25 Facts About Kim Carr

Kim John Carr was born on 2 July 1955 and is an Australian former politician who served as a Senator for Victoria between 1993 and 2022.

Kim Carr was appointed to the Senate in 1993, filling a casual vacancy, and was made a member of the shadow ministry after Labor's defeat at the 1996 election.

Kim Carr held a variety of portfolios in the Labor governments between 2007 and 2013.

Kim Carr was considered a leader of the Labor Left faction in Victoria until 2016 when he formed the Industrial Left, a breakaway mini-faction comprising nearly all of Carr's union allies.

Kim Carr became the most senior senator and thus father of the senate in 2019, retaining the title until his retirement in 2022.

Kim Carr was born on 2 July 1955 in Tumut, New South Wales.

Kim Carr's father was a boilermaker, working on the Snowy Mountains Scheme.

Kim Carr attended Moreland High School in Coburg, Victoria, where "a history teacher fuelled his interest in politics by slipping him copies of socialist literature to read at home".

Kim Carr studied history at the University of Melbourne, completing a Bachelor of Arts with honours and a Master of Arts, and later a Diploma of Education.

Kim Carr was a secondary school teacher for nine years before becoming a political staffer for Victorian government ministers Joan Kirner and Andrew McCutcheon.

Kim Carr was elected to the Senate at the March 1993 election, and was due to take his seat on 1 July.

Kim Carr became a Shadow Parliamentary Secretary in March 1996 in addition to being the Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate until his election to the Opposition Shadow Ministry in November 2001.

Kim Carr was Shadow Minister for Science and Research from then until October 2004.

Kim Carr was Shadow Minister for Industry and Innovation from July 2003 to October 2004.

Kim Carr has been Shadow Minister for Public Administration and Open Government, Shadow Minister for Indigenous Affairs and Reconciliation and Shadow Minister for the Arts October 2004 to June 2005, when he was appointed Shadow Minister for Housing, Urban Development, Local Government and Territories.

Kim Carr is one of five voting Victorian members of the party's National Executive.

Kim Carr was a leading figure in Labor's left faction in his prime.

Kim Carr was re-elected in the 2010 election and retained his portfolio of Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research in the Second Gillard Ministry, which was sworn in on 14 September 2010.

Kim Carr was dropped from the cabinet on 12 December 2011, amid speculation that it was due to his links with former prime minister Kevin Rudd.

Kim Carr remained in the outer Ministry however, as Minister for Manufacturing and Minister for Defence Materiel.

Kim Carr resigned his ministerial portfolio on 22 March 2013 after he supported an unsuccessful attempt to reinstall Kevin Rudd as Labor Leader.

Kim Carr continued to be appointed to Shorten's shadow ministry.

Kim Carr became increasingly "estranged" from the Labor Left faction and in 2016, following the July federal election, the faction did not nominate Kim Carr for the shadow ministry.

Kim Carr had been regarded as a longstanding political rival of Albanese.

Kim Carr initially wanted to fight to remain in the Senate.