1. Robert Francis McMullan was born on 10 December 1947 and is a former Australian politician.
20 Facts About Bob McMullan
1. 2.
Bob McMullan was a member of federal parliament for over 22 years, initially as a Senator for the Australian Capital Territory from 1988 to 1996 and then as a member of the House of Representatives from 1996 to 2010.
3.
Bob McMullan attended Guildford Primary School and Governor Stirling Senior High School.
4.
Bob McMullan was raised in a working-class family; his older brothers left school prematurely to support the family, but he was able to continue to Year 12 after receiving a state government bursary.
5.
Bob McMullan graduated from the University of Western Australia with a Bachelor of Arts in economics and a Bachelor of Economics in industrial relations.
6.
Bob McMullan was the first member of his family to attend university.
7.
Bob McMullan was active in the movement against the Vietnam War and was conscripted for military service in 1968 but successfully argued in court that he was a conscientious objector.
8.
Bob McMullan joined the Australian Labor Party in 1967 while at university.
9.
Bob McMullan was appointed state secretary of the Western Australian branch of the ALP in 1975.
10.
Bob McMullan was elected national secretary in 1981, and moved to Canberra.
11.
Bob McMullan's tenure included the ALP's victory at the 1983,1984 and 1987 federal elections.
12.
On 16 February 1988, Bob McMullan was chosen by a joint sitting of the House of Representatives and the Senate to fill a casual vacancy in the representation of the Australian Capital Territory in the Senate, caused by the resignation of Susan Ryan.
13.
Bob McMullan was the first person to represent the Australian Capital Territory in both houses of federal parliament.
14.
The Keating government having been defeated by John Howard, Labor went into opposition and Bob McMullan was elected as a member of the Opposition Shadow Ministry.
15.
In 1998, following a redistribution, Bob McMullan moved to the neighbouring seat of Fraser.
16.
Bob McMullan became Manager of Opposition Business in 1998, and following Labor's 2001 electoral defeat he was made Shadow Treasurer.
17.
In July 2003 Bob McMullan was replaced as Shadow Treasurer by Mark Latham and relegated to the post of Shadow Minister for Finance, taking on additional responsibility for Reconciliation and Indigenous Affairs.
18.
Bob McMullan then became Shadow Minister for Finance and Shadow Minister for Small Business.
19.
In Question Time in Parliament, Bob McMullan gained a reputation for repeatedly asking the same question in different words if he did not get a direct answer.
20.
On 19 January 2010, Bob McMullan announced he would not contest the next federal election.