Speakers Profile - Peter Garrett


Peter Garrett, AM, MP









Travels From:
Sydney

Fee Range: E


Labor Member for Kingsford Smith
Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Reconciliation and the Arts

Peter was elected as the Labor Member for Kingsford Smith at the 2004 federal election.

He is a member of the following House of Representative committees:

Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs
Standing Committee on Communications, Information Technology and the Arts

On 11 June 2004, Peter announced that he would nominate as the Labor candidate for the NSW federal electorate of Kingsford Smith. Shortly afterwards, the ALP National Executive approved his party membership and his candidature for the seat.

Peter is widely known as a passionate advocate and campaigner on a range of contemporary Australian and global issues. He was the former president Australian Conservation Foundation , an activist, and former member Australian band Midnight Oil .

He was vocalist, co-lyricist and dynamic frontman for Midnight Oil for 26 groundbreaking years. The band was known for protest and benefit shows, notably at Jabiluka in the Northern Territory's Kakadu National Park, Sao Paulo Brazil, Clayquot in Canada, the anti-Exxon performance on a truck-top in the streets of New York, and of course the 'sorry suits' performance at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games closing ceremony.

Of Midnight Oil's 16 albums, '10-1', 'Diesel and Dust', 'Blue Sky Mining' and 'Redneck Wonderland' were amongst the most provocative and successful, whilst songs like 'Beds are Burning', 'Power and the Passion' and 'US Forces' have become FM radio standards.

The Oils were renowned for their fierce independent stance and active support of a range of contemporary concerns including the plight of homeless youth, indigenous people's rights and protection of the environment.

Peter served two terms as president of the Australian Conservation Foundation. In his first term, from 1989 to 1993, significant results were achieved for many threatened areas of the Australian environment including Coronation Hill in Kakadu, Shoalwater Bay in Queensland, the Queensland Wet Tropics rainforest and Jervis Bay in NSW. In his second term, the ACF grew strongly, developed partnerships with non-government organisations, progressive business groups and companies, and expanded its campaigning into marine conservation and northern Australia.

He received the Australian Humanitarian Foundation Award ( environment category) in 2000, and in 2003 received the Order of Australia (Member General Division) for his contribution to environment and the music industry.