Political Profile
Parliamentary service
Elected to the House of Representatives for Hughes, New South Wales, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2004 and 2007.
Ministerial appointments
Minister for Veterans’ Affairs from 26.11.01 to 26.10.04; Minister Assisting the Minister for Defence from 26.11.01 to 7.10.03.
Parliamentary positions
Member, Speaker’s Panel from 18.2.08.
Committee service
- House of Representatives Standing: Family and Community Affairs from 29.5.96 to 27.11.97;
- Communications, Transport and Microeconomic Reform from 9.10.96 to 17.10.96;
- Legal and Constitutional Affairs from 29.9.97 to 8.10.01;
- Environment and Heritage from 8.12.98 to 8.10.01;
- Library from 29.3.01 to 8.10.01; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs from 1.12.04 to 17.10.07;
- Science and Innovation from 1.12.04 to 17.10.07.
- Joint Standing: Migration from 11.3.08.
Conferences, delegations and visits
- Bilateral visits to Greece, Cyprus and Turkey, July 1999; Jordan, April 2008.
- Member, Parliamentary Delegation to East Timor, November 1999; New Zealand, August 2006.
- Official visits to Singapore and Malaysia, February 2002; Papua New Guinea, October-November 2002; East Timor, November 2002; Belgium, France and UK, April-May 2003; Korea and Vietnam, July-August 2003; UK and France, November 2003.
- Delegate – Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Conference to Fiji, September 2005
- Delegate – International Parliamentary Union Conference, South Africa, 2008
Liberal Party positions
- Member, Liberal Party from 1993.
- President, Liberal Party Gymea Branch 1994-95.
- Delegate, Cook and Miranda Federal Electoral Councils 1994-95.
- Delegate, Liberal Party State Council (NSW) 1994-95.