Peter Garrett

Peter Garrett was elected as the Labor Member for Kingsford Smith at the 2004 federal election. In 2007, he was appointed Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts following the election of a Federal Labor Government on 24 November. On 8 March 2010, following a restructure of the Department of the Environment, Peter was sworn in as Minister for Environment Protection, Heritage and the Arts.

After the re-election of the Gillard Labor Government in 2010, Peter sworn in as the Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth on 14 September 2010.

Widely known as a passionate advocate and campaigner on a range of contemporary Australian and global issues, he was president of the Australian Conservation Foundation serving two terms, an activist, and is a former member of Australian band Midnight Oil with a thirteen-album career culminating in the ARIA lifetime achievement award in 2006.

The ‘Oils’ were renowned for their fierce independent stance and active support of a range of contemporary concerns including the plight of homeless youth, indigenous people's rights and protection of the environment.

Peter Garrett received the Australian Humanitarian Foundation Award (environment category) in 2000, and in 2003 received the Order of Australia (Member General Division) for his contribution to environment and the music industry. In 2009, he was awarded the French Government Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters. He has been acknowledged as a leading green thinker by the Green Building Council of Australia. In 2010, WWF Australia and International presented Peter with their Leaders for a Living Planet award.