Graham Perrett
Perrett in 2013
Member of theAustralian Parliament forMoreton
In office 24 November 2007 – 28 March 2025
Preceded by	Gary Hardgrave
Personal details
Born	(1966-01-05)5 January 1966 (age 59) St George, Queensland, Australia
Political party	Australian Labor Party
Children	2
Alma mater	University of Queensland Queensland University of Technology
Occupation	Solicitor
Website	www.grahamperrett.net.au

Graham Douglas Perrett (born 5 January 1966) is an Australian politician who was a member of theHouse of Representatives from 2007 to 2025, representing theQueensland seat ofMoreton for theAustralian Labor Party (ALP). He worked as a schoolteacher, solicitor, and political staffer before entering parliament.

Perrett was born inSt George in Queensland in 1966 (seventh child in a family of ten children),^[1] and received a diploma of teaching in 1985.^[2] He taught for three years in schools on theDarling Downs andFar North Queensland, then another eight years in Brisbane.

In 1993, Perrett completed a BA (Hons) through theUniversity of Queensland. His thesis was a study ofThe Autobiography of Malcolm X. He later received an LL.B. fromQueensland University of Technology in 1999. He worked as a solicitor of theSupreme Court of Queensland from 1999 to 2005 in Quinn & Scattini.^[3] After working with theQueensland Independent Education Union as an organiser he was given a role as a senior policy adviser to thePremier of Queensland,Peter Beattie, in 2005, and later for the Minister for Health,Stephen Robertson.^[2]

Perrett ran unsuccessfully for the federal seat ofMoreton in 2004.^[2] He was elected to Moreton at the2007 election^[4] where he endedGary Hardgrave's 11-year term in office with a 7.6-point swing.^[5] Perrett described the victory as surprising, stating "In my wildest dreams I certainly didn't expect that the seat would be decided as early as it was".^[5] Perrett claimed the victory, over a former multicultural affairs minister, could be put down to the fact that "people are ready for hope and aren't prepared to stick with the tired old fear factor ofJohn Howard".^[4]

In the 2007 Moreton campaign Perrett's rival,Gary Hardgrave, complained of being branded a "racist", after the standing member said that Moreton was being "exhausted" by the influx of African refugees.^[4] Perrett campaigned primarily on issues relating to health and education in the lead up to the election, whilst Hardgrave focused primarily on roads, according to a radio interview.^[6]

Perrett was appointed as agovernment whip in May 2013, holding the position until Labor's defeat at the2013 election. He was appointed as a shadowparliamentary secretary inBill Shorten'sshadow ministry in May 2014 and was also reappointed as a whip in August 2016. Perrett remained as a shadow assistant minister underAnthony Albanese when he replaced Shorten as leader in June 2019. He was not included in theAlbanese ministry after Labor won the2022 election, but was appointed chair of the Joint Statutory Committee on Public Works.^[7]

In August 2024, Perrett announced that he would not re-contest his seat at the2025 federal election.^[8]

Perrett lives inMoorooka, Queensland with his wife Lea and has two sons.^{[9][as of?]}

Perrett published his first novel,The Twelfth Fish, in October 2008. The sex scenes inThe Twelfth Fish drew attention from the political class and the media. In the lead-up to the 2010 federal election a Christian group put out a flyer calling Perrett the "Member for Porn". He retained his seat and went on to publish a sequel in September 2013,The Big Fig.^[10][11]

In his teaching days Perrett played in a band calledOnce I Killed a Gopher with a Stick and remains a fan of music and literature. He enjoys writing and bushwalking.^[12]

Perrett attracted international attention and ridicule after tweeting about facial injuries he suffered while watching an episode of political satireVeep. Perrett suffered a black eye and received three stitches in his cheek after knocking himself unconscious.^[13]

House of Representatives^{[14][15][16][17][18][19][20]}

Year	Electorate	Party		First Preference Result				Two Candidate Result
				Votes	%	±%	Position	Votes	%	±%	Result
2004	Moreton		Labor	30,828	39.12	0.14	Second	36,118	45.83	1.61	Not Elected
2007				37,908	47.11	7.27	First	44,055	54.75	7.58	Elected
2010				29,190	36.01	12.12	Second	41,147	51.13	4.88	Elected
2013				31,932	38.73	2.72	Second	42,503	51.55	0.42	Elected
2016				31,342	36.90	1.83	Second	45,892	54.02	2.47	Elected
2019				31,864	35.15	1.60	Second	47,045	51.90	2.12	Elected
2022				34,633	37.42	2.27	First	54,690	59.09	7.19	Elected
{{{year8}}}				{{{votes_firstpreference8}}}	{{{percent_firstpreference8}}}	{{{change_firstpreference8}}}	{{{position8}}}

• Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Australia
• Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Moreton
• Members of the Australian House of Representatives
• Queensland University of Technology alumni
• 1966 births
• Living people
• Labor Left politicians
• 21st-century Australian novelists
• University of Queensland alumni
• Australian solicitors
• People from St George, Queensland
• Australian MPs 2007–2010
• Australian MPs 2010–2013
• Australian MPs 2013–2016
• Australian MPs 2016–2019
• Australian MPs 2019–2022
• Australian MPs 2022–2025

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use dmy dates from March 2019
• Use Australian English from July 2016
• All Wikipedia articles written in Australian English
• All articles with vague or ambiguous time
• Vague or ambiguous time from August 2024