Kim Beazley

Kim Beazley

Kim Christian Beazley AC (born 14 December 1948) is a former Australian politician and academic and a current diplomat. He is currently the Australian Ambassador to the United States.

Beazley previously served in the Australian House of Representatives from 1980 to 2007. He was leader of the Australian Labor Party and Leader of the Opposition from 1996–2001 and from 2005–2006. He led Labor during its 1998 and 2001 election defeats. He was a minister under Prime Ministers Bob Hawke and Paul Keating and served as the Deputy Prime Minister to Keating from 1995 to 1996. He retired from Parliament at the 2007 election when Labor won government under his successor, Kevin Rudd.