Philip Ruddock
About
Philip Ruddock was first elected to the House of Representatives as the Member for Parramatta, New South Wales, at a by-election on 22 September 1973. Since 1992, he has held the seat of Berowra.
Having held a number of Shadow Ministry portfolios Ruddock was appointed Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs from 11 March 1996 through to 7 October 2003. This made him the longest serving Federal Immigration Minister. During this period he also had responsibility for Reconciliation and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs.
On 7 October 2003, he was sworn in as the Federal Attorney-General, an appointment he held until the Federal Election on 3 December 2007. Following the election of the Coalition Government, Ruddock held the position Chief Government Whip from September 2013 until February 2015. On 26 May 2015 the Prime Minister appointed Ruddock as Special Envoy for Citizenship and Community Engagement.
The electorate of Berowra blends high density suburban areas with a semi-rural fringe.
He has wide committee experience having served on the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade; the Joint Standing committee on Intelligence and Security; Coalition Foreign Policy and Defence Committee; and Coalition Legal and Immigration Committee. Mr Ruddock is currently Chair of the Human Rights subcommittee of the Joint Standing Committee of Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade, and the Joint Standing Committee on Human Rights. He is also a Member of the Joint Committee on Corporations & Financial Services.
With degrees in Arts and Law from Sydney University, Ruddock practised law prior to entering parliament. He lives in Pennant Hills with his wife, Heather.
