18 Facts About Gary Johns

Gary Thomas Johns was born on 29 August 1952 and is an Australian writer and politician.

Gary Johns was a member of the House of Representatives from 1987 to 1996, holding the Queensland seat of Petrie for the Australian Labor Party.

Gary Johns served as a minister in the Keating government.

Gary Johns is the youngest of four sons born to Doris and Claude Johns; his father was a painter and decorator.

Gary Johns holds a Bachelor of Economics and Master of Arts from Monash University.

Gary Johns worked as an organiser with the national secretariat of the ALP from 1978 to 1982, working under national secretaries David Combe and Bob McMullan.

Gary Johns served as Assistant Minister for Industrial Relations from December 1993 and Special Minister of State and Vice-President of the Executive Council from March 1994 until the defeat of the Keating government in 1996, in which he lost his seat to Liberal candidate Teresa Gambaro.

Gary Johns told Brett Evans that he might still be a member of the ALP but Evans says that in Gary Johns' heart he has moved on from the ALP.

Gary Johns was head of the Non-Government Organisations unit within the IPA.

From 2006 to 2009, Gary Johns worked with a consultancy firm, ACIL Tasman.

Gary Johns has been an adjunct professor at the University of Queensland.

Gary Johns was president of the Bennelong Society, an organisation that advocated the provision of welfare for Indigenous Australians under the same rules as for all other Australians.

Gary Johns was awarded a PhD in political science in 2001 from the University of Queensland, in 2002 the Fulbright Professional Award in Australian-United States Alliance Studies, Georgetown University in Washington DC, and in 2003 the Centenary Medal for "service to Australian society through the advancement of economic, social and political issues".

Gary Johns has been a columnist for The Australian newspaper and the author of numerous papers and books.

In 2017, Gary Johns was appointed by the Turnbull government as the commissioner of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission.

Gary Johns resigned in June 2022 following the Albanese Government's election to office.

In 2023, Gary Johns was chairman of Recognise a Better Way, a group arguing the "No" case regarding the Albanese government's proposal for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament.

Gary Johns then formed the research organisation Close the Gap Research, of which he is chairman.