Stephen Conroy

Leader of the Government in the Senate
Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy
Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on Digital Productivity

Stephen was born into an Air Force family in Ely, United Kingdom. Stephen's family moved to Canberra when he was 10, and he went on to graduate from the Australian National University with a Bachelor of Economics.

Stephen joined the Labor Party in 1983, to turn his concerns about equality of opportunity and economic justice into action.

Stephen moved to Melbourne and worked at the Transport Workers’ Union and in 1993 he was elected to Footscray City Council, where he developed an interest in transport and communication issues.

“The growing internationalisation of our economy presents opportunities and challenges. We must grasp these opportunities if we are to sustain our living standards and our children's futures.”

Following the resignation of Gareth Evans, Stephen was appointed to the Senate and he's been the Minister responsible for communications and the rollout of the National Broadband Network since 2007. Earlier this year he became Leader of the Government in the Senate.

Stephen has fought hard to establish a National Broadband Network so that the economic opportunities that technology brings can reach all Australians, wherever they live and whatever their background.

Stephen and his wife live in western Melbourne with their daughter. A sports nut, he was a national volleyball representative as a teenager and has been the President of Volleyball Victoria since 2004. Stephen barracks for Collingwood in the AFL and Melbourne Heart in the A-League, and he still pulls on the boots to play soccer when he has time.