Mark Butler was elected to Federal Parliament in 2007 representing the electorate of Port Adelaide. In 2009 Mark was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Health and in September 2010, he was appointed the Minister for Mental Health and Ageing.
In December 2011, Mark was appointed to Cabinet as Minister for Mental Health, Ageing and Social Inclusion.
Before entering Parliament, Mark worked for 15 years in the Liquor Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union (now United Voice) - including 11 years as State Secretary – representing thousands of workers within aged care, and many other sectors. Mark was a Member of the South Australian Social Inclusion Board during its major review of the South Australian mental health system and served on a number of other Boards in areas including tourism, gambling and vocational training.
In 1997, Mark was elected as the youngest ever President of the ALP in South Australia, and has been a Member of the ALP National Executive and National Executive Committee since 2000.
He holds a First Class Honours Law degree, an Arts degree and a Masters degree in International Relations and was awarded a Centenary Medal in 2002 for services to trade unionism.
Mark lives in Woodville Park with his wife and two children, and is a keen supporter of AFL team, Port Power.
Electorate Profile
Port Adelaide
State:
SA
Name Derivation:
Named after the locality which was discovered by Collet Barker in 1831.
Area and Location Description:
Port Adelaide covers an area of approximately 253 sq km from Buckland Park in the north down to Grange Road in the south whilst its eastern boundary takes in parts of Salisbury. The area also includes Torrens Island and Garden Island. Other suburbs in this division are Alberton, Beverley, Birkenhead, Cheltenham, Findon, Kilkenny, Largs Bay, Mansfield Park, Mawson Lakes, North Haven, Ottoway, Parafield Gardens, Paralowie, Pennington, Port Adelaide, Queenstown, Rosewater, Salisbury Downs, Seaton (part), Semaphore, Woodville and West Croydon.
Products/Industries of the Area:
Cement, electricity, flour mills, live sheep export, manufacturing industry, motion pictures, petroleum storage, police academy, salt, sewerage treatment, stevedoring, submarine construction, waste disposal/scrap metal merchants and wool stores.
First Proclaimed/Election:
1949
Demographic Rating:
Inner Metropolitan
Members:
- Butler, M (ALP) 2007-
- Sawford, R (ALP) 1988-2007
- Young, M J (ALP) 1974-1988
- Birrell, F R (ALP) 1963-1974
- Thompson, A V (ALP) 1949-1963