Early Career
Roozendaal was born in Sydney. His family is of Dutch-Jewish descent, his grandfather perishing in Auschwitz during the Holocaust. He studied Commerce at the University of Sydney, but did not complete the course. He would later graduate from Macquarie University with a combined degree in Arts and Law (BA LLB). He became an organiser for the New South Wales branch of the Australian Labor Party in 1987, Assistant General Secretary in 1995 and General Secretary in 1999. This made him the organisation head of the dominant Labor Right faction of the party's largest state branch, a powerful position. He was also a member of the National Executive of the Party.
Roozendaal was campaign director for Premier Bob Carr's successful election campaign in 2003. He was also the party's chief fund-raiser, raising a reported A$16.3 million in his four years as General Secretary. He also carried out a crackdown on branch stacking and insisted on the selection of more female candidates in safe Labor seats.
During 2003, Roozendaal was criticised by using internal party polling to destabilise Simon Crean, the then Leader of the Opposition. Roozendaal was also Labor's New South Wales campaign manager at the 2004 federal election.
Read more about this topic: Eric Roozendaal
Famous quotes containing the words early and/or career:
“Foolish prater, What dost thou
So early at my window do?
Cruel bird, thou’st ta’en away
A dream out of my arms to-day;
A dream that ne’er must equall’d be
By all that waking eyes may see.
Thou this damage to repair
Nothing half so sweet and fair,
Nothing half so good, canst bring,
Tho’ men say thou bring’st the Spring.”
—Abraham Cowley (1618–1667)
“They want to play at being mothers. So let them. Expressing tenderness in their own way will not prevent girls from enjoying a successful career in the future; indeed, the ability to nurture is as valuable a skill in the workplace as the ability to lead.”
—Anne Roiphe (20th century)