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 is an important Australian politician. He was born on July 6, 1958. He served as a Senator for the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) from 2003 to 2013. Before that, he was the Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory from 2000 to 2001. He was also a member of the ACT's first parliament in 1989. Currently, he is a Deputy President of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal.

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. In 1977, he was chosen as the President of the ANU Students' Association.

Before becoming a politician, Humphries worked as a solicitor. A solicitor is a lawyer who advises clients and prepares legal documents. He also worked as a legal officer for the ACT government. He was also a political advisor to Senator Amanda Vanstone.

Political Career in the ACT

Starting in the ACT Parliament

Gary Humphries was elected to the ACT Legislative Assembly in 1989. This election was very important because it formed the first self-governing parliament for the ACT. The ACT Legislative Assembly is a "unicameral" parliament, meaning it has only one chamber or house.

Humphries 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 the ACT Government

Humphries held many different roles in the ACT government. He served as a "shadow minister" when his party was in opposition. A shadow minister is a member of the opposition party who watches over a specific government department.

In late 1989, when Trevor Kaine became the Chief Minister, Humphries was appointed Minister for Health, Education, and the Arts. He held this job until mid-1991. He also served as the Leader of the Opposition for a short time in 1991 and again in 2001–02.

When Kate Carnell became Chief Minister in 1995, Humphries took on more important roles:

• 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 himself, taking over from Kate Carnell. He also continued as Treasurer. However, in the 2001 election, the Liberal government lost power. The Labor Party, led by Jon Stanhope, formed the new government.

Federal Political Career

Becoming a Senator

In December 2002, Gary Humphries was chosen by his party to become a Senator. A Senator is a member of the Australian Senate, which is part of Australia's national parliament. He filled a "casual vacancy," which means he took over a Senate seat that became empty when the previous Senator, Margaret Reid, resigned. He officially became a Senator on February 18, 2003. This made him the 500th person to serve in the Senate.

Re-election and Key Votes

Humphries was re-elected to the Senate in the 2004 and 2007 federal elections. He was a strong voice for the ACT in the national parliament.

In 2007, an online group called GetUp campaigned against him. They wanted to prevent any one political party from having too many seats in the Senate. Despite this, Humphries was re-elected.

Gary Humphries was the first Liberal Senator to vote against the Howard Government in over 11 years. He voted to allow the ACT's civil unions law to stand. He believed that the national government should not automatically overturn laws made by the ACT.

Senate Committees and Later Roles

Humphries served on several important Australian Senate committees. These committees are groups of Senators who study specific topics and make recommendations. He was the Chairman of the Standing Committee on Community Affairs from 2006. He also became the Deputy Chair of the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs—Legislation Committee.

In 2009, when Tony Abbott became the Leader of the Opposition, Humphries was promoted. He became the Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Families, Housing and Human Services and Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Citizenship. He was re-elected again in the 2010 federal election. He continued to serve on the Opposition frontbench in new roles, including Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Shadow Attorney-General.

Leaving the Senate

On February 23, 2013, Gary Humphries lost the Liberal Party's "pre-selection" vote. This meant he was not chosen by his party to run for the Senate again. Zed Seselja was chosen instead. Humphries' term as a Senator ended on September 6, 2013.

In December 2014, Gary Humphries decided to leave the Canberra Liberal Party.

Later Career

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 also written regularly for The Canberra Times newspaper.

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

From January 2015, he was appointed a Deputy President of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. This tribunal reviews government decisions.

See also

• Humphries Ministry