Summary heading

Hon Kim Beazley

Career within Commonwealth

Kim Christian Beazley was born in Perth, Western Australia on 14 December 1948, the eldest son of Kim Edward Beazley (CP 107) and Betty Judge. He was educated at Hollywood High School and the University of Western Australia, where he was President of the Students Guild, before undertaking further study in industrial relations at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar (1973). He was later a tutor (1976-1979), then lecturer in social and political theory at Murdoch University (1980).

Like his father, Kim Beazley joined the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and was a member of the Western Australian State Executive (1967-1973), including as Vice-President (1970-1973) and Treasurer (1977-1980), and has held other Party positions. He has been a member of the ALP National Executive since 1991. Beazley was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1980 as member for Swan (WA). Although a marginal seat, he held it through the next five elections until 1996 when, following the 1984 redistribution, he was elected as member for Brand (WA).

In the Hawke Government, Beazley was Minister for Aviation, Minister Assisting the Minister for Defence and Special Minister of State (1983-1984), Minister for Defence (1984-1990), Vice-President of the Federal Executive Council (1988-91), Minister for Transport and Communications (1990-1991) and, briefly, Minister for Finance (December 1991). He also became Leader of the House of Representatives (1988-1996), a position he retained during the Keating Government. In the latter, Beazley held the portfolios of Employment, Education and Training (1991-1993) and Finance (1993-1996), and was Deputy Leader of the Federal ALP and Deputy Prime Minister (1995-1996).

Following the defeat of the Keating Government in March 1996, Beazley was elected Leader of the Federal ALP and Leader of the Opposition. However he resigned in November 2001, after leading the Party unsuccessfully through two general elections. On 28 January 2005 he was again elected Federal Labor leader and Leader of the Opposition until defeated in a Caucus vote on 4 December 2006.He did not contest the 2007 federal election retiring on 17 October 2007.

During his career, Beazley has also served on Parliamentary Committees relating to Public Accounts (1980-1981), Foreign Affairs and Defence (1980-1983 and since 2002), Privileges (1988-1996) and ASIO, ASIS and DSD (since 2002). He has made numerous official visits overseas, was a member of the Parliamentary Delegation to Saudi Arabia, Oman and United Arab Emirates, and the Australian Delegation to the South Pacific Commission (1982) and a Parliamentary Delegate to the Australian Constitutional Convention in Canberra (1998).

After the retirement from the Parliament in 2007 Kim Beazley became a Professorial Fellow of the Discipline Group of Political Science and International Relations in the School of Social and Cultural Studies at the University of Western Australia. In July 2008 he was appointed Chancellor of the Australian National University, a position he held from February until December 2009.

In 2009 Kim Beazley was made a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) for service to the Parliament of Australia through contributions to the development of government policies in relation to defence and international relations, and as an advocate for Indigenous people, and to the community.

On 17 September the Hon Stephen Smith, Minister for Foreign Affairs recommended to the Governor-General the appointment of the Kim Beazley as Australia's next Ambassador to the United States of America. He took up the appointment in Washington in February 2010.

Links to other Commonwealth Persons

Hon. Kim Edward Beazley (CP 107) – father

Publications

Kim C. Beazley, Ian Clark, The Politics of Intrusion: the Superpowers in the Indian Ocean, Sydney, Alternative Publishing Cooperative, 1979.

Sources

Official Website of the Australian Labor Party

Medial release by Hon Stephen Smith, Minister for Foreign Affairs

http://www.alp.org.au/media/0909/msfa170.php, accessed 21 September 2009

Parliamentary Handbook On-Line (accessed 8 September 2003 and 3 February 2006)

Who's Who in Australia 2003, p 224