Craig Emerson

Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Science and Research
Minister for Trade and Competitiveness
Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on Asian Century Policy

Craig was born and raised in the small NSW country town of Baradine, moving to study at the University of Sydney and then Australian National University. He graduated with a Bachelor of Economics, a Master of Economics, and a Phd in Economics and was a Post-Doctoral Fellow at ANU.

Craig spent 25 years serving the public, first in various senior roles in the Queensland public service, then as assistant secretary in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. He then worked as an economic analyst at the United Nations before working for Prime Minister Bob Hawke as a senior policy adviser.


“The only political party in Australia committed to healing the unemployment sickness is the Australian Labor Party, whose political and industrial wings time and again during the federation's short history have combined to produce the policies and practices to build a stronger, fairer and more cohesive nation.”

His passion for fairness in employment and the economy led to Craig’s election to parliament in 1998; he has served as a Cabinet Minister since 2007.

In addition to his more than 25 years of public policy work, Craig has successfully run his own small business.
Craig has three children and is an avid fan of both rugby league and union. In the past he has offered his star athletic skills to the parliamentary rugby union team.