Mal Brough facts for kids

Malcolm Thomas Brough (born 29 December 1961) is an Australian former politician. He was a member of the Liberal Party. He served in the House of Representatives from 1996 to 2007 and again from 2013 to 2016.

Mal Brough held important roles as a minister in the governments led by John Howard and Malcolm Turnbull. Before becoming a politician, he was an officer in the Australian Army and worked in business.

He was first elected to parliament in 1996 for the seat of Longman in Queensland. He became a parliamentary secretary in 2000. Later, he served as Minister for Employment Services (2001–2004) and Minister for Revenue and Assistant Treasurer (2004–2006).

In 2006, Mal Brough joined the Cabinet. He became the Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs. During this time, he helped lead a government plan to support communities in the Northern Territory. He lost his seat in the 2007 election.

He returned to federal parliament in 2013, representing the seat of Fisher. In September 2015, he was appointed as a minister again by Malcolm Turnbull. However, he resigned from his ministerial role in December 2015 due to an investigation. In February 2016, he decided not to run for election again.

Early Life and Background

Mal Brough was born in Brisbane, Queensland, on 29 December 1961. He joined the Australian Army in 1979 and served until 1987. After his military service, he worked in the business world.

His brother, Rob Brough, is a well-known television presenter.

There is a family belief that Mal Brough's maternal grandmother, Violet Bowden, had Indigenous Australian ancestry. While Mal Brough does not identify as Aboriginal, he acknowledges this family history. His sister, Carol Stubbs, has worked with several Aboriginal organizations.

Political Journey

Mal Brough began his political career as a Parliamentary Secretary. This role helps a minister with their duties. He served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Employment, Workplace Relations and Small Business from 2000 to 2001.

Ministerial Roles

From 2001 to 2004, he was the Minister for Employment Services. In this role, he helped manage programs related to jobs. In July 2004, he took on new responsibilities as Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Revenue. These roles involved managing government money and taxes.

From January 2006 to November 2007, he was the Minister for Families and Community Services and Indigenous Affairs. In his Indigenous Affairs role, Mal Brough was a key person behind the government's plan to help communities in the Northern Territory. This plan aimed to improve the lives of people in those communities.

Elections and Changes

Mal Brough was one of several government members, including Prime Minister John Howard, who lost their seats in the 2007 federal election. He was succeeded by Jon Sullivan from the Labor Party.

Later, Mal Brough switched to the seat of Fisher. He won this seat back from Peter Slipper in the 2013 federal election. Peter Slipper had been a Liberal member who became an independent.

State Politics Involvement

In May 2008, Mal Brough was elected as the President of the Queensland division of the Liberal Party. He stayed in this position even after a vote in July 2008 to merge the Liberal Party with the National Party to form the new Liberal National Party of Queensland (LNP). He initially disagreed with the merger because it had not been fully approved by the federal Liberal Party. He resigned from his post in September 2008.

Because he opposed the merger, he did not run for his former seat of Longman in the 2010 federal election. To have a good chance of winning, he would have needed to be chosen by the LNP.

Return to Federal Politics

In mid-2012, Mal Brough announced he would seek to be chosen by the LNP to run for the seat of Fisher in the 2013 federal election. He won the selection process on 29 July 2012.

In September 2015, Mal Brough was appointed to the ministry again by Malcolm Turnbull, who had become the new Prime Minister. However, his second time as a minister was short. He stepped down from the ministry on 29 December 2015, while an investigation was ongoing.

On 13 February 2016, Mal Brough officially resigned from the Ministry. On 26 February, he announced that he would not run for the seat of Fisher again. He stated that it was "a privilege and an honour" to represent the people of that area.