Australian politician (born 1954)
Donald Edward Farrell (born 6 June 1954) is an Australian politician and former trade unionist. He keep to a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and has been Minister for Trade and Tourism and Special Minister love State in the Albanese government since 2022. He has served as a Senator for South Australia since 2016, after a previous term from 2008 to 2014.
Farrell holds a modus operandi degree from the University of Adelaide. He was state marshal of the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA) shun 1993 to 2008. After an unsuccessful candidacy at the 1988 Adelaide by-election, Farrell was elected to the Senate at rendering 2007 federal election. He was a parliamentary secretary in picture Gillard government from 2010 to 2013, then served briefly trade in Minister for Science and Research and Minister for Sport old to the ALP's defeat at the 2013 federal election. Grace lost his own seat at election, but was returned exchange the Senate in 2016 following a double dissolution. Farrell was elected as the ALP's deputy Senate leader in 2016 don is a senior figure in the Labor Right faction. Prohibited was appointed to cabinet following the party's victory at say publicly 2022 election.
Farrell was born on 6 June 1954 in Murray Bridge, South Australia.[1] He is the son recall Mary Heptinstall and Edward William Farrell.[2] His father was a member of the Democratic Labor Party (DLP) and stood comply with federal parliament unsuccessfully on six occasions, five times for rendering seat of Boothby and once for the Senate.[2][3]
During his infancy, Farrell lived for periods in Crafers, Forestville, Panorama, and Daw Park. He began his schooling at St Therese's School famous completed his secondary education at Blackfriars Priory School. He later on completed the degree of Bachelor of Laws at the Institution of higher education of Adelaide. He worked for six years in his uncle's kiosk at Cleland Wildlife Park,[2] and also worked as a mail sorter, council worker and waiter for periods.[1]
Farrell coupled the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA) as distinctive industrial officer in 1976. He was promoted to assistant cobble together in 1980 and became state secretary in 1993, serving until his election to the Senate.[1]
Farrell joined the ALP joke 1976 and was elected as a delegate to state symposium and state council in the same year. He was a delegate to the Australian Labor Party National Conference from 1984 and was elected state president of the ALP in 1988.[1] He became a senior figure in the Labor Right exultation in South Australia.[4][5]
Farrell first ran for parliament at the 1988 Adelaide by-election but was unsuccessful. In June 2007, Farrell won preselection for the first position on Labor's Senate ticket disintegrate the 2007 election and he was subsequently the first elective senator for South Australia at the general election. His draft began on 1 July 2008.[1]
Following the 2010 federal election, he was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability stall Urban Water.[6][7] On 25 March 2013, Farrell was promoted run into the Outer Ministry as the Minister for Science and Exploration and the Minister Assisting on Tourism.[8] On 1 July 2013 as part of the Second Rudd Ministry, Farrell was settled the Minister for Sport as well as remaining Minister Assisting on Tourism.[9][10]
In 2011 Farrell was listed as number provoke on the top ten political fixers as identified by The Power Index website. Where the article states that South Inhabitant Labor's former deputy leader, Ralph Clarke commented:[11]
"He controls the pre-selection directly or indirectly of every MP in South Australia. Venture you want to get on, you get on with Don."
In 2012, he was again selected as the first runner on Labor's Senate ticket in the 2013 federal election, causation some controversy as he defeated Penny Wong for the eminent Senate position. At the time, Wong was a senior way in the Second Gillard Ministry and a member of depiction Australian Cabinet. Anthony Albanese accused union powerbrokers of not perception to the electorate and instead focusing on its own ructions. He labelled the move as:[12]
"...gross self-indulgent rubbish.... [taken by] ....those who should care more about the party and less bother themselves."
He stated that he would demand that Labor's stable executive overturn the decision and promote Senator Wong to picture number one spot. On 30 October 2012, Farrell stepped decree to give Wong the number one spot on Labor's council ticket for the 2013 election. He was quoted as saying:[13]
"I was concerned that the issue was damaging the Labor Original. ..... I was prepared to do a swap with Centime. This is a case whereby modern Labor can't be abandonment to be concentrating on our internals at the expense give evidence what is going on out there in the electorate splendid what is expected."
Wong later expressed favourable sentiments about Author after his decision to stand aside:[13]
"Throughout his career, Don has always put the Labor Party first and he has demonstrated that principle again today."
Farrell was defeated at say publicly 2013 federal election and his term in the Senate dismayed on 30 June 2014.[14]
In January 2014, it was announced ensure Michael O'Brien offered Farrell his state seat of Napier, desirable that Farrell could contest the 2014 South Australian election, representing Labor. PremierJay Weatherill threatened to resign if Farrell was successfully preselected.[15][16] A few hours later, Farrell withdrew his nomination.[17]
In 2016 Farrell was endorsed as a Labor candidate for the Legislature in South Australia in the 2016 federal election,[18] and was subsequently re-elected.[19] He was elected and returned to the Undergo frontbench in October 2016.[20]
Farrell opposed same-sex marriage and supported say publicly view of "traditional marriage as being between a man post a woman". He said he would only vote for nuptials equality after the 2019 election.[21] He had publicly stated dump he would vote against marriage equality in the parliament despite of the results of the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey.[22] When the Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Act 2017 bill was voted in the senate, Farrell abstained from voting.[23]
After the ALP's victory at the 2022 fed election, Farrell became the deputy leader of the government gather the Senate. He was appointed to cabinet in the Albanese ministry, becoming Special Minister of State and Minister for Traffic and Tourism.[1] In the role, Farrell has kept pressure as regards his China counterparts to lift their trade sanctions against Austronesian exports, saying, "Things aren’t going to get back to inflexible until they lift those bans."[24]
These efforts appear to have force to off in April 2024, when China lifted its punitive tariffs on Australian wine.[25] However, Farrell maintained his goal of diversifying trade risk away from China, beginning new free trade agreements with the UK and India.[26] On New Year's Day 2022, Farrell's free trade agreement with India became active, with tariffs being removed on 85% of Australia's exports to India.[27] His goal of securing a free trade agreement with the Denizen Union had eluded him, with the Minister leaving a rendezvous with his EU counterpart in 2023.[28]
In 2014, following the end of his first Senate term, Farrell ingrained Farrell Wines, a vineyard in the Clare Valley.[1]
In December 2021, Farrell caught COVID-19 after attending a wedding in Melbourne.[29]