senator Glenn Sterle Contact information

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My name is Glenn Sterle and I was elected in 2004 to represent Western Australia in the Federal Parliament. I was born in 1960 and grew up with my family in Langford, Western Australia. I became a Member of Parliament because I strongly believe I have something to offer and I feel that I can really make a difference, especially when it comes to enforcing the rights of workers in our legislation. As a Senator, I represent the interests of all West Australians. I often travel around Western Australia, especially to the Kimberley region to speak with residents, community groups, local Councils, businesses and industry groups.

A lot of my time is spent in the Federal Parliament in Canberra, mostly in the Senate Chamber. It is here that we debate and vote on matters that are before Parliament. However, work in the Senate Chamber is only the beginning. Some of my other duties include participating in the investigative work of Parliamentary committees and examining proposed new laws and regulations.

A key role that I play within the Parliamentary Committee system is serving as Chair of the Senate Rural Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee. I work with the committee secretariat to conduct inquiries regarding proposed legislation that may impact on regional Australia or on the Agriculture or Transport industries. Some committee inquiries and reports that I have presided over in the past include the Food Standards Amendment (Fish Labelling Bill) 2015, the Land Transport Infrastructure Amendment Bill 2014 and the inquiry into the ownership arrangements of grain handling in 2013.

I have always been passionate about jobs. Ensuring safety in the workplace, fair working conditions and secure wages for workers have been things that I have fought hard for throughout my entire career. My resolve for these most basic rights for workers was what motivated me as a union organiser with the Transport Workers Union and is what continues to motivate me as a representative in your parliament.

Outside of parliament, I am passionate about fostering the skills of our young people and providing them with opportunities that allow them to realise their full potential. As patron of a local high school in Perth’s eastern suburbs, I developed a leadership trekking program that took a number of students out of the their comfort zone to the rugged wilderness of the Kimberley region in Western Australia where they were challenged with completing a gruelling orienteering course as a team. Over three years, a number of students tackled this trek and came back more confident, more comfortable working with their peers and with an experience many others will never enjoy.

After a number of these successful treks, I decided to organise a different kind of trek that would challenge students in a different way. A number of years ago, I had the privilege to visit a number of battle sites and memorials dedicated to the First and Second World Wars on the Western Front. After reflecting upon my return, it dawned on me how much young Australians would benefit from travelling to these sites to see for themselves the many memorials that are dedicated to the Australian and Commonwealth servicemen who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. From then, the Senator Sterle Western Front Remembrance Tour was born and since 2013, over $100,000 has been raised to take more than 60 students to the Western Front on three separate tours. It is heart-warming to see that upon the return of each group of students, a new understanding of Australia’s war history and a deep appreciation for the sacrifice that many made for our freedom has been realised.

In June of 2018, I was honoured to be appointed by Bill Shorten as the Shadow Assistant Minister for Road Safety. I was again honoured to be re-appointed the Shadow Assistant Minister for Road Safety by Anthony Albanese after he became leader in 2019. In the Senate, I currently serve as the Chair of the Senate Rural, Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee and on the 1st of December 2022, I was appointed Chair of the Albanese Government’s Heavy Vehicle Rest Areas Initiative Steering Committee.

About Glenn

Glenn Sterle is an Australian politician and member of the Australian Labor Party. He was born on January 3, 1960, in Melbourne and raised in the Perth suburb of Langford. Sterle attended Thornlie Senior High School, but dropped out at the age of 17 to work as a furniture removalist. Later, he founded his own trucking business operating road trains throughout northern Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

Sterle spent fourteen years working as an owner-operator before giving up his business to take on a position as an organizer with the Transport Workers Union in 1991. Aside from working as an organizer, Sterle served on his local branch committee and was elected to the union’s federal council in 1998, remaining in all three positions until his election to the Senate in 2004.

Sterle’s time with the union included a brief stint as acting state secretary in 1998 and an integral role in a major airline strike in the state in 2000. He received the Centenary Medal in 2003 for services to training in the transport industry.

Sterle joined the Australian Labor Party in 1991 and was elected as a delegate to the party’s state conference in 1999. He served as the ALP’s transport policy convener in 2000 and was a delegate to the party’s national conference in 2002 and 2004. Sterle decided to make a bid to enter parliament and, in the lead-up to the 2004 federal election, challenged the preselection of veteran senator and former cabinet minister Peter Cook. Sterle gained the second position on the party’s Senate ticket and was easily elected.

Sterle’s term began on July 1, 2005. He has served on a variety of Senate and joint-house committees, notably Rural and Regional Affairs, and Transport: Legislation and References. Sterle served as a temporary Chair of Committees from November 12, 2013, to May 9, 2016.

In June 2018, Sterle was appointed Shadow Assistant Minister for Road Safety in Bill Shorten’s shadow ministry and retained the position in Anthony Albanese’s shadow ministry after the 2019 election. Sterle has been an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian Senate since 2005, representing the state of Western Australia.