John Kerin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Kerin
AO FTSE
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| Minister for Trade and Overseas Development | |
| In office 27 December 1991 – 22 December 1993 |
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| Prime Minister | Paul Keating |
| Preceded by | Neal Blewett |
| Succeeded by | Peter Cook |
| Minister for Transport and Communications | |
| In office 9 December 1991 – 27 December 1991 |
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| Prime Minister |
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| Preceded by | Kim Beazley |
| Succeeded by | Graham Richardson |
| Treasurer of Australia | |
| In office 4 June 1991 – 8 December 1991 |
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| Prime Minister | Bob Hawke |
| Preceded by | Paul Keating |
| Succeeded by | Ralph Willis |
| Minister for Primary Industries and Energy | |
| In office 11 March 1983 – 3 June 1991 |
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| Prime Minister | Bob Hawke |
| Preceded by | Peter Nixon |
| Succeeded by | Simon Crean |
| Member of the Australian Parliament for Werriwa |
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| In office 23 September 1978 – 22 December 1993 |
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| Preceded by | Gough Whitlam |
| Succeeded by | Mark Latham |
| Member of the Australian Parliament for Macarthur |
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| In office 2 December 1972 – 13 December 1975 |
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| Preceded by | Jeff Bate |
| Succeeded by | Michael Baume |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
John Charles Kerin
21 November 1937 Bowral, New South Wales, Australia |
| Died | 29 March 2023 (aged 85) |
| Political party | Labor |
| Profession | Economist |
John Charles Kerin (21 November 1937 – 29 March 2023) was an Australian economist and politician. He was a member of the Labor Party and served in the Australian House of Representatives for many years.
John Kerin held important roles in the Australian government, including being the Treasurer of Australia and the Minister for Primary Industries and Energy. He held the agriculture role for eight years, which is the longest time anyone has held that position in Australia's history.
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Early Life and Learning
John Kerin was born in Bowral, a town in New South Wales, Australia. He grew up in a farming area. He went to Hurlstone Agricultural High School and Bowral High School.
Before becoming a politician, he worked as a poultry farmer. He later earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of New England in 1967. He then got a Bachelor of Economics degree from the Australian National University in 1977. Between his studies, he worked at the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARE), which studies farming and resources.
Political Journey
John Kerin joined the Labor Party when he was a student. He was first elected to the Australian House of Representatives in 1972, representing the area of Macarthur. He was a regular member of Parliament during the Whitlam government.
He lost his seat in the 1975 election. After that, he went back to work at ABARE. In 1978, he was elected again to Parliament, this time for the area of Werriwa. This seat was previously held by former Prime Minister Gough Whitlam.
Key Roles in Government
When the Labor Party won the 1983 election, Bob Hawke became Prime Minister. He chose John Kerin to be the Minister for Primary Industries and Energy. This was a good fit because of Kerin's background in economics and farming.
He stayed in this role for almost all of Bob Hawke's time as Prime Minister. This made him the longest-serving minister in this area in Australian history. As minister, he helped make big changes to Australia's economy. One important change was slowly removing taxes on imported farm products.
In 1991, John Kerin became the Treasurer of Australia. This is a very important job, like being the country's chief financial manager. He took over from Paul Keating. There was a lot of pressure on him because Keating had been a very strong Treasurer.
Later that year, John Kerin was moved to a different role: Minister for Transport and Communications. This job was short-lived.
Soon after, Paul Keating became Prime Minister. He then moved John Kerin to the role of Minister for Trade and Overseas Development. In this job, Kerin helped prepare for important international meetings about trade.
After the 1993 election, John Kerin left the government. He announced that he would retire from Parliament at the end of that year. He wanted to do other things.
Life After Politics
After leaving politics in 1993, John Kerin took on senior roles in other organisations. He worked at the Australian Meat and Livestock Corporation. He also joined the boards of many charities and companies.
He continued to be involved in public policy issues in Australia. In 2008, he joined the board of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), which is Australia's national science agency. He also received an award from the Australian Agriculture and Resource Economics Society.
From 2010 to 2017, John Kerin was the Chair of the Crawford Fund. This group helps Australia get more involved in international farming research and education.
In 2011, he left the Labor Party in New South Wales. He felt that the party's decisions were too controlled by a small group. In 2012, he rejoined the party in Canberra, where he felt local party leaders listened more to members.
In 2017, John Kerin wrote a book about his experiences as Minister for Primary Industries and Energy.
John Kerin passed away on 29 March 2023, at the age of 85.
Awards and Recognition
John Kerin received several important awards for his service to Australia:
- On 26 January 2001, he was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM).
- On 11 June 2018, he was promoted to an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO).
- On 1 January 2001, he was awarded the Centenary Medal.
