Ian Macfarlane | |
|---|---|
 Macfarlane in 2015 | |
| Minister for Industry and Science | |
| In office 18 September 2013 – 21 September 2015 | |
| Prime Minister | Tony Abbott Malcolm Turnbull |
| Preceded by | Kim Carr |
| Succeeded by | Christopher Pyne |
| Minister for Industry, Tourism and Resources | |
| In office 26 November 2001 – 3 December 2007 | |
| Prime Minister | John Howard |
| Preceded by | Nick Minchin |
| Succeeded by | Kim Carr Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research Martin Ferguson Minister for Resources and Energy |
| Minister for Small Business | |
| In office 30 January 2001 – 26 November 2001 | |
| Prime Minister | John Howard |
| Preceded by | Peter Reith |
| Succeeded by | Joe Hockey |
| Member of theAustralian Parliament forGroom | |
| In office 3 October 1998 – 9 May 2016 | |
| Preceded by | Bill Taylor |
| Succeeded by | John McVeigh |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1955-04-05)5 April 1955 (age 70) Kingaroy,Queensland, Australia |
| Political party | Liberal (federal) Liberal National (state, 2010–present) |
| Spouse | Karen |
| Children | 2 |
| Residence(s) | Toowoomba, Queensland |
| Occupation | Farmer |
Ian Elgin Macfarlane (born 5 April 1955) is an Australian former politician who was a member of theHouse of Representatives from 1998 to 2016, representing theLiberal Party. He served as a minister in theHoward andAbbott governments.
Macfarlane was born inKingaroy,Queensland, and was a farmer before entering politics. He was elected to parliament at the1998 federal election, representing theDivision of Groom. Macfarlane was appointedMinister for Small Business in January 2001. After the2001 election, he was madeMinister for Industry, Tourism and Resources, a position he held until the Howard government's defeat at the2007 election. Macfarlane returned to cabinet in 2013 asMinister for Industry (later Industry and Science) in the Abbott government. He lost his position whenMalcolm Turnbull became prime minister in September 2015, and retired from politics at the2016 election. He is currently chief executive of the Queensland Resources Council.
Macfarlane was born inKingaroy, Queensland, and was a farmer and president of the Queensland Graingrowers Association before entering politics. He acquired the nickname "Chainsaw" from ABC rural reporter Judy Kennedy due to his raspy voice. He now attributes the moniker to his ability to "cut through red tape",[1] and it was alluded to in his 1998 election campaign through the slogan "The Right Voice for Groom".
Macfarlane was elected to theHouse of Representatives at the1998 federal election, representing theDivision of Groom for theLiberal Party. As a minister in the Coalition government underJohn Howard he held the portfolio ofMinister for Small Business from January 2001, before being promoted to the Cabinet role ofIndustry, Tourism and Resources in November 2001.[2] After the defeat of the Coalition in the2007 federal election he served in the shadow portfolios of Trade as well as Infrastructure and Water, and was the ShadowMinister for Energy and Resources.[3]
In an interview withFour Corners on 9 November 2009, Macfarlane said that his position on global warming had changed "a bit", since he had recognised a greater importance for mankind's contribution.[4] Acting as Climate Change Spokesman for the Coalition in 2009, he spent 5 weeks in negotiations around aCarbon Pollution Reduction Scheme withMinister for Climate ChangePenny Wong,[5] before aleadership spill deposed party leader Malcolm Turnbull and replaced him withTony Abbott,[6] and the policy was overturned.
With the election of the AbbottCoalition government in September 2013 he was appointedMinister for Industry.[7] He was later sworn in as theMinister for Industry and Science on 23 December 2014. Upon the ascension of theTurnbull government in September 2015, he was dropped from the new ministry despite being a Turnbull supporter. On 3 December 2015, Macfarlane announced his intention to sit with the federalNationals. He claimed that his experience representing regional interests was "second only to" retiring federal Nationals leader and fellow QueenslanderWarren Truss.[8][9] Although local party members overwhelmingly supported Macfarlane's decision, theLiberal National Party of Queensland executive blocked the move. LNP officials said that even with the overwhelming support of LNP members in Macfarlane's seat, "the interests of our party beyond his electorate" required that Macfarlane stay in the Liberal party room.[10]
On 15 February 2016, Macfarlane announced he would retire from parliament and not contest the2016 federal election.[11]
In September 2016, it was announced that Macfarlane had been appointed chief executive of theQueensland Resources Council.[12]Greens SenatorsLarissa Waters andLee Rhiannon claimed[13] that the appointment seemed to breach the current statement of ministerial standards, which requires that ex-ministers not engage in lobbying for an eighteen-month period after ceasing to be a minister.[14] Macfarlane was also chairman of the Innovative Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre (IMCRC),[15] a position he held from May 2016 to the Centre's closure in 2022.[16]
In November 2016, Macfarlane was appointed to the board of directors of Australian oil and gas companyWoodside Energy. Macfarlane's current directorship extends to the 2026 Annual General Meeting, at which he will be eligible for re-election.[17] At Woodside Energy's 2023 AGM, 34.81% of shareholders voted against his reappointment, after institutional investors and the Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility co-filed members' statements calling on directors to be held to account for the board's "repeated failure to present a credible climate strategy". Prior to that, no ASX100 energy director had ever received more than 15% of shareholder votes against their reappointment.[18] For the 2023-2024 financial years, Macfarlane received A$657,920 in director's compensation from Woodside Energy.[19]
Despite retaining his position as Chief Executive of the Queensland Resources Council, in which he lobbied on behalf of some of Australia's largest carbon emitters, in late 2021 theMorrison government appointed Macfarlane to the board of theCSIRO, Australia's lead science agency.[20] As head of that Council, he authorised an ad campaign against the Queensland Government's coal royalty policy (calling it a "tax"), even though his former political party was happy with the policy.[21] The campaign, extending over more than a year, cost over A$40 million.[citation needed]
See Section 2.24
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| Parliament of Australia | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member for Groom 1998–2016 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Minister for Small Business 2001 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister for Industry, Tourism and Resources 2001–2007 | Succeeded byas Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research |
| Succeeded byas Minister for Resources, Energy and Tourism | ||
| Preceded byas Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research | Minister for Industry 2013–2015 | Succeeded byas Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science |
Prime Minister:Tony Abbott | ||
| Cabinet |  | |
| Outer Ministry | ||
| Parliamentary Secretaries | ||
| Dismissed/resigned | ||