The Hon Peter Garrett AM
Résumé
Peter Garrett is a long-time advocate and campaigner on a range of local and global issues. A member of Midnight Oil, one of Australia’s most successful bands, he served as a cabinet minister in the Rudd/Gillard Labor governments from 2007-13.
Awards & Achievements
-
2000
was felicitated with the ‘Australian Humanitarian Foundation Award’
-
2001
received an honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of New South Wales
-
2003
Appointed Member of the Order of Australia
-
2006
winner Free Your Mind Award during MTV Australia Video Music Awards
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2009
The Government of France granted Garrett the honour of being the officer of the ‘Order of Arts and Letters’
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2010
The Singer was felicitated with a ‘Leaders for a Living Planet Award’, by the organization named ‘World Wide Fund For Nature’.
Personal Life & Legacy
-
1986
got married to Doris Ricono
-
2007
the artist Michael Mucci entered a portrait of Garrett in the Archibald Prize
Childhood & Early Life
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16th of April, 1953
was born in Sydney, Australia.
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1970-1976
studied art at the Australian National University and law at the University of New South Wales.
Musical career and activism
-
1973
joined the Australia based rock band ‘Midnight Oil’, as its lead vocalist.
-
1980s
the band were strongly identified with environmental and Aboriginal rights causes. They were particularly critical of the military and foreign policy of the United States.
-
2000
at the closing ceremony of the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, the group performed before then-Prime Minister, John Howard, and a television audience of hundreds of millions, wearing black overalls bearing the word "sorry". This referred to the Howard Government's refusal to apologise to Aboriginal Australians for the former policy of removing Aboriginal children from their families.
-
2004
the band performed two gigs to earn money to help the survivors of the ‘Asian tsunami’ disaster
-
2007
presented Crowded House at the Australian leg of Live Earth.
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2009
the band performed in a bid to raise funds for the Victorian Bushfire Appeal
-
2016
announced his first solo album, A Version of Now
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2017
Midnight Oil embarked on The Great Circle World Tour – with most dates selling out within 24 hours, the band played across 14 countries.
Political career
-
1984
the Nuclear Disarmament Party (NDP) invited him to stand for a New South Wales seat in the Australian Senate at the federal election.
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1989-1993
President of the Australian Conservation Foundation
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1993-1995
working with the non-governmental initiative ‘Greenpeace’
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1999-2004
President of the Australian Conservation Foundation
-
2004
joined the Labor Party and represented the political outfit during the ‘2004 Federal Elections’.
-
2004-2013
Labor Member for Kingsford Smith
-
2005-2006
Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Reconciliation and the Arts
-
2006-2007
Shadow Minister for Climate Change, Environment and Heritage
-
2006-2007
Shadow Minister for the Arts
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2007-2010
was appointed as the Minister of Environment, Heritage and the Arts, after the Kevin Rudd government came into power.
-
2010-2013
was appointed as the Minister For School Education, Early Childhood and Youth.
How can we dance
When our earth is turning
How do we sleep
While our beds are burning
Life Lesson
You don't want to spend your life explaining yourself.
Family
Spouse: Doris Garrett
Father: Peter Garrett
Mother: Betty Garrett
Children: Emily Garrett, Grace Garrett, May Garrett
I’m suggesting that as we are well into the new century, and with the world continuing to warm, with the tipping point of around two degrees increase in global temperatures getting closer by the day, that delaying robust action on dangerous climate change is a crime against humanity.
Publications
1987 Political Blues, Hodder and Stoughton, Sydney
2015 Big Blue Sky: A Memoir