Following the Federal Election win the Rudd Labor governrnent has a new foreign affairs team. Stephen Smith SC MP heads up the team as Foreign Affairs Minister with Duncan Kerr, SC the new Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairsa and Bob McMullan con

Date:  18 February 2008

Stephen was born in Narrogin in Western Australia and moved to Perth in 1966 where he completed his education, obtaining a law degree from the University of Western Australia in 1977. He practised as a solicitor in Perth before completing a Masters in Law at the University of London in 1982. In 1983, he became principal private secretary to the Attorney General of Western Australia. From 1987 to 1990, he was WA State Secretary of the ALP.

Stephen was special adviser to Prime Minister Paul Keating and was elected as the Member for Perth in 1993. During his first term he was chair of the Caucus Industry Committee and the Parliamentary Committee on Corporation and Securities. He has been a member of the shadow ministerial team since the 1996 election as Shadow Minister for Trade, Shadow Minister for Resources and Energy and Shadow Minister for Communications.

Stephen was Shadow Health Minister until 18 June 2003. Stephen was reinstated to the Shadow Ministry as the Shadow Minister for Immigration on 8 December 2003.

With the election of the Rudd Labor Government, Stephen was appointed Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Duncan Kerr SC MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs ( Pacific Islands)

The new Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs ( Pacific Islands) is the Hon Duncan Kerr SC MP, the member for Denison ( Tasmania).

Duncan entered Federal Parliament in 1987. Prior to that, he was a practising lawyer and served as Crown Counsel for Tasmania, Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Papua New Guinea, Principal Solicitor for the NSW Aboriginal Legal Service and has represented Tasmania in legal proceedings in the United States of America. He served as Attorney-General (1993) and Minister for Justice (1993-1996) in the Keating Administration. In July 2007, Duncan was appointed adjunct Professor of Law at the Queensland University of Technology. As a barrister Duncan appeared regularly before the Supreme Court of Tasmania and the High Court of Australia. He was appointed Senior Counsel in 2004.

In his new role, Duncan has committed to rebuilding the fabric of personal and political relationships with Pacific Island Countries and increasing Australia’s capacity to engage Pacific Islands leaders in meaningful ways. “The leaders of our neighbours [in the Pacific] have seen Australia as... too ready to use instruction rather than... partnership”, he said.

Bob McMullan MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs (International Development Assistance)

Bob McMullan will continue in the International Development Assistance portfolio. The Rudd government has committed to lift its contribution to poverty alleviation and development programs in the region and the world. Prime Minister Rudd has said that the failure to do so will mean “long term problems for our nation”.

Bob was born in Perth in 1947. He went to Guildford Primary School and Stirling High School and graduated from the University of Western Australia with degrees in arts and economics.

In 1975 Bob became Secretary of the Western Australian Branch of the ALP. In August 1981 he was elected National Secretary and moved with his family to Canberra. During his time as National Secretary, Bob directed the ALP’s successful election campaigns in 1983, 1984 and 1987.

In 1993 Bob was appointed Minister for the Arts and Administrative Services and became a member of the Cabinet, the first time the Arts portfolio was represented in Cabinet. In January 1994, he was appointed Minister for Trade.