Inside look at pre-politics lives of Labor and Coalition politicians

Two new frontbenches have been sworn in and there are a lot of new faces now running the country. But what did our most senior politicians do before they took office? SEE THE FULL LIST

While Anthony Albanese’s frontbench is heavy with former political staffers and union officials who worked their way through the Labor movement, an analysis of the ­Coalition’s senior members ­reveals a ­diverse range of occupations, from teachers and cops, to a former actor who was once an extra in Water Rats.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton is well known for having spent a decade in Queensland Police, where he dealt with sex and drug offenders, and rose to the rank of detective senior constable before sustaining injuries in a car crash while chasing an escaped prisoner.

But Mr Dutton is not the only one with a colourful background before politics.

His deputy, Sussan Ley, was born in Nigeria to British parents, and lived around the world before settling in Australia at the age of 13.

A keen pilot, she worked odd jobs in her youth to support her fascination with flying, and eventually earnt a commercial pilot’s licence. She worked in a variety of jobs ­including air traffic control