Peter Garrett

Not to be confused with Peter Garratt.

The Honourable
Peter Garrett
AM
Garrett at Colours of Ostrava, 2017
Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth
In office
14 September 2010 – 26 June 2013
Prime MinisterJulia Gillard
Preceded bySimon Crean
Succeeded byBill Shorten
Minister for the Environment, Heritage
and the Arts
In office
3 December 2007 – 14 September 2010
Prime MinisterKevin Rudd
Julia Gillard
Preceded byMalcolm Turnbull
Succeeded byTony Burke
Member of the Australian Parliament
for Kingsford Smith
In office
9 October 2004 – 7 September 2013
Preceded byLaurie Brereton
Succeeded byMatt Thistlethwaite
Personal details
Born
Peter Robert Garrett

(1953-04-16) 16 April 1953 (age 71)
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Political partyLabor (from 2004)[1]
Other political
affiliations		Nuclear Disarmament (1980s)
Spouse
Doris Ricono
​
(m. 1986)​
Children3
Residence(s)Randwick, New South Wales, Australia[2]
Alma materAustralian National University (BA)
University of New South Wales (LLB)
Profession
  • Musician
  • songwriter
  • activist
  • politician
  • environmentalist
AwardsMember of the Order of Australia (2003)
Officer of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (France, 2009)
Websitepetergarrett.com.au

Peter Robert Garrett AM (born 16 April 1953)[3] is an Australian musician, environmentalist, activist and former politician.

In 1973, Garrett became the lead singer of the Australian rock band Midnight Oil. As a performer he is known for his signature bald head, his eccentric dance style, and a "mesmerising onstage presence".[4][5][6][7] He served as President of the Australian Conservation Foundation for ten years before being elected for the Labor Party as the Member of the House of Representatives for the seat of Kingsford Smith in the 2004 election.

After Labor's victory in the 2007 election, Garrett was appointed Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.[8] Following the 2010 election, he was made Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth by Prime Minister Julia Gillard.[9] In the aftermath of the 2013 leadership spill, Garrett resigned from the Ministry and announced he would retire from politics at the 2013 election.[10][11]

In 2003, Garrett was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia, "for service to the community as a prominent advocate for environmental conservation and protection, and to the music industry."[12] In 2009, the French Government appointed Garrett an Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters.[13] In 2010, the World Wide Fund for Nature presented him with their Leaders for a Living Planet Award.[14]

  1. ^ Yaxley, Louise (11 June 2004). "Garrett accepted by Labor's National Executive". PM. ABC News. Archived from the original on 12 May 2017. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
  2. ^ "About Peter". Peter Garrett. Archived from the original on 16 May 2013. Retrieved 4 May 2013.[self-published source]
  3. ^ "The Hon Peter Garrett AM, MP – Parliament of Australia". Archived from the original on 28 February 2012. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
  4. ^ McGregor, Richard (22 March 1979). "Australian Reviews". Rolling Stone Australia. North Sydney, NSW: Silvertongues Pty Ltd. p. 43.
  5. ^ Stafford, Andrew (17 July 2016). "Midnight Oil frontman Peter Garrett is back – and he's ready to dance again". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 14 April 2019. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  6. ^ "Midnight Oil drummer hints at reunion after Peter Garrett finishes memoir". The Sydney Morning Herald. 3 June 2014. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  7. ^ "The Top 5 Peter Garrett Dance Moves". Triple M. 27 February 2017. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  8. ^ "Australia's Rudd unveils cabinet". BBC News. 29 November 2007. Archived from the original on 6 April 2012. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
  9. ^ White, Cassie (11 September 2010). "Gillard unveils major frontbench shake-up". ABC News. Australia. Archived from the original on 15 September 2010. Retrieved 15 April 2011.
  10. ^ "Garrett quits as Rudd returns". Nine News. Australian Associated Press. 26 June 2013. Archived from the original on 29 June 2013. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
  11. ^ Griffiths, Emma (26 June 2013). "Kevin Rudd defeats Julia Gillard 57–45 in Labor leadership ballot, paving way for a return to PM". ABC News. Archived from the original on 1 November 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
  12. ^ "Garrett, Peter Robert: Member of the Order of Australia". It's an Honour. Commonwealth of Australia. 9 June 2003. Archived from the original on 22 February 2019. Retrieved 25 June 2010.
  13. ^ "Peter Garrett in Paris awarded d'Officier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres". La Perouse. 14 July 2009. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  14. ^ "In recognition of The Hon. Peter Garrett AM MP" (PDF). WWF. 11 April 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 9 June 2018.