Richard Marles
Richard Marles was elected to Federal Parliament as the Member for Corio in November 2007. In 2009, he was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Innovation and Industry. In 2010 he was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs.
Born in 1967, Richard was raised in Geelong and educated at Geelong Grammar School. He has a LLB (Hons) and BSc from Melbourne University.
He began his career with law firm Slater and Gordon. In 1998, he became Federal Assistant Secretary of the Transport Workers’ Union where he was responsible for bargaining with national transport companies and managing the union’s activities in the Australian Industrial Relations Commission.
In 2000, he became Assistant Secretary of the ACTU and ran the Working Hours Case which gave workers the right, for the first time, to refuse unreasonable amounts of overtime. He was a member of the National Occupational Health and Safety Commission and led the ACTU’s work on OHS. He also led an innovative program of co-operation between the Australian and Papua New Guinea union movements.
He was Chair of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Affairs from February 2008 to June 2009.
He lives in Geelong with his wife Rachel and has three children, Sam, Isabella and Harvey.
Articles by Richard Marles
Sometimes Santa isn’t that good at choosing presents…
Holding a foreign affairs portfolio in the Federal Government means you travel… a lot. And with a young family this…... Read more
With enemies like these, who needs friends?
As a Labor MP who joined the party as a teenager it will be no surprise to learn that, for…... Read more
Our island influence is not specific to the Pacific
The common experience of flying into a small island is that the view from the window, until almost the last…... Read more
Air-raising stories of flights I didn’t fancy
A month or so ago an electrical storm over Melbourne had my 2.30pm flight from Sydney in all sorts of…... Read more
Let’s include our neighbour in the fun and games
One element of the Rugby World Cup came through loud and clear. This was a Pacific event. Three Pacific island…... Read more
Climate change poses a Pacific problem
The tiny nation of Tuvalu is facing a crisis. A number of the islands including the capital Funafuti are suffering…... Read more
Chasing the meaning of football and life
To become a member of the Geelong Football Club you need a name, a birth date and an address. In…... Read more
Our nearest neighbour is 36 and growing stronger
Last Friday, 16 September, Papua New Guinea celebrated the 36th anniversary of its independence. The last 36 years has been…... Read more
Our cemeteries bring life to the dead
When we think about the story of our nation and the way in which it is preserved and recorded, we…... Read more
A city the size of London in the middle of China
Have you heard of Changsha, Chengdu and Chongqing? How about Wuhan or Weifang? Indeed try a little test: name seven…... Read more
Fairybread, lolly bags, tears and hysteria
A four year old kid’s party is the organisational equivalent of climbing Everest. There are issues such as the theme,…... Read more
A forgotten Australian who’ll always be remembered
For the past two years, staff in my electorate office have been joined by a volunteer who helped with filing…... Read more
Touched by the angel of the PNG AIDS ward
A couple of Sundays ago in Port Moresby, Stephanie Copus-Campbell – the head of AusAID’s program in PNG – invited…... Read more
Turning 50: When age does start to weary me
Recently I had dinner with a senior diplomat who spoke bravely about confronting the sheer horror of turning 50. The…... Read more
Bougainvillians deserve the chance to say “it’s mine”
By the time Francis Ona and the various factions of the Bougainville Revolutionary Army permanently laid down their arms on…... Read more
Women have a vital role in Pacific politics
Recently in the Cook Islands I had the opportunity of having breakfast with some of the Cook Islands’ most prominent…... Read more
Not pricing carbon would cost us dearly
On the eastern side of Geelong is Point Henry. On it stands a fifty-year-old aluminium smelter and accompanying rolling mill.…... Read more
Chewing the fat is a dangerous occupation
Politics has been bad for my waistline. My weight gain would have been less severe had I landed a job…... Read more
Some enchanted evening, we’ll acknowledge Sth Pacific
Most Australians have a vague awareness of the countries of the Pacific. Given their significance to our national interest these…... Read more
Twenty20 Golf: Long games need short versions
Herald Sun golf reporter, Mark Hayes, opened his Monday piece on Scott Laycock’s win in the inaugural Surf Coast Knockout,…... Read more
The whole world in the palm of your hand
I collect snow domes. I admit it. In fact I have about 250 of them. There is just something about…... Read more
The power of sport to cross cultural divides
In so many ways it looks familiar. Players lining up for their turn to lead, mark the ball, and pass…... Read more
Small islands + climate change = big problem
While the international spotlight on Cancun may not have shone as brightly as it did in Copenhagen a year ago,…... Read more
Nauru: we should treat our neighbour with more respect
Nauru has been struggling to get a good run in the press of late. Tales of business largesse, overseas trips,…... Read more
PNG, a forgotten neighbour
It has a population of 6.3 million. It is one of Australia’s two really large recipients of aid. We are…... Read more
Gary is just fine but Ablett is chasing his tail
He’s gone. Over the course of the season the inevitability of it has been crushing. Now it has happened. In…... Read more
A Cats fan concedes it’s the changing of the guard
After months of uncertainty last week had about it a sense of clarity. With all the incessant talk about the…... Read more
