Early Career
Faulkner was born in Leeton, New South Wales on 12 April 1954, and was educated at Macquarie University, Sydney, where he graduated in Arts and Education (BA, DipEd). He worked as a Special Education teacher in government schools before entering politics from 1977 to 1979. In 1980 he was employed as a Research officer to the New South Wales Minister for Sport and Recreation, Ken Booth. Gaining prominence within the ALP, he was made Assistant General Secretary of the NSW party in 1980, serving for nine years and became a member of the ALP National Executive in 1989.
A leading member of the Socialist Left faction of the ALP, Faulkner was appointed to the Senate in 1989 to succeed the former left-wing minister Arthur Gietzelt, who had resigned mid-term. In the Keating Labor government, Faulkner was Minister for Veterans' Affairs and Minister for Defence Science and Personnel 1993–94, and Minister for the Environment, Sport and Territories, with a seat in the Cabinet, 1994–96.
After the defeat of the Keating government in 1996, Faulkner became Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, and was a member of the Opposition Shadow Ministry 1996–2004. He was at various times Shadow Minister for Social Security, Public Administration and Home Affairs. He was a key Labor strategist in the 1998, 2001 and 2004 federal elections, and was a particularly close advisor to Mark Latham during the 2004 election. In the wake of Labor's defeat in that election, he resigned his positions. In October 2006 John Faulkner was elected as the National President of the Australian Labor Party until February 2008. Three people are elected to the rotating position of Party President every three years, each serving one year. Faulkner chaired the ALP's National Conference in 2007, and each of the rotating Presidents will chair the National Executive for one year.
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