Nathan Rees facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nathan Rees
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| 41st Premier of New South Wales | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 5 September 2008 – 4 December 2009 |
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| Monarch | Elizabeth II | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Governor | Marie Bashir | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deputy | Carmel Tebbutt | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Morris Iemma | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Kristina Keneally | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for Toongabbie |
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| In office 24 March 2007 – 6 March 2015 |
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| Preceded by | District established | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | District abolished | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 12 February 1968 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
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| Political party | Labor Party | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | Stacey Haines | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Education | Northmead Creative and Performing Arts High School University of Sydney |
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Nathan Rees (born 12 February 1968) is an Australian former politician. He served as the 41st Premier of New South Wales and leader of the New South Wales Labor Party. He was Premier from September 2008 to December 2009.
Rees was a Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly. He represented the area of Toongabbie for the Labor Party from 2007 to 2015.
He became Premier at 40 years old, making him the youngest person to hold the office at that time. He was Premier for fifteen months. Nathan Rees is the only Labor Premier of New South Wales who did not lead his party into an election.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Nathan Rees was born in 1968 in Western Sydney. His parents were Daryl and Frances. His mother was a long-time member of the Labor Party.
He went to Northmead Creative and Performing Arts High School. There, he was the school captain. After school, he started an apprenticeship in gardening and worked as a greenskeeper. This was for Parramatta Council.
Later, he studied English literature at the University of Sydney. He earned an honours degree in 1994. To support himself, he worked as a garbage collector for the same council. During his time at the Council, he became the Secretary of the Municipal and Shire Employees Union.
Rees was also a long-distance runner. He was a member of the Parramatta Cycling Club. He won many events there. When training, he would cycle up to 1,000 kilometres (about 620 miles) each week. He once finished third in a state triathlon.
Starting in Politics
Rees began his political career in 1995. He became an adviser to the Deputy Premier, Andrew Refshauge. His mother, Frances, also worked for Refshauge. During this time, Rees often cycled over 90 kilometres (about 56 miles) to work. He rode from his home in Bullaburra to central Sydney.
He later worked for other Ministers, including Craig Knowles and Morris Iemma.
Becoming a Minister
Rees was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly on 24 March 2007. Soon after, on 2 April 2007, he became a Minister. He was appointed Minister for Emergency Services and Minister for Water Utilities.
As Minister for Water Utilities, Rees was in charge of important water projects. These included the $1.9 billion Sydney Desalination Plant at Kurnell. He also oversaw the proposed Tillegra Dam in the Hunter Region.
When Rees became Minister for Water Utilities, Sydney was facing a severe drought. Water had to be moved from the Shoalhaven River to Sydney. There were also water restrictions in place.
The Sydney Desalination Plant was built while Rees was Minister. This plant helps prepare Sydney for future droughts. The project finished under budget and its capacity was doubled. Contracts were also made to power the plant using renewable energy sources.
In July 2008, some people in the media thought Rees might become Premier. Rees said he supported the Premier, Morris Iemma. However, two months later, Morris Iemma was replaced by Rees.
Serving as Premier
Morris Iemma resigned on 5 September 2008. Later that day, Nathan Rees was chosen as the new Labor leader. This made him the Premier. He was sworn in by the Lieutenant Governor of New South Wales. Rees had only been a Member of Parliament for nineteen months. Carmel Tebbutt was chosen as the Deputy Leader and Deputy Premier. A few days later, on 8 September, Rees also became the Minister for the Arts.
During the 2007–2008 financial crisis, government income dropped. Premier Rees and the State Treasurer had to make a special budget. This budget was announced on 11 November 2008. It included changes to taxes and charges. Some state assets were also sold to help the budget.
Some projects were delayed, like the North West Metro and South West rail projects. A plan for free public transport for students was also changed.
In November 2009, Rees was given special powers by the Labor Party. He could choose his own cabinet ministers. Usually, the party's main group and head office choose them. The next day, Rees removed some ministers from his cabinet. He said they were blocking important changes and trying to remove him. This was his fourth cabinet change as Premier.
Economy and Jobs
Rees became Premier just before a major financial crisis. He wanted to keep a high credit rating for New South Wales. This helps the state borrow money at low interest rates.
His government created a special budget in November 2008. This budget focused on smaller projects that could create jobs faster. Rees also brought together business leaders for a "job summit." This led to a plan for jobs. He also announced 4,000 government apprenticeships and 2,000 cadetships.
After the 2009/10 Budget, New South Wales' credit rating was confirmed as stable. The budget included over $18 billion for major projects. This was the largest amount spent on capital works in the state's history at that time.
Improving Education
During his time as Premier, Rees and his Education Minister, Verity Firth, made big changes to education. In January 2009, Rees announced that students would need to stay in school longer. The minimum leaving age was raised from 15 to 17 years.
