Bob Debus - Member for Macquarie

Parliament House Office

RG 51
(PO Box 6022)
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600

Tel:

(02) 6277 4490

Fax:

(02) 6277 8427

Email:

Email Bob

Electorate Office, Bathurst

3/217 Howick Street
Bathurst NSW 2795

Toll Free:

1300 550 605

Tel:

(02) 6331 7625

Fax:

(02) 6331 0050

Postal Address:

PO Box 262
Bathurst NSW 2795

Electorate Office, Katoomba

Level 1, 98 Bathurst Rd
Katoomba NSW 2780

Toll Free:

1300 550 605

Tel:

(02) 4782 4644

Fax:

(02) 4782 4643

Postal Address:

PO Box 997
Katoomba NSW 2780

Biography

Bob Debus was born in Ryde in 1943 and was schooled at Homebush Boys High School before attending the University of Sydney to study Arts and Law. He has lived in the electorate of Macquarie for over 30 years.

Bob has worked as a lawyer, an editor for Angus and Robertson Publishing and a radio broadcaster for the ABC. He has worked for the community as National Director of the aid agency Australian Freedom from Hunger and Community Aid Abroad. Bob served in the NSW Parliament as the member for Blue Mountains for 19 years, 16 of which were spent as a minister.

As NSW Attorney General for six years he oversaw the passage of 258 legal bills through the NSW parliament, one-third of all bills passed by the NSW Parliament. He undertook a wave of reform including changes to the sexual assault laws to protect victims, set up Australian’s first Aboriginal circle sentencing systems and established the special commission of inquiry into James Hardie bringing justice for asbestos victims.

As Environment Minister for eight years, he expanded the national park system by almost two thirds, creating massive new national parks on the North Coast and South Coast, and more recently Western NSW. Almost 40% of the coastline of NSW is now part of a national park.

Bob was appointed Minister for Home Affairs upon the election of the Rudd Labor Government in 2007. He relinquished the portfolio in 2009 after deciding not to recontest his seat at the next election.

Electorate Profile

State: New South Wales

Name Derivation: Named after Governor Lachlan Macquarie 1761-1824, Governor of New South Wales 1810-21.

Area and Location Description: Macquarie covers an area of approximately 12 084 sq km from Glenbrook in the east, the eastern and northern boundaries of the Lithgow City Council local government area in the north, Bathurst in the west and the Abercrombie, Kowmung and Coxs rivers generally in the south. The main towns include Bathurst, Blackheath, Katoomba, Lithgow, Mount Victoria, Oberon, Portland, Springwood, and Wentworth Falls.

Products/Industries of the Area: Tourism, coal and gold mining, power generation, cement works, fruit growing, timber, vineyards, wool processing, transport, whitegoods manufacturing, agriculture and pastoral.

First Proclaimed/Election: 1900/1901

Demographic Rating: Provincial

Members:

• BOB DEBUS (ALP) 2007-
  
• BARTLETT, K (LP) 1996-2007
• DEAHM, M J (ALP) 1993-1996
• WEBSTER, A (LP) 1984-1993
• FREE, R V (ALP) 1980-1984
• GILLARD, R (LP) 1975-1980
• LUCHETTI, A S (ALP) 1951-1975
• CHIFLEY, J B (ALP) 1940-1951
• LAWSON, J N (UAP) 1931-1940
• CHIFLEY, J B (ALP) 1928-1931
• MANNING, A G (NAT) 1922-1928
• NICHOLLS, S R (ALP) 1917-1922
• CARR, E S (ALP) 1906-1917
• SMITH, S (FT) 1901-1906