Labor diary: the difference between Julia and Tony
Note: Labor MP Richard Marles and Liberal MP Sophie Mirabella are among our favourite contributors to The Punch, and we…... Read more
Labor diary: the economic killer fact of this campaign
The last few weeks have clearly demonstrated the dignity of our Prime Minister, Julia Gillard. A photo from last Saturday…... Read more
Labor Diary: Tony, Brian and the Straightjacket
Note: Labor MP Richard Marles and Liberal MP Sophie Mirabella are among our favourite contributors to The Punch, and we…... Read more
Labor diary: Tony Abbott, scud missile of public policy
This week has greatly illuminated Tony Abbot’s unique relationship with public policy. As the first hint of a proposed massive…... Read more
Labor diary: Tony’s brutal battle with his own brain
Note: Labor MP Richard Marles and Liberal MP Sophie Mirabella are among our favourite contributors to The Punch, and we…... Read more
Why a vote for Labor is a vote for science
I recently learned a few things about the desert. You think you know about its vastness, but it is another…... Read more
Australia’s starring role in the next great eye on the sky
If you haven’t heard about the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) it’s time to tune in. Along with its cousins the…... Read more
If clothes maketh the man then hair maketh the poodle
Next week is Hair Expo. The very best stylists in the land will gather in Sydney to show off their…... Read more
The exciting world of measuring stuff
Doubtless, last Wednesday night you were struggling to get to sleep. Having marked May 20 on the calendar weeks in…... Read more
Release the bats! Standing between us and an outbreak
In recent months a glance upward at dusk has revealed the chaos of a giant flock of bats blackening the…... Read more
Showcases for nature and some sticky situations
Years ago, hosting an American, I was confronted with a challenge. George Washington is clearly the great unifying figure of…... Read more
Our link to the far reaches of human achievement
Just beyond the south western extremities of urban Canberra is the Canberra Deep Space Communications Complex at Tidbinbilla. Surrounded by…... Read more
Rehab 1916-style for a future Prime Minister
The ABC drama “Curtin” put into focus the life of John Curtin – one of Australia’s greatest Prime Ministers. Like…... Read more
Scared to the back teeth, then blessed relief
Speaking became difficult. Laughing was out of the question. My gums were so sore that my tongue was banned from…... Read more
Why great buildings need ways in and out for everyone
The American architect, Philip Johnson, once said “all great architecture is the design of space that contains, cuddles, exalts, or…... Read more
Nanotechnology: The biggest little thing going
The biggest thing in science right now is smaller than you can imagine. Nanotechnology is a brave new world containing…... Read more
The American Presidency: four degrees of separation
Next month the American Presidency comes to Australia. For all that is written about the American Presidency one of the…... Read more
A night with Harvey
On our summer holidays we had a baby. And with the joy of Georgia’s arrival managing the night has reached…... Read more
Is there anybody out there? Let’s find out
I hope we win the World Cup bid but I really want us to win the bid to host the…... Read more
A natural end to the annual parliament feeding frenzy
Inside Parliament House the year is punctuated by the progress of the seasons. With 17 courtyards throughout the building, nature…... Read more
Ah, New Zealand, we love you like one of us
A couple of weeks ago I had a night to kill in a foreign capital and took myself to see…... Read more
Acknowledging the anguish of those we forgot
- This is the speech given by Labor MP and Punch contributor Richard Marles this afternoon on the Forgotten Australians.…... Read more
Catch this Tiger if you can cause it’s history on the green
This week a man who will likely become the greatest champion in the history of world sport has arrived on…... Read more
Facebook Recommendations
Read all about it
Punch live
Up to the minute Twitter chatter
Tip for young journos. Have a short CV. A page, two max.
@DarrenFerrari @andrewcatsaras And so he should be. He might be the chap humming in the background to the end of the recording.
Recent posts
The latest and greatest
New speaker’s slack clobber, old speaker clobbers slackers
Peter Slipper, draped in black in a manner most young voters will not see outside Hogwarts, has dramatically…
Snappy 60th birthday to our most fun newspaper
Life is far from dull in the Northern Territory. Or if it is, we’ll never know. And that’s…
There’s no evidence sex-for-cab-fares is a trend
Fifteen years ago when one of your girlfriends had a few too many Illusion shots standard practice was…
Nosebleed Section
choice ringside rantings
From: City vs country: What would you change your life for?
Dieter Moeckel says:
We made the tree change from Darwin to Wonbah more than 15 years ago. After fencing, a road, and couple of dams our money was gone. Super is enough to live comfortably. We have geese growing old and stringy the only one that made it to the pot committed Kamakazi by flying into a tree; the chooks are… [read more]From: I’d rather have a piece of toast than listen to crap lyrics
Erick says:
Led Zeppelin are responsible for my all-time favourite mixed metaphor: "There you sit, sit and stare, like a book on a shelf rusting." (Misty Mountain Hop) I laugh every time I hear it. Hmmm, I believe I've decided what to play on the way to work today. [read more]Gentle jabs to the ribs
No wuckin forries. These nuckin futs are tuckin fops
Well, puck me with a fitchfork. The F-word is apparently an acceptable part of Australian speech. That’s… Read more