His government also created 175,000 new training places. These were in vocational training, which teaches job skills. They also helped apprentices whose training was interrupted.
Rees also introduced non-religious Ethics classes into primary schools. This was a new option for students.
Law and Order Initiatives
Soon after becoming Premier, Rees introduced new laws. These laws aimed to ban criminal gangs.
In the 2009/10 Budget, the police force received $10 million. This money was used to give Taser stun guns to police officers.
Rees also introduced rules to reduce violence related to alcohol. These included mandatory lockouts at venues and using plastic cups. Venues with high violence rates were also named publicly. After these rules, incidents of "glassings" (injuries from broken glass) dropped significantly.
Protecting the Environment
Rees continued efforts to protect the environment. He announced the protection of the last large area of River Red Gums in the state's south. This completed a forest protection program started by a previous Premier.
In June 2009, Rees also announced the creation of Yengo National Park. This park protects 120,000 hectares of bushland. His government also added 65,000 hectares to Yanga National Park.
Better Transport Services
Rees's government focused on improving public transport. They ordered 450 new buses to expand the bus network. This helped improve transport options quickly.
Rees also opened the Epping to Chatswood rail line. This was the first major new rail line in ten years. It quickly became very popular.
In November 2009, Rees approved Stage 2 of the South West Rail Link. This was a $1.3 billion project. It aimed to improve train services in south-western Sydney.
Train service reliability reached a ten-year high of 95% on-time running. Ferry services were also brought back from the city to Parramatta. Free shuttle buses were introduced in Sydney and Wollongong city centres. To encourage weekend public transport use, the government introduced $2.50 Family Fun Day fares for Sundays. These fares also offered discounts to museums.
Improving Health Services
Rees created the Bureau of Health Information in July 2009. This group produces reports on how well the NSW health system is working. This includes information on waiting lists.
A government report in June 2009 stated that NSW had the best performance in elective surgery and emergency departments in Australia.
Rees also introduced eyesight screening for preschoolers. This was in addition to universal hearing tests already in place.
Supporting Aboriginal Affairs
In November 2009, Rees announced the largest return of Aboriginal land in the state's history. He granted 20,000 hectares of land to the Yuin people of the South Coast of NSW.
Promoting the Arts
As Arts Minister, Rees helped start an annual festival called Vivid Sydney. This festival is known for its lights and ideas. The first curator was Brian Eno, a famous music producer.
Rees also gave independence to the National Art School. He started planning for a new visual arts centre in Parramatta. He also helped create the 'Parramasala' festival in Parramatta. He was key in bringing A.R. Rahman, a famous musician, to Sydney for a free concert. Over 50,000 people attended this concert.
Government Reforms
After many years in government, there had been some issues involving ministers. Rees wanted to make changes to improve transparency. He updated the Freedom of Information Act. The new law made it easier for the public to access government information. He also appointed an independent person to oversee this law.
In November 2009, Rees said he wanted public funding for election campaigns. This would reduce the need for large donations from companies. He also banned donations from property developers to the NSW Labor Party.
Rees also required lobbyists to register and follow a Code of Conduct.
Leaving Office and After
On 3 December 2009, Nathan Rees was challenged for his leadership. He lost a vote and was replaced by Kristina Keneally. Rees is the first New South Wales Labor Party Premier not to lead the party into an election. After leaving the Premier's role, Rees chose not to be a minister in the new government. He remained a Member of Parliament until the March 2011 election.
The government that followed Rees was defeated in the 2011 state election. Rees nearly lost his own seat in that election. After the election, he became the Shadow Minister for Police and Emergency Services and Shadow Minister for the Arts.
In 2013, a group called the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) investigated some politicians. These politicians had been involved in Rees's removal as Premier. The ICAC found that these individuals had acted improperly.
Retirement from Politics
On 28 March 2014, Nathan Rees announced he would retire from politics. He did not run in the 2015 state election. His local area was changed in a way that made it very hard for him to win his seat again.
Life After Politics
In October 2014, Rees became the chief executive of the Public Education Foundation (PEF). This group helps students who need support to stay in school. He said, "The public education system in NSW is very strong but this foundation will allow those kids who may not have the resources to buy the extra book or the bit of software they need."
After working at PEF, Rees became the National Assistant Secretary of the Finance Sector Union (FSU) in May 2017. He worked there until early 2021. Then, he joined MetLife Australia.
In August 2022, the NSW Government appointed Rees as the chair of Transport Heritage NSW. He will serve in this role until May 2025.
Personal Life
Nathan Rees is a non-practising Roman Catholic. He describes himself as a "westie", meaning he is from Western Sydney. He met his wife, Stacey Haines, when they were both 14 years old at Northmead High School. They got married in New York City on 7 January 2009.
Rees supports the NRL club Parramatta Eels.
Images for kids
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Nathan Rees, the 41st Premier of New South Wales.
See also
In Spanish: Nathan Rees para niños
