Andrew Giles

Andrew James Giles (born 31 July 1973) is an Australian politician. He has been a Labor member of the Australian House of Representatives since September 2013, representing the Division of Scullin, Victoria. Giles joined the ALP when he was eighteen, and – prior to his election to Parliament – worked as a principal lawyer at Slater and Gordon in Melbourne, practicing in employment law.[1] Giles currently serves as a member of the Labor Shadow Ministry as the Shadow Minister for Multicultural Affairs and Shadow Minister for Cities and Urban Infrastructure. He previously served as Shadow Assistant Minister for Schools between 2016–2019. Giles also previously served as one of the two federal parliamentary convenors of the Labor Left faction, along with Pat Conroy.[2]

Andrew Giles MP
Member of the Australian Parliament for Scullin
Incumbent
Assumed office 7 September 2013
Preceded by	Harry Jenkins
Majority	14.4%
Personal details
Born	31 July 1973 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Political party	Australian Labor Party
Spouse(s)	Dr Jillian Constable
Children	2
Alma mater	University of Melbourne
Profession	Lawyer politician

Early life and education

Giles was born in Melbourne. His mother was born in the United Kingdom, making him a British citizen by descent; he renounced his dual citizenship before standing for parliament in 2013.[3] Giles attended high school at Scotch College, Melbourne. Giles has a Bachelor of Arts and Laws from the University of Melbourne. Before entering parliament, he was a principal solicitor for Slater and Gordon and as a senior associate at Holding Redlich lawyers and consultants.[4] He acted as a solicitor for refugees stranded aboard the Tampa.[5] Giles also worked as a senior advisor for the Bracks and Brumby Governments in Victoria.[6] He was secretary of the Socialist Left in Victoria.[7]

Parliamentary career

Giles was elected to parliament at the 2013 federal election, replacing the retiring Harry Jenkins in the Division of Scullin. He immediately took up a position as Labor's cities taskforce and has engaged in an Australia-wide cities listening tour.[8] He is co-chair of Parliamentary friends of Amnesty International, and the deputy chair of the Parliament's Northern Europe group of its IPU members.[9]

In 2016 he was elevated to the position of the Shadow Assistant Minister for Schools. In 2019 he became a member Labor's Shadow Ministry. His portfolios include: Multicultural Affairs, Cities and Urban Infrastructure. He also serves as the Shadow Minister Assisting for Immigration and Citizenship.[10] In this role Giles has led Labor's campaign to stop the Morrison Government's attempts to privatise Australia's visa system. [11] He is also responsible for Labor's ‘reboot’ with multicultural communities including the establishment Multicultural Caucus Committee to inform future policy development.[12]

Personal life

Giles has two children and lives with his wife, Dr Jillian Constable.[13] In the 1990s, he played guitar in an indie rock band called Ether, along with James Cecil, who went on to play in bands such as Architecture in Helsinki.

References

1. Andrew Giles MP | Australian Labor Party
2. Crowe, David. "New trade tensions inside Labor as Left faction pushes for greater labour restrictions". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
3. Citizenship Register – 45th Parliament
4. Andrew Giles MP
5. Giles Sounded Out As Tanner Replacement
6. Andrew Giles MP
7. High Profile Tanner Replacement Sought
8. "Cities Taskforce Listening Tour". Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
9. "About Andrew". Archived from the original on 18 October 2015. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
13. Andrew Giles MP | Australian Labor Party