Greg Combet grew up in Western Sydney and worked as a trades assistant, in coal mining, and in a range of community organisations.
He has university degrees in mining engineering and economics as well as a Graduate Diploma in Labour Relations and the Law.
Greg joined the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) in 1993 and was secretary of the ACTU from 1999 to 2007. During his time at the ACTU, Greg oversaw numerous national wage cases to secure pay rises for low-paid Australian workers.
Greg also played a leading role in the high profile 1998 industrial dispute on the waterfront, the union campaign that secured employee entitlements for 16,000 workers after the collapse of Ansett, and the campaign that secured a multi-billion dollar settlement for Australian asbestos victims from James Hardie.
Greg is a former director of Members Equity Bank and the $30 billion fund Australian Super. He was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia in 2006.
Greg entered federal politics in 2007.
In February 2009, Greg was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Climate Change. He was previously Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Procurement.
In June 2009, Greg entered the federal ministry as Minister for Defence Personnel, Materiel and Science and Minister Assisting the Minister for Climate Change.
After the 2010 federal election, Greg was promoted to Cabinet as the Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency and in December 2011 he was allocated the additional portfolio responsibility as Minister for Industry and Innovation.
Electorate Profile
Charlton
State:
NSW
Name Derivation:
Named after Matthew Charlton (1866-1948), Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly 1903-10, Member of House of Representatives 1910-28 and leader of ALP 1922-28.
Area and Location Description:
Charlton covers an area of approximately 688 sq km from Rankin Park, Cardiff Heights, Cardiff South and Garden Suburb in the east, encompassing all of Lake Macquarie, then extending south to Wyee, including Mandalong and Martinsville to the west and Seahampton, West Wallsend and Maryland in the north. Main suburbs include, Elermore Vale, Fletcher, Minmi and most of Wallsend in the Newcastle area, Boolaroo, Cardiff, Cooranbong, Edgeworth, Morisset, Speers Point, Toronto, part of Warners Bay, and Wangi Wangi in the Lake Macquarie area.
Products/Industries of the Area:
Light and heavy engineering, timber, textiles, some dairy farms and poultry farming, tourism, coal-mining, electricity, and retailing.
First Proclaimed/Election:
1984
Demographic Rating:
Provincial
Members:
- Combet, G (ALP) 2007-
- Hoare, K (ALP) 1998-2007
- Brown, B (ALP) 1984-1998