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Hon Simon McDonnell O'Brien
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Birth | | Date: 16 May 1960
Place: Subiaco, Western Australia |
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Parents |  | Son of Everard McDonnell O’Brien, road board secretary and MLA, and Dulcie Niola Shooter |
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Marriage and Family |  | Married 11 July 1980, Fremantle, WA to Joy Marie Lowe, daughter of James Frederick Randall Lowe and Joyce Ada Dow
Children: one daughter, Nadika Peree Clark; five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren |
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Religion |  | Catholic |
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Education |  | Educated Graylands Primary School, St Louis College, John XXIII College and John Curtin Senior High School |
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Occupation |  | Customs officer |
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Employment History |  | Officer cadet with Army January–May 1979 and January–April 1981 (ceased because of injury)
Orderly Fremantle Hospital June 1979–December 1981
Customs officer 1981–1997 including various outport postings, training and staff development, and operational manager at Perth International Airport |
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House |  | MLC |
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Party |  | Liberal
Various Offices of the Liberal Party of Western Australia from 1985 including State Executive, President Fremantle Division; President Cockburn Branch |
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Date Elected |  | 22 May 1997 |
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Inaugural Speech |  | |
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Inaugural Video |  | No inaugural video is available as filming did not start until May 2003 |
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Speeches |  | Search for speeches by Simon O'Brien |
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Electorate |  | South Metropolitan |
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Parliamentary Service |  | Electorates
- MLC South Metropolitan Region. Elected to the Thirty-fifth Parliament for South Metropolitan Region on 14 December 1996 for term commencing 22 May 1997. Re-elected 2001, 2005, 2009, 2013 and 2017 (for terms commencing 22 May).
- Contested Cockburn 4 February 1989, South Metropolitan Region 6 February 1993
Office
- Shadow Minister for Disability Services, Drug Abuse Strategy from 9 March 2001 to 20 March 2005
- Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council from 30 March 2005 to 23 September 2008
- Shadow Minister for Commerce and Trade, Disability Services, Works and Services from 20 March 2005 to 4 February 2006
- Shadow Minister for Education, Commerce and Trade from 4 February 2006 to 8 April 2006
- Shadow Minister for Asian Economic Development from 4 February 2006 to 23 September 2008
- Shadow Minister for Planning and Infrastructure from 8 April 2006 to 23 September 2008
- Minister for Transport, Disability Services from 23 September 2008 to 14 December 2010
- Minister for Finance, Commerce, Small Business from 14 December 2010 to 21 March 2013
- Shadow Minister for Electoral Affairs from 22 May 2017 to present
Committees
- Deputy Chairman of Committees from 23 May 2001 to 21 May 2005. Reappointed from 24 May 2005 to 23 September 2008. Reappointed from 22 May 2013 to 21 May 2017.
- Deputy President and Chair of Committees 23 May 2017 to present
- Member Standing Committee on Estimates and Financial Operations from 27 May 1997 to 21 May 2001
- Member Joint Standing Committee on Delegated Legislation from 26 June 1997 to 21 May 2001. Reappointed from 28 June 2001 to 26 March 2002
- Member Standing Committee on Procedure and Privileges from 31 May 2001 to 21 May 2005. Reappointed from 24 May 2005 to 23 September 2008
- Member Standing Committee on Uniform Legislation and General Purposes from 11 April 2002 to 21 May 2005. Reappointed from 26 May 2005 to 17 August 2005 (Chairman 31 May 2005 to 17 August 2005)
- Member Standing Committee on Uniform Legislation and Statutes Review from 17 August 2005 to 23 September 2008 (Chairman from 24 August 2005 to 23 September 2008)
- Chair Standing Committee on Environment and Public Affairs from 22 May 2013 to 21 May 2017
- Deputy Chair Standing Committee on Procedure and Privileges from 23 May 2017 to present
- Member Standing Committee on Legislation from 23 May 2017 to present
- Member Parliamentary Services Committee from 23 May 2017 to present
- Chair Select Committee into Local Government 26 June 2019 to present
Commonwealth Parliamentary Association
- Represented WA branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association at the 46th General Conference, London/Edinburgh, 2000
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Background/Membership |  | Member Community and Public Sector Union 1994–1997 and Melville/Cockburn Chamber of Commerce 1988–1989
Member Lynwood/Ferndale Progress Association 1989–92 and management committee of Lynwood/Ferndale Sportsgrounds
Chairman Melville Safer WA Committee
Member Board Canning College
Member Cross Roads Community (drug rehabilitation) member management committee Canning Arts Centre and Whaleback Golf Course
Member South East Metropolitan Recreation advisory group, Roe Highway Occasional Committee
Member Lynwood District Council Churches Committee on Education
Search and rescue team leader Port Hedland 1982–1985
Qualified fitness instructor (designed and ran first inhouse PT program for Australian Customs Service)
Patron numerous organisations including Rockingham Totally and Partially Disabled Veterans of WA Inc, CAST (Combined Abuse Support Team) Kwinana, Manning Tennis Club |
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References |  | D Black and G Bolton, eds, Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia: volume two 1930-2010, Western Australian Parliamentary History Project, Perth, WA, 2011, p. 196.
Parliament of Western Australia website. Current Members. Accessed 2 June 2015. |
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