Robert McClelland (Australian politician)

Infobox MP
honorific-prefix =The Honourable
name = Robert McClelland
honorific-suffix =MP


constituency_MP = Barton
parliament = Australian
majority = 50,902 (62.1%)
predecessor = Gary Punch
successor =
term_start = 2 March 1996
term_end =
office1 = Attorney-General of Australia
predecessor1 = Philip Ruddock
successor1 =
term_start1 = 3 December 2007
term_end1 =
birth_date = Birth date and age|1958|1|26|df=y
birth_place = Sydney, NSW, Australia
death_date =
death_place =
nationality = Australian
spouse =
party = Australian Labor Party
relations =
children =
residence =
alma_mater = University of New South Wales
occupation = Solicitor
profession =
religion =


website = [http://www.robertmcclelland.alp.org.au www.robertmcclelland.alp.org.au]
footnotes =

Robert Bruce McClelland (born 26 January 1958) is the Attorney-General of Australia. He has been an Australian Labor Party member of the
Australian House of Representatives since March 1996, representing the Division of Barton, New South Wales. He was born in Sydney, New South Wales, the son of Doug McClelland, who was a Senator for New South Wales 1962-87, a minister in the Whitlam government and President of the Senate 1983-87.

McClelland was educated at the University of New South Wales, where he gained bachelors degrees in arts and law, and the University of Sydney where he gained a masters degree in law. He practised as an Associate to the Justice Phillip Evatt of the Federal Court of Australia 1981-82 before becoming a solicitor and ultimately partner with law firm Turner-Freeman.cite web | url=http://www.attorneygeneral.gov.au/www/ministers/robertmc.nsf/Page/Biography | title=Biography | publisher=Attorney-General's Department | accessdate=2008-07-21]

Two years after his election to parliament, McClelland became a member of the Opposition Shadow Ministry. He was Shadow Attorney-General 1998-2003, Shadow Minister for Workplace Relations 2001-03, Shadow Minister for Homeland Security 2003-05, Shadow Minister for Defence 2004-06 and Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs 2006-07. In November 2007, Robert McClelland was appointed as the Attorney-General and currently holds that job.cite web | url=http://www.aph.gov.au/house/members/biography.asp?id=JK6| title=The Hon Robert McClelland MP, Member for Barton (NSW)| publisher=Australian Parliament House | accessdate=2008-07-21]

After McClelland indicated on 8 October 2007 his party's disapproval of death sentences for all south Asian countries, his leader Kevin Rudd criticized the speech as "insensitive" because it was made on the eve of the anniversary of the Bali bombings. [cite news
title=No mercy for terrorists: Rudd
publisher=The Sydney Morning Herald
date=October 9 2007
url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/no-mercy-for-terrorists-rudd/2007/10/09/1191695871021.html
accessdate=2007-12-04] [cite news
title=PM slams Rudd over death penalty
publisher=The Age
date=October 9 2007
url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/pm-slams-distasteful-death-penalty-bid/2007/10/09/1191695867280.html
accessdate=2007-12-04] McClelland apologized, [cite news
title=McClelland apologises to victims of Bali
publisher= news.com,au
date=October 11 2007
url=http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22563869-421,00.html
accessdate=2007-12-04] but critics called the positions inconsistent. [cite news
title=Australia under fire for 'inconsistent' death penalty stance
publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation
date=October 9 2007
url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/10/09/2055099.htm
accessdate=2007-12-04]

In the 2007 Federal election, McClelland was re-elected to the seat of Barton with a 4.53% swing toward the Labor Party.cite web | url=http://results.aec.gov.au/13745/website/HouseDivisionFirstPrefs-13745-104.htm| title=Australian Electoral Commission summary of Barton, Federal Election 2007. | publisher="Australian Electoral Commission" | date=2007-12-19 | accessdate=2007-12-19]

In February 2008, McClelland stated that it was unacceptable that the ACT government, which is proposing to allow same-sex couples to enter into unions, would give the right to hold public ceremonies to celebrate their unions.cite news |first=Paul |last=Maley |title=Gay unions are OK ... just don't do it in public |url=http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23172362-12339,00.html |publisher="The Australian" |date=2008-02-07 |accessdate=2008-02-07 ] McClelland was criticised by Greens Senator Bob Brown, who said it was displaying the ugly face of Labor conservatism.cite news |title=ACT civil partnerships issue will cause government rift: Brown |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/02/07/2157100.htm |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |date=2008-02-07 |accessdate=2008-02-07 ]

Notes

ee also

* First Rudd Ministry

External links

* [http://www.robertmcclelland.alp.org.au Personal homepage]
* [http://www.attorneygeneral.gov.au/ Attorney-General homepage]

Persondata
NAME=McClelland, Robert Bruce
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Australian politician
DATE OF BIRTH=26 January 1958
PLACE OF BIRTH=Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
DATE OF DEATH=living
PLACE OF DEATH=