Speakers Profile - Professor The Hon Bob Carr


Former Foreign Minister of Australia and the longest continuously serving Premier of NSW









Travels From:
Sydney

Fee Range: E


Former Foreign Minister Bob Carr is also the longest continuously serving Premier in New South Wales history.

He served as Minister for Planning and Environment 1984 to 1988 and as Leader of the Opposition from 1988 until his election as Premier in March 1995. He was re-elected in 1999 and 2003 securing an historic third four-year term.

He retired from state politics in 2005.

During his 10 years the State Government set new records for spending on infrastructure, became the first government in the State's history to retire debt, hosted the world's best Olympics in 2000 and achieved the nation's best school literacy levels. Forbes magazine
called Bob Carr a "dragon slayer" for his landmark tort law reforms.

As Premier he received the World Conservation Union International Parks Merit Award for creating 350 new national parks. He introduced the world's first carbon trading scheme and curbed the clearing of native vegetation, both anti-greenhouse measures. He was a member of the International Task Force on Climate Change convened by Tony Blair, and was made a life member of the Wilderness Society in 2003.

Bob Carr has received the Fulbright Distinguished Fellow Award Scholarship. He has served as Honorary Scholar of the Australian American Leadership Dialogue. He is the author of Thoughtlines (2002), What Australia Means to Me (2003), My Reading Life (2008) Diary of a
Foreign Minister (2014) and Run for Your Life (2018).

In March 2012 he was designated by Prime Minister Julia Gillard as Australia's Foreign Minister, elected to the Australian Senate to fill a casual Senate vacancy and sworn in to the
Senate and Cabinet on March 13, 2012.

As Foreign Minister, Bob Carr fostered stronger relations between Australia and Southeast Asia, lifted sanctions on Myanmar, campaigned for the passage of a global Arms Trade Treaty and led the final stages of Australia's successful bid for Australia's seat on the UN Security Council as a non-permanent member. His plan for a Syrian medical pact was backed at the G20. In 2013, working with Prime Minister Gillard, Bob Carr helped negotiate with China a Strategic Partnership, visiting China on three occasions during his 18 months as Foreign Minister.

Following his resignation from the Senate on October 24, 2013. In 2014 he was appointed the Director of the newly established Australia China Relations Institute at The University of Technology Sydney, the first think tank devoted to Australia-China relations. For five years he helped shape the debate in support of engagement with China and saw ACRI become recognised as a leading academic think tank.

Between 2019 and 2022 he served as Professor of Industry in Climate and Business at the University of Technology Sydney helping shape the debate on climate and energy.