1. James Edward Chalmers was born on 2 March 1978 and is an Australian politician.
26 Facts About Jim Chalmers
1. 2.
Jim Chalmers has been Treasurer of Australia in the Albanese government since May 2022.
3.
Jim Chalmers is a member of the Australian Labor Party and has served as a member of parliament for the division of Rankin since 2013.
4.
Jim Chalmers was born in Brisbane and attended the Australian National University, where he completed a doctorate in political science.
5.
At the 2013 Australian federal election, Jim Chalmers won the seat of Rankin in Brisbane's south, entering the House of Representatives.
6.
Jim Chalmers served in the shadow ministries of Bill Shorten and Anthony Albanese, before assuming the role of Treasurer after Labor's victory in the 2022 federal election.
7.
Jim Chalmers was born in Brisbane, the youngest of three children born to Graham and Carol Jim Chalmers.
8.
Jim Chalmers's father worked as a courier and his mother worked as a nurse.
9.
Jim Chalmers attended Catholic schools before going on to Griffith University, where he completed the degrees of Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Commerce and attained a First Class honours degree in public policy.
10.
Jim Chalmers went on to complete a PhD in political science at the Australian National University, writing his doctoral thesis on the prime ministership of Paul Keating, titled "Brawler statesman: Paul Keating and prime ministerial leadership in Australia".
11.
From 1999 to 2001, Jim Chalmers worked under Queensland premier Peter Beattie as a research officer in the Department of Premier and Cabinet.
12.
Jim Chalmers was the ALP's national research manager from 2002 to 2004, media adviser to Shadow Treasurer Wayne Swan from 2005 to 2006, deputy chief of staff to Opposition Leader Kim Beazley in 2006, and a senior adviser to New South Wales premier Morris Iemma from 2006 to 2007.
13.
Jim Chalmers briefly served as the executive director of the Chifley Research Centre in 2013.
14.
Jim Chalmers was elected to parliament at the 2013 federal election, replacing the retiring ALP member Craig Emerson in the Division of Rankin.
15.
Jim Chalmers defeated former MP Brett Raguse for Labor preselection.
16.
Jim Chalmers was made a shadow parliamentary secretary in October 2013, a shadow minister in October 2015, and promoted to the shadow cabinet after the 2016 election as Shadow Minister for Finance.
17.
Jim Chalmers eventually chose not to stand for the position, allowing Albanese to become leader unopposed.
18.
Jim Chalmers subsequently ruled out standing for the deputy leadership.
19.
Jim Chalmers was appointed Shadow Treasurer in Albanese's cabinet.
20.
Jim Chalmers was the interim Minister for Home Affairs until the full ministry was sworn in after the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue.
21.
In May 2024, Jim Chalmers handed down his third budget, which saw the government post a second consecutive surplus of $9.3 billion.
22.
Jim Chalmers has expressed positive views on the concept of a universal basic income.
23.
Jim Chalmers's campaigning focused on cost of living issues but emphasised the need to work co-operatively with business.
24.
In March 2013, Jim Chalmers married Laura Anderson, a journalist and writer who worked as a staffer to Penny Wong and Julia Gillard.
25.
Jim Chalmers identifies as a Catholic, though more "tribal than Bible", his three children having been baptised in the same church as himself.
26.
Jim Chalmers's interests have been listed to include running, rugby league and basketball.