Michael O'Brien (Australian politician)
Encyclopedia
Michael O'Brien is the Labor
member for Napier
in the South Australian House of Assembly
. He was first elected in 2002, replacing Annette Hurley
. He is the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries, Forests, Energy and the Northern Suburbs.
O'Brien was elevated to Cabinet on 2 March 2009 with Tom Koutsantonis
following the resignations of Rory McEwen
and Carmel Zollo
.
O'Brien has previously held the portfolios of Employment, Training and Further Education; Road Safety; and Science and Information Economy.
Before entering parliament, O'Brien was a national manager with Elders IXL and held senior executive positions with the Royal Automobile Association
(RAA) and University of Adelaide
. He and his wife owned a Bakers Delight
franchise for 11 years.
O'Brien has Bachelor of Arts
and Master of Business Administration
degrees and was formerly parliamentary secretary to the Premier of South Australia, Mike Rann
.
In mid 2007 O'Brien was appointed chair of the State Planning Review. O'Brien was also convenor of the Premier's Food Council, chair of the Riverland Futures Taskforce and co-chair of the SA Business Development Council. In the first Rann Government, O'Brien was parliamentary secretary to the Minister for Transport.
At the South Australian state election, 2010 O'Brien sustained a swing against him of 8.1%, decreasing his margin to 15.8%.
As Minister for Regional Development he launched the $20 million Riverland Sustainable Futures Fund in September 2010. O'Brien said the Government aimed to achieve about $500 million of investment in the Riverland over the next 20 years.
As Minister for Forests, O'Brien faced hostility in the South East of the state when he advanced the government's plans to forward sell harvest rights.
In November 2010, O'Brien clashed in parliament with then Treasurer Kevin Foley
, who accused him of creating "unnecessary anxiety" over the planned forward sale.
In February 2011, O'Brien angered South Australian Outback
residents and business owners when he announced higher electricity tariffs of up to 125%.
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 for Napier
Electoral district of Napier
Napier is an electorate created in 1976 for the South Australian Legislative Assembly in the northern suburbs of the Adelaide metropolitan area of South Australia....
in the South Australian 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 :...
. He was first elected in 2002, replacing Annette Hurley
Annette Hurley
Annette Kay Hurley is an Australian politician. Elected at the 2004 federal election, she has been a Labor member of the Australian Senate since July 2005, representing the state of South Australia...
. He is the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries, Forests, Energy and the Northern Suburbs.
O'Brien was elevated to Cabinet on 2 March 2009 with Tom Koutsantonis
Tom Koutsantonis
Anastasios "Tom" Koutsantonis is a South Australian politician and a member of the Australian Labor Party, representing the seat of West Torrens in the South Australian House of Assembly...
following the resignations of Rory McEwen
Rory McEwen
Rory McEwen , Australian politician, was the independent member for the seats of Gordon and Mount Gambier in the South Australian House of Assembly....
and Carmel Zollo
Carmel Zollo
Carmelina "Carmel" Zollo is an Australian politician, and an Australian Labor Party member of the South Australian Legislative Council since 1997. She was re-elected for a second term in the 2006 election....
.
O'Brien has previously held the portfolios of Employment, Training and Further Education; Road Safety; and Science and Information Economy.
Before entering parliament, O'Brien was a national manager with Elders IXL and held senior executive positions with the Royal Automobile Association
Royal Automobile Association
The Royal Automobile Association of South Australia, also known simply as RAA, is a South Australian automobile club providing a range of member services including: 24-hour emergency breakdown, vehicle inspection, motoring advocacy, road safety, legal services, technical advice, travel services,...
(RAA) and University of Adelaide
University of Adelaide
The University of Adelaide is a public university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third oldest university in Australia...
. He and his wife owned a Bakers Delight
Bakers Delight
Bakers Delight is a large Australian owned bakery franchise chain with outlets in Australia, New Zealand and Canada. It was established in 1980 as a single bakery on Glenferrie Road in the Melbourne suburb of Hawthorn, Victoria. Bakers Delight has over 700 bakeries globally...
franchise for 11 years.
O'Brien has Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
and Master of Business Administration
Master of Business Administration
The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
degrees and was formerly parliamentary secretary to the Premier of South Australia, Mike Rann
Mike Rann
Michael David Rann MHA, CNZM , Australian politician, served as the 44th Premier of South Australia. He led the South Australian branch of the Australian Labor Party to minority government at the 2002 election, before attaining a landslide win at the 2006 election...
.
In mid 2007 O'Brien was appointed chair of the State Planning Review. O'Brien was also convenor of the Premier's Food Council, chair of the Riverland Futures Taskforce and co-chair of the SA Business Development Council. In the first Rann Government, O'Brien was parliamentary secretary to the Minister for Transport.
At the South Australian state election, 2010 O'Brien sustained a swing against him of 8.1%, decreasing his margin to 15.8%.
As Minister for Regional Development he launched the $20 million Riverland Sustainable Futures Fund in September 2010. O'Brien said the Government aimed to achieve about $500 million of investment in the Riverland over the next 20 years.
As Minister for Forests, O'Brien faced hostility in the South East of the state when he advanced the government's plans to forward sell harvest rights.
In November 2010, O'Brien clashed in parliament with then Treasurer Kevin Foley
Kevin Foley
Kevin Owen Foley , Australian politician, is the current Minister for Industry and Trade and Minister for Federal/State Relations in the Rann Labor government. He previously served as Treasurer of South Australia and Deputy Premier of South Australia from 2002 until his resignation in 2011...
, who accused him of creating "unnecessary anxiety" over the planned forward sale.
In February 2011, O'Brien angered South Australian Outback
Outback
The Outback is the vast, remote, arid area of Australia, term colloquially can refer to any lands outside the main urban areas. The term "the outback" is generally used to refer to locations that are comparatively more remote than those areas named "the bush".-Overview:The outback is home to a...
residents and business owners when he announced higher electricity tariffs of up to 125%.