John Rau
Encyclopedia
John Robert Rau Australian politician, is the current South Australian Deputy Premier
and Attorney-General. He has been an Australian Labor Party
member of the House of Assembly
seat of Enfield
since 2002.
government ministers Mick Young
, Michael Tate
and Neal Blewett
, from 1985 to 1988, when he ran as private legal practice in Adelaide, dealing in industrial, employment, commercial and personal injuries law. He has also served on the ALP State and National Executives at certain times.
, where he was narrowly defeated by Liberal Party
candidate Christine Gallus
by 1.6 percent.
Prior to the 2002 state election, Rau ran against the Enfield sitting Labor member Ralph Clarke for pre-selection, who had recently been deposed as the party's deputy leader. The local party branch chose Clarke who received 60 of 74 votes. However, the party's state executive stepped in and installed Rau as the pre-selected candidate. Clarke ran as an independent Labor candidate and received a respectable 23 percent of the vote but narrowly fell short of overtaking and inheriting Liberal Party votes. Rau easily won the seat with a 35.9 percent primary and 65.9 percent two-party vote.
Rau gained publicity in 2004 over his involvement in the Real Estate Industry – Reform bill, which was designed in an attempt to stop industry practices such as dummy bidding at auctions.
The 2006 state election saw Rau retain Enfield with a 63.4 percent primary and 74.5 percent two-party vote. At the 2010 state election, Rau suffered a swing to finish with a 52.6 percent primary and 60.5 percent two-party vote.
Rau became Attorney General when Michael Atkinson
stepped down from the position following the 2010 election. Like his predecessor, Rau has also been described as a social conservative
.
Rau expressed approval for the introduction of an R18+ video games classification following the resignation of Atkinson and is set to discuss it at the next meeting of attorneys-general in April 2010. The issue has been one for which his predecessor Atkinson received significant media attention. Rau appears to be taking a different view to his predecessor and is considering allowing an introduction of an R18+ classification.
In February 2011, Rau was elevated to Deputy Premier following the resignation of Kevin Foley from the position.
with his wife Anna, who is a councillor for the City of Charles Sturt
, and their three children.
Deputy Premier of South Australia
The Deputy Premier of South Australia is the second-most senior officer in the Government of South Australia. The Deputy Premiership is a ministerial portfolio, and the Deputy Premier is appointed by the Governor on the advice of the Premier....
and Attorney-General. He has been an Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
member of the House of Assembly
South Australian House of Assembly
The House of Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia. The other is the Legislative Council. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Adelaide.- Overview :...
seat of Enfield
Electoral district of Enfield
Enfield is an electoral district of the House of Assembly in the Australian state of South Australia. Named after the suburb of the same name, it is a 20 km² urban electorate in Adelaide's inner northern suburbs, taking in the suburbs of Angle Park, Broadview, Clearview, Enfield, Ferryden...
since 2002.
Legal career
Trained as a lawyer, Rau was admitted to the bar in 1981, and worked as an adviser to HawkeBob Hawke
Robert James Lee "Bob" Hawke AC GCL was the 23rd Prime Minister of Australia from March 1983 to December 1991 and therefore longest serving Australian Labor Party Prime Minister....
government ministers Mick Young
Mick Young
Michael Jerome Young was an Australian politician. He rose through the Australian Labor Party to become its National Secretary, before serving as a Labor member of the House of Representatives from the 1974 election to 1988...
, Michael Tate
Michael Tate
Michael Carter Tate AO is a former Australian Labor Party politician who later became an ambassador and then a Catholic priest....
and Neal Blewett
Neal Blewett
Neal Blewett, AC , Australian politician, was an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian House of Representatives representing the Division of Bonython, South Australia from 1977 to 1994.-Education and academic career:...
, from 1985 to 1988, when he ran as private legal practice in Adelaide, dealing in industrial, employment, commercial and personal injuries law. He has also served on the ALP State and National Executives at certain times.
Political career
His first political experience as a Labor candidate occurred at the 1993 federal election, when he stood for the Division of HindmarshDivision of Hindmarsh
The Division of Hindmarsh is an Australian Electoral Division in South Australia covering the western gulfside suburbs of Adelaide.The division was created in 1903 and is named for Sir John Hindmarsh, who was Governor of South Australia 1836-38. For many years it was one of the safest Labor seats...
, where he was narrowly defeated by Liberal Party
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
candidate Christine Gallus
Christine Gallus
Christine Ann Gallus , Australian politician, was a Liberal member of the Australian House of Representatives since March 1990, representing the Division of Hawker, South Australia 1990-93 and for Hindmarsh, South Australia 1993-2004...
by 1.6 percent.
Prior to the 2002 state election, Rau ran against the Enfield sitting Labor member Ralph Clarke for pre-selection, who had recently been deposed as the party's deputy leader. The local party branch chose Clarke who received 60 of 74 votes. However, the party's state executive stepped in and installed Rau as the pre-selected candidate. Clarke ran as an independent Labor candidate and received a respectable 23 percent of the vote but narrowly fell short of overtaking and inheriting Liberal Party votes. Rau easily won the seat with a 35.9 percent primary and 65.9 percent two-party vote.
Rau gained publicity in 2004 over his involvement in the Real Estate Industry – Reform bill, which was designed in an attempt to stop industry practices such as dummy bidding at auctions.
The 2006 state election saw Rau retain Enfield with a 63.4 percent primary and 74.5 percent two-party vote. At the 2010 state election, Rau suffered a swing to finish with a 52.6 percent primary and 60.5 percent two-party vote.
Rau became Attorney General when Michael Atkinson
Michael Atkinson
Michael John Atkinson , an Australian politician, was the South Australian Attorney-General, Minister for Justice, Minister for Veterans' Affairs, and Minister for Multicultural Affairs in the Rann Labor Government. A day after the 2010 election, he stepped down as Attorney-General and resigned...
stepped down from the position following the 2010 election. Like his predecessor, Rau has also been described as a social conservative
Social conservatism
Social Conservatism is primarily a political, and usually morally influenced, ideology that focuses on the preservation of what are seen as traditional values. Social conservatism is a form of authoritarianism often associated with the position that the federal government should have a greater role...
.
Rau expressed approval for the introduction of an R18+ video games classification following the resignation of Atkinson and is set to discuss it at the next meeting of attorneys-general in April 2010. The issue has been one for which his predecessor Atkinson received significant media attention. Rau appears to be taking a different view to his predecessor and is considering allowing an introduction of an R18+ classification.
In February 2011, Rau was elevated to Deputy Premier following the resignation of Kevin Foley from the position.
Current portfolios
As well as Deputy Premier and Attorney-General, Rau is representing a number of other portfolios:- Minister for Justice
- Minister for Tourism
- Minister for Urban Development, Planning & the City of Adelaide
- Minister for Food Marketing
Personal life
Rau lives in the suburb of Henley BeachHenley Beach, South Australia
Henley Beach is a seaside suburb of Adelaide in the City of Charles Sturt local government area , South Australia.-External links:*...
with his wife Anna, who is a councillor for the City of Charles Sturt
City of Charles Sturt
The City of Charles Sturt is a Local Government Area in the western suburbs of Adelaide, South Australia, stretching to the coast.It came into being on 1 January 1997 as a result of the amalgamation of the City of Hindmarsh Woodville and the City of Henley and Grange...
, and their three children.