor to Senator Amanda Vanstone.

Political Career

Gary Humphries had a long career in both local and national politics.

ACT Politics: Early Years

Gary Humphries was first elected to the ACT Legislative Assembly in 1989. This was a very important election because it created the first self-governing parliament for the ACT. He represented the Liberal Party.

He was re-elected several times: in 1992, 1995, 1998, and 2001. For some of these elections, he represented the Molonglo electorate.

Roles in ACT Government

Humphries held many different jobs in the ACT government. When Trevor Kaine became the Chief Minister in 1989, Gary Humphries was made Minister for Health, Education, and the Arts. He held these roles until 1991.

He also served as the Leader of the Opposition for a short time in 1991 and again from 2001 to 2002.

In 1995, when Kate Carnell became Chief Minister, Humphries was given many important roles. These included:

• Minister for Arts and Heritage, Environment, Land and Planning, Police and Emergency Services, and Fair Trading (1995–1998).
• Attorney-General (1995–2000).
• Deputy Chief Minister (1997–2000).
• Minister for Health and Community Care (1998).
• Treasurer (1999–2001).

In 2000, Gary Humphries became the Chief Minister of the ACT, taking over from Kate Carnell. He also kept his role as Treasurer. However, in the 2001 election, his Liberal government lost power. The Labor Party, led by Jon Stanhope, formed the new government.

Federal Politics: Becoming a Senator

In December 2002, Gary Humphries was chosen by his party to fill a vacant spot in the Australian Senate. This spot became open when Senator Margaret Reid resigned. On 18 February 2003, the ACT Legislative Assembly officially elected him to the Senate. This made him the 500th person to serve as a Senator in Australia.

He was re-elected to the Senate in the 2004 and 2007 federal elections. In 2009, he was promoted to the Liberal Party's "front bench." This means he was given a more senior role in the party's leadership. He became the Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Families, Housing and Human Services. He was also the Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Citizenship.

Gary Humphries was re-elected again in the 2010 federal election. He continued to serve on the Opposition front bench. He was the Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Shadow Attorney-General and for Defence Materiel.

Leaving the Senate

In February 2013, Gary Humphries lost his party's pre-selection vote. This meant he would not be the Liberal candidate for the Senate in the next election. Zed Seselja, who had also been an ACT Liberal Leader, won the vote. Humphries' term as a Senator ended on 6 September 2013.

After this, Gary Humphries left the Canberra Liberal Party in December 2014. He stated that the party had become undemocratic and out of touch with the community.

Later Career and Public Service

After leaving the Senate, Gary Humphries worked as a lobbyist. A lobbyist tries to influence government decisions on behalf of a group or company.

Since 2014, he has written articles for news websites like RiotACT and newspapers like The Canberra Times.

In March 2014, he was appointed as the Chair of the Anzac Centenary Public Fund Board. This board helps manage funds for events remembering the Anzac Centenary.

From January 2015, Gary Humphries has served as a Deputy President of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. This tribunal reviews decisions made by Australian government ministers, officials, and agencies.

See also

• Humphries Ministry