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Members’ biographical register


Hon Simon McDonnell O'Brien


Principal Honours
Birth
 Date: 16 May 1960
Place: Subiaco, Western Australia
Parents
Son of Everard McDonnell O’Brien, road board secretary and MLA, and Dulcie Niola Shooter
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
Religion
Catholic
Education
Educated Graylands Primary School, St Louis College, John XXIII College and John Curtin Senior High School
Occupation
Customs officer
Employment History
Officer cadet with Army from January to May 1979 and from January to April 1981 (ceased because of injury)
Orderly, Fremantle Hospital from June 1979 to December 1981
Customs officer from 1981 to 1997 including various outport postings, training and staff development, and operational manager at Perth International Airport
House
MLC
Party
Liberal
Various Offices of the Liberal Party of Western Australia from 1985 including State Executive, President Fremantle Division; President Cockburn Branch
Date Elected
22 May 1997
Inaugural Speech
Inaugural Video
No inaugural video is available as filming did not start until May 2003
Speeches
Search for speeches by Simon O'Brien
Electorate
South Metropolitan
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
  • Deputy President of the Legislative Council from 23 May 2017 to present

Committees
  • 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
  • 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.
  • 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
  • Chair of Committees, 23 May 2017 to present
  • 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 from 26 June 2019 to present

Commonwealth Parliamentary Association
  • Represented WA branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association at the 46th General Conference, London/Edinburgh, 2000
Background/Membership
Member, Community and Public Sector Union 1994–1997 and Melville/Cockburn Chamber of Commerce 1988–1989
Member, Lynwood/Ferndale Progress Association 1989–1992 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
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.