Donald Edward Farrell was born on 6 June 1954 and is an Australian politician and former trade unionist.
36 Facts About Don Farrell
2.
Don Farrell is a member of the Australian Labor Party and has been Minister for Trade and Tourism and Special Minister of State in the Albanese government since 2022.
3.
Don Farrell has served as a Senator for South Australia since 2016, after a previous term from 2008 to 2014.
4.
Don Farrell was state secretary of the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association from 1993 to 2008.
5.
Don Farrell was a parliamentary secretary in the Gillard government from 2010 to 2013, then served briefly as Minister for Science and Research and Minister for Sport prior to the ALP's defeat at the 2013 federal election.
6.
Don Farrell lost his own seat at election, but was returned to the Senate in 2016 following a double dissolution.
7.
Don Farrell was elected as the ALP's deputy Senate leader in 2016 and is a senior figure in the Labor Right faction.
8.
Don Farrell was appointed to cabinet following the party's victory at the 2022 election.
9.
Don Farrell was born on 6 June 1954 in Murray Bridge, South Australia.
10.
Don Farrell is the son of Mary Heptinstall and Edward William Farrell.
11.
Don Farrell's father was a member of the Democratic Labor Party and stood for federal parliament unsuccessfully on six occasions, five times for the seat of Boothby and once for the Senate.
12.
Don Farrell began his schooling at St Therese's School and completed his secondary education at Blackfriars Priory School.
13.
Don Farrell subsequently completed the degree of Bachelor of Laws at the University of Adelaide.
14.
Don Farrell worked for six years in his uncle's kiosk at Cleland Wildlife Park, and worked as a mail sorter, council worker and waiter for periods.
15.
Don Farrell joined the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association as an industrial officer in 1976.
16.
Don Farrell was promoted to assistant secretary in 1980 and became state secretary in 1993, serving until his election to the Senate.
17.
Don Farrell joined the ALP in 1976 and was elected as a delegate to state conference and state council in the same year.
18.
Don Farrell was a delegate to the Australian Labor Party National Conference from 1984 and was elected state president of the ALP in 1988.
19.
Don Farrell became a senior figure in the Labor Right faction in South Australia.
20.
Don Farrell first ran for parliament at the 1988 Adelaide by-election but was unsuccessful.
21.
In June 2007, Don Farrell won preselection for the first position on Labor's Senate ticket in the 2007 election and he was the first elected senator for South Australia at the general election.
22.
On 25 March 2013, Don Farrell was promoted into the Outer Ministry as the Minister for Science and Research and the Minister Assisting on Tourism.
23.
On 1 July 2013 as part of the Second Rudd Ministry, Don Farrell was appointed the Minister for Sport as well as remaining Minister Assisting on Tourism.
24.
In 2011 Don Farrell was listed as number six on the top ten political fixers as identified by The Power Index website.
25.
Don Farrell stated that he would demand that Labor's national executive overturn the decision and promote Senator Wong to the number one spot.
26.
On 30 October 2012, Don Farrell stepped aside to give Wong the number one spot on Labor's senate ticket for the 2013 election.
27.
Don Farrell was defeated at the 2013 federal election and his term in the Senate ended on 30 June 2014.
28.
Premier Jay Weatherill threatened to resign if Don Farrell was successfully preselected.
29.
In 2016 Don Farrell was endorsed as a Labor candidate for the Senate in South Australia in the 2016 federal election, and was re-elected.
30.
Don Farrell was elected and returned to the Labor frontbench in October 2016.
31.
Don Farrell opposed same-sex marriage and supported the view of "traditional marriage as being between a man and a woman".
32.
Don Farrell said he would only vote for marriage equality after the 2019 election.
33.
Don Farrell had publicly stated that he would vote against marriage equality in the parliament regardless of the results of the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey.
34.
Don Farrell was appointed to cabinet in the Albanese ministry, becoming Special Minister of State and Minister for Trade and Tourism.
35.
In 2014, following the end of his first Senate term, Don Farrell established Don Farrell Wines, a vineyard in the Clare Valley.
36.
In December 2021, Don Farrell caught COVID-19 after attending a wedding in Melbourne.