Eric Abetz

Senator The Honourable Eric Abetz
Leader of the Government in the Senate
In office 18 September 2013 – 20 September 2015
Prime Minister	Tony Abbott Malcolm Turnbull
Deputy	George Brandis
Preceded by	Penny Wong
Succeeded by	George Brandis
Minister for Employment
In office 18 September 2013 – 21 September 2015
Prime Minister	Tony Abbott Malcolm Turnbull
Preceded by	Bill Shorten
Succeeded by	Michaelia Cash
Leader of the Opposition in the Senate
In office 3 May 2010 – 18 September 2013
Deputy	George Brandis
Leader	Tony Abbott
Preceded by	Nick Minchin
Succeeded by	Penny Wong
Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation
In office 27 January 2006 – 3 December 2007
Prime Minister	John Howard
Preceded by	Ian Macdonald
Succeeded by	Office abolished
Special Minister of State
In office 30 January 2001 – 27 January 2006
Prime Minister	John Howard
Preceded by	Chris Ellison
Succeeded by	Gary Nairn
Senator for Tasmania
Incumbent
Assumed office 22 February 1994
Preceded by	Brian Archer
Personal details
Born	25 January 1958 Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, West Germany (now Germany)
Nationality	Australian
Political party	Liberal Party of Australia
Spouse(s)	Michelle Oates
Children	3
Alma mater	University of Tasmania
Profession	Lawyer
Religion	Christianity

Eric Abetz (born 25 January 1958) is an Australian politician and a Liberal Party member of the Australian Senate since February 1994, representing the state of Tasmania. Abetz was the Minister for Employment and the Leader of the Government in the Senate in the Abbott Government from 2013 to 2015.^[1] He previously also served as a Special Minister of State in the Howard Government, from 2001 to 2006.

Born in Germany, Abetz emigrated to Australia as a small child, when his father came to work for Tasmania's Hydro Electric Commission. He was educated at the University of Tasmania and was a barrister and solicitor before entering politics. A former national president of the Australian Liberal Students' Federation, he was state president of the Tasmanian branch of the Liberal Party from 1990 to 1994.

Family

The youngest of six children, Abetz emigrated from Germany to Australia with his parents in 1961.^[2] His father, a radio technician, came to Australia to work for Tasmania's Hydro Electric Commission, which had advertised for skilled workers in German newspapers.^[3] Another one of the Abetz children is Peter Abetz, who has been the Liberal member for Southern River in the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia since the 2008 state election. Abetz is a great-nephew of Otto Abetz, a Brigadier General in the SS, who was Nazi Germany's ambassador to Vichy France from 1940 to 1944^[4] and was sentenced to 20 years for war crimes relating to the deportation of French Jews to the death camps.^[5] Eric Abetz was about 3 months old when Otto Abetz died.

Abetz is married to Michelle.^[6]

Studies

Abetz studied at Taroona High School, Hobart Matriculation College and the University of Tasmania, earning degrees in law and arts in 1981. In 1980–1981, he became the only Tasmanian to become national president of the Australian Liberal Students' Federation, during which time he came into political conflict with Nick Sherry and Sue Mackay, both later to be Australian Labor Party senators.^[3]

Political career

He won preselection as a candidate for the Senate in the 1993 election but did not win a seat. He was then chosen to fill the casual vacancy caused by the resignation of Brian Archer in 1994, and was elected in his own right at the subsequent 1998 election and re-elected in 2004 and 2010. Abetz was Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence 1998–2001 and was Special Minister of State from January 2001 until 2006.

Abetz earlier in his political career.

He has served as Chairman of the Native Title and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Land Fund Committee and Chairman of the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee. He also served as Chairman of the Attorney-General and Justice Government Members' Committee.^[7]

He was a member of a Parliamentary Delegation which visited France and Belgium in June and July 1997, and made an official visit to the United Kingdom in September 1999.^[8]

He was Minister for Forestry from a reshuffle of the Howard ministry in January 2006 until its defeat at the 2007 election. He commenced his portfolio by attacking the Australian Greens and environmentalists in general as anti-Australian. He described the campaign against woodchipping as "akin to treason" and branded the Greens an "extreme left" party.^[9] This allowed him to position the government's priorities as mainstream issues which both major parties wanted action on.^[10]

He was appointed Minister for Employment in the Abbott Government in September 2013.

Abetz is a Christian and a member of the Christian Reformed Churches of Australia. Throughout his political career he has been variously associated with conservative groups, including the Association of Christian Parent Controlled Schools, Salt Shakers, Focus on the Family, Lyons Forum, Endeavour Forum, Family Council of Victoria, Fatherhood Foundation, Australian Christian Lobby, Australian Family Association and Right to Life Australia.^[11] Abetz is an opponent of same-sex marriage, and in a 2015 interview on 2UE said arguments comparing discrimination against mixed-race couples to same-sex couples were "completely debunked by Justice Clarence Thomas, the negro American on the Supreme Court".^[12]

Abetz is quoted as saying of Joe de Bruyn, National President of Labor's largest trade union, "he is a role model of trade union officialdom. He is the type of official that gives trade unionism a good name."^[13]

In August 2014 Abetz received criticism from the media and politicians such as Greens Adam Bandt for making claims of a link between abortion and breast cancer when appearing on The Project. He had been on The Project to discuss his association with the World Congress of Families.^[14]

OzCar affair

In mid-2009 Abetz was a central figure in the OzCar affair, which involved allegations that Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Treasurer Wayne Swan had improperly given favourable treatment to a car dealer, John Grant, who was a friend of the Prime Minister. At a Senate inquiry on 19 June, Abetz asked a series of questions of a Treasury official, Godwin Grech, who testified that he had a "recollection" that a member of Rudd's staff had sent him an email in February, asking that he provide preferential treatment to Grant. Abetz read out the text of what he said was an email, which purported to ask for preferential treatment for Grant.^[15][16] On 4 August 2009, Grech admitted that he had forged the email.^[17] Abetz then issued an apology, saying: "I am not only sorry to Malcolm Turnbull but to the Australian people and any anguish that may have been occasioned to Kevin Rudd and other people."^[18]

Eligibility to hold Senate office

On 30 July 2010, Tasmanian resident John Hawkins lodged an objection to Abetz's nomination for re-election, alleging that Abetz still held dual citizenship of both his birthplace, Germany, and Australia.^[19] Hawkins subsequently withdrew the petition to the High Court of Australia after receiving appropriate documentation, and the High Court never heard the claim.

Dropped from ministry

Abetz was dropped from the First Turnbull Ministry upon the ascension of the Turnbull Government, with George Brandis succeeding Abetz as Leader of the Government in the Senate.

References

1. "Tony Abbott's cabinet and outer ministry". smh.com.au. AAP. 16 September 2013. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
2. http://abetz.com.au/about
3. Wilson, Peter (2002). The Australian Political Almanack.
4. Campbell, James; Wright, Lincoln (2 March 2008). "My family's Nazi past". Sunday Herald Sun.
5. http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/senators-uncle-otto-was-nazi-criminal/2008/03/01/1204402254993.html
6. https://www.themonthly.com.au/monthly-essays-chloe-hooper-young-libs-chocolate-factory-tomorrow039s-liberal-leaders-have-issues-ga
7. "Eric Abetz website",
8. "Parliamentary biography"
9. Ferguson, Peter (September 2009). "Anti-environmentalism and the Australian culture war". Journal of Australian Studies. 33 (3): 289–304. doi:10.1080/14443050903079680.
10. "Senator Abetz starts new portfolio with attack on Greens", ABC Tasmania, 25 January 2005; "New Forestry Minister rebuffs Greens", The World Today, ABC, 25 January 2006
11. "Know Your Politician Information Series"
12. "Eric Abetz guilty of 'inappropriate' racial term, racial discrimination commissioner Tim Soutphommasane says". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 23 Oct 2015.
13. Why is the union that represents supermarket workers stopping gay marriage?: SMH 2 May 2015
14. http://thenewdaily.com.au/news/2014/08/07/minister-derided-linking-abortion-breast-cancer/
15. Rodgers, Emma (20 June 2009). "PM stands by OzCar denial". ABC News. Retrieved 2012-05-28.
16. Rodgers, Emma (19 June 2009). "Rudd linked to OzCar lobbying". ABC News. Retrieved 2012-05-28.
17. "Grech 'wrote fake email'". The Age. Melbourne. 4 August 2009.
18. "Liberal senator Eric Abetz apology for Ute-gate debacle". Herald Sun. 6 August 2009. Retrieved 2012-05-28.
19. Neales, Sue (30 July 2010). "Legal bid to oust Abetz". The Mercury. Retrieved 2012-05-28.

External links

• Summary of parliamentary voting for Senator Eric Abetz on TheyVoteForYou.org.au