Representative Richard Marles Contact information

Richard Donald Marles, born on July 13, 1967, is an Australian politician, currently serving as Deputy Prime Minister of Australia and Minister for Defence in the Albanese government since 2022. Marles also holds the position of Deputy Leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), which he has held since 2019. Marles was born to Donald Marles and Fay Marles in Geelong, Victoria. His father was a former headmaster of Trinity Grammar School, and his mother was Victoria’s first Equal Opportunity Commissioner, later Chancellor of the University of Melbourne.

Marles attended Geelong Grammar School and the University of Melbourne, where he resided at Ormond College. He completed a Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Laws with Honours. During his time at university, he became a member of the Melbourne University Labor Club and served as president of the Melbourne University Student Union in 1988. He was also the General Secretary of the National Union of Students in 1989. He started his career as a solicitor with Melbourne-based law firm Slater and Gordon. In 1994, he became legal officer for the Transport Workers Union (TWU), and four years later, he was elected TWU National Assistant Secretary. In 2000, he joined Australia’s peak national union body, the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), as assistant secretary, remaining in the position until 2007.

In March 2006, Marles nominated for Labor preselection against the sitting member for Corio, Gavan O’Connor, as part of a challenge to several sitting members organized by the right-wing Labor Unity faction of the party. In the local ballot, Marles polled 57% of the vote, and his endorsement was then confirmed by the party’s public office selection committee. Marles was elected member for Corio on November 24, 2007, in the election that returned the Labor Party to office under the leadership of Kevin Rudd. From February 2008 to June 2009, he was the chair of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs.

In June 2009, Marles was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Innovation and Industry. He retained his seat in the 2010 election and was sworn in as Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs in the First Gillard Ministry on September 14, 2010. In July 2011, Marles became the first Australian member of parliament to visit Wallis and Futuna. Marles arrived in Wallis and Futuna to attend a ceremony with King Kapiliele Faupala in Mata-Utu marking the 50th anniversary of the islands’ status as a French Overseas collectivity. In the ministerial reshuffle of March 2, 2012, Marles was given the additional role of Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs. On March 21, 2013, he resigned these roles after expressing support for Kevin Rudd to challenge Julia Gillard for the leadership.

In June 2013, Marles was appointed the Minister for Trade and a member of the Cabinet, succeeding Craig Emerson, who resigned following the June 2013 leadership spill that saw Kevin Rudd defeat Julia Gillard for leadership of the Labor Party. After the ALP’s defeat at the 2013 federal election, Marles was appointed Shadow Minister for Immigration and Border Protection under opposition leader Bill Shorten. In February 2016, he began co-hosting the weekly television program Pyne & Marles on Sky News Live with Liberal MP Christopher Pyne. Marles had his portfolio changed after the 2016 election, becoming Shadow Minister for Defence. He has been cited as holding pro-U.S. views and as “somewhat of a hawk.”

In May 2019,

In May 2019, Marles was elected unopposed as the Deputy Leader of the Australian Labor Party, succeeding Tanya Plibersek. This followed the party’s defeat in the 2019 federal election. Marles retained his position in the Shadow Cabinet, becoming Shadow Minister for National Security, Shadow Minister for Defence, and Shadow Minister for Intelligence. After the resignation of Anthony Albanese as Labor leader following the election loss, Marles announced his candidacy for the leadership position. However, he withdrew his candidacy shortly after, clearing the way for Albanese to become leader.

In the lead up to the 2022 federal election, Marles was announced as the Labor Party’s candidate for the seat of Corio and was subsequently re-elected with an increased majority. Following the election, Albanese appointed Marles as Deputy Prime Minister of Australia and Minister for Defence in his Cabinet.