Ted O'Brien
MP
Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy
Assumed office
5 June 2022
LeaderPeter Dutton
Preceded byChris Bowen
Member of Parliament
for Fairfax
Assumed office
2 July 2016
Preceded byClive Palmer
Personal details
Born (1974-05-07) 7 May 1974
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Political partyLiberal (federal)
Liberal National (state)
Other political
affiliations		Coalition
Alma materUniversity of Queensland
National Taiwan Normal University
London School of Economics
University of Melbourne
OccupationBusinessperson, Politician

Edward Lynam O'Brien (born 7 May 1974) is an Australian politician. He is a member of the Liberal National Party of Queensland (LNP) and has represented the seat of Fairfax in the House of Representatives since the 2016 federal election. He sits with the Liberal Party in federal parliament. Prior to entering politics he was a businessman and lobbyist, also serving as chairman of the Australian Republic Movement (2005–2007).

Early life

O'Brien was born in Brisbane, Queensland.[1] He is the youngest of nine children and one of seven sons born to Tom and Bernice O'Brien. His father's family were the founders of the Defiance Flour Mill in Toowoomba.[2] The mill evolved into "a well-known Queensland business dynasty in flour manufacturing" and O'Brien's first job was as a trainee baker.[3]

O'Brien holds degrees from the University of Queensland (Bachelor of Arts), London School of Economics (Master of Economics) and University of Melbourne (Master of Business Administration), and he studied Chinese Mandarin at the National Taiwan Normal University under an Asia Pacific Fellowship.[1]

Career

Before entering politics O'Brien worked overseas for an extended period in business development roles.[2] He lived in China, Taiwan and Hong Kong for periods.[4] O'Brien's first roles were with Defiance International, an offshoot of his family company, and he later worked with the Australian Ricegrowers' Cooperative and with Accenture, where he worked for over a decade, including Director of Growth and Strategy for the Asia Pacific and Emerging Markets, based out of Beijing. After returning to Australia he became the Queensland managing director of lobbying firm Barton Deakin.[1][5] In 2014 he established his own consultancy firm, Ted O'Brien & Associates.[6]

O'Brien served as chairman of the Australian Republican Movement from 2005 to 2007.[1] During his tenure the organisation shifted its headquarters from Sydney to Canberra. It was reported that he and the national executive would "concentrate their Canberra lobbying on Coalition MPs, who are essential to any political move to revisit the question of a republic".[7] O'Brien also served as chairman of the South-East Queensland branch of Ronald McDonald House Charities and on the board of the Queensland Catholic Education Advisory Board.[1]

Politics

Early candidacies

O'Brien first ran for parliament at the 2007 federal election, losing to the incumbent Australian Labor Party (ALP) member Arch Bevis in the Division of Brisbane.[8] He campaigned on the slogan "Time for Ted".[9] O'Brien was the chairman of the Liberal National Party Futures Committee from 2011 to 2013.[10] In November 2012, he won LNP preselection for the Division of Fairfax, defeating former national rugby coach John Connolly.[11] He faced a high-profile challenger at the 2013 federal election, with mining magnate Clive Palmer contesting Fairfax as the leader of his Palmer United Party.[12] Following a recount, Palmer defeated O'Brien by 53 votes on the two-candidate-preferred vote.[13]

Federal politics

In May 2015, O'Brien again won LNP preselection for Fairfax. It was initially expected that Palmer would seek re-election in the same seat,[14] but he eventually decided to leave federal politics. O'Brien subsequently regained Fairfax for the LNP at the 2016 federal election.[1]

O'Brien has served on a number of House of Representatives committees, including as chair of the Standing Committee on Environment and Energy from July 2019, a member of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and trade,[15] and Chair of the Trade Sub-Committee.[1] In 2019 he was nominated to represent the Morrison government on the Olympic Candidature Leadership Group overseeing South-East Queensland's prospective bid for the 2032 Summer Olympics.[16]

In 2022, following the Coalition's defeat at the 2022 federal election, O'Brien was given the climate change and energy portfolio in Peter Dutton's shadow cabinet.[1]

Political views

O'Brien is an advocate of nuclear power.[17][18] In 2019 he chaired a parliamentary inquiry into nuclear energy.[19]

In September 2020, O'Brien called for Australia to negotiate a free-trade agreement with Taiwan, citing similar agreements with New Zealand and Singapore.[4]

O'Brien is factionally unaligned.[20][21]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Mr Ted O'Brien MP". Senators and Members of the Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Maiden speech". Hansard. Parliament of Australia. 31 August 2016. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  3. ↑ Fraser, Andrew (23 September 2013). "Low-key rival hot on Clive's heels". The Australian. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  4. 1 2 Tillett, Andrew (8 September 2020). "Backbencher revives push for FTA with Taiwan". The Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  5. ↑ Fraser, Andrew (7 April 2012). "As Queensland power changes, so do top lobbyists". The Weekend Australian. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  6. ↑ "Former Fairfax candidate launches business". Sunshine Coast Daily. 27 February 2014. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  7. ↑ Walsh, Kerry-Anne (4 June 2006). "Republicans take their case right to the heart". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  8. ↑ "Brisbane". Australia Votes 2007. ABC News. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  9. ↑ Molloy, Shannon (23 September 2007). "No Liberal state candidate? It's time for Ted". Brisbane Times. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  10. ↑ corporateName=Commonwealth Parliament; address=Parliament House, Canberra. "Mr Ted O'Brien MP". www.aph.gov.au. Retrieved 19 December 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. ↑ "O'Brien wins LNP preselection for Fairfax". Brisbane Times. 18 November 2012. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  12. ↑ "Fairfax – Australia Votes". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
  13. ↑ "Clive Palmer claims Fairfax seat after winning recount by 53 votes". Guardian Australia. 31 October 2013. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  14. ↑ "LNP opts again for Ted O'Brien to fight Clive Palmer for federal seat of Fairfax". ABC News. 23 May 2015. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  15. ↑ "Committee Membership".
  16. ↑ "O'Brien takes SEQ's Olympic bid to other side of world". Sunshine Coast Daily. 10 August 2019. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  17. ↑ "Nuclear debate without hysterics". The Australian. 8 August 2019. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  18. ↑ "Nuclear power benefits becoming obvious". The Australian. 26 May 2020. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  19. ↑ Brown, Greg (1 December 2019). "Public warming to nuclear power". The Australian. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  20. ↑ Massola, James (20 March 2021). "Who's who in the Liberals' left, right and centre factions?". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  21. ↑ Massola, James. "How Morrison's shattering defeat gave Dutton a seismic shift in factional power". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
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