31 Facts About Eric Abetz

Eric Abetz was born on 25 January 1958 and is an Australian former politician who was a Senator for Tasmania from 1994 to 2022, representing the Liberal Party.

Eric Abetz was the Minister for Employment and the Leader of the Government in the Senate in the Abbott government from 2013 to 2015.

Eric Abetz previously served as Special Minister of State in the Howard government from 2001 to 2006 and as Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation from 2006 to 2007.

Eric Abetz was educated at the University of Tasmania and was a barrister and solicitor before entering politics.

Eric Abetz is a former national president of the Australian Liberal Students' Federation and was state president of the Tasmanian Liberals from 1990 to 1994.

The youngest of six children, Eric Abetz emigrated from Germany to Australia with his parents in 1961.

Eric Abetz's great uncle, Otto Abetz, was a Nazi SS officer, German ambassador to Vichy France, and a convicted war criminal.

Eric Abetz married Michelle Oates in 1991, and they had three children.

Eric Abetz studied at Taroona High School, Hobart Matriculation College and the University of Tasmania, earning degrees in law and arts in 1981.

Eric Abetz won preselection as a candidate for the Senate in the 1984 and 1993 elections but did not win a seat.

Eric Abetz was then chosen to fill the casual vacancy caused by the resignation of Brian Archer in 1994, and was elected in his own right at the subsequent 1998 election and re-elected in 2004,2010 and 2016.

Eric Abetz has served as Chairman of the Native Title and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Land Fund Committee and Chairman of the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee.

Eric Abetz served as Chairman of the Attorney-General and Justice Government Members' Committee.

Eric Abetz was a member of a Parliamentary Delegation which visited France and Belgium in June and July 1997, and made an official visit to the United Kingdom in September 1999.

Eric Abetz was Minister for Forestry from a reshuffle of the Howard ministry in January 2006 until its defeat at the 2007 election.

Eric Abetz commenced his portfolio by attacking the Australian Greens and environmentalists in general as anti-Australian.

Eric Abetz described the campaign against woodchipping as "akin to treason" and branded the Greens an "extreme left" party.

Eric Abetz is a member of the National Right faction of the Liberal Party.

In mid-2009 Eric Abetz was a central figure in the OzCar affair, which involved false allegations that Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Treasurer Wayne Swan had improperly given favourable treatment to a car dealer, John Grant, who was a friend of the Prime Minister.

Eric Abetz read out the text of what he said was an email, which purported to ask for preferential treatment for Grant.

In September 2013 Eric Abetz was appointed Minister for Employment in the Abbott government and oversaw the drafting of legislation to reestablish the Australian Building and Construction Commission, the establishment of a Registered Organisations Commission following the Craig Thomson Affair, and the launching of the Royal Commission into trade union governance and corruption and Fair Work Act Review.

Eric Abetz designed and implemented the Government's Jobactive Employment Services Reforms.

Eric Abetz had been on The Project to discuss his association with the World Congress of Families.

Eric Abetz is the type of official that gives trade unionism a good name.

Eric Abetz was dropped from the First Turnbull Ministry upon the ascension of the Turnbull government, with George Brandis succeeding Eric Abetz as Leader of the Government in the Senate.

Eric Abetz is a Christian and a member of the Christian Reformed Churches of Australia.

On 2017 when Cory Bernardi moved a motion to ban abortion on gender grounds Eric Abetz was 1 of the 10 who voted Yes on the Motion.

Eric Abetz is a public opponent of same-sex marriage, and was one of twelve senators who voted against what became the Marriage Amendment Act 2017.

Eric Abetz "categorically denied" making any of these comments and accused Hickey of "trying to destroy the [Liberal] party".

Hickey responded to Eric Abetz by accusing him of "grubby politics" and said that she stood by her statement.

Since entering the Senate, Eric Abetz was always placed first in Liberal Party preselection for Senate elections, which all but guaranteed him winning one of the six Senate seats normally available for the state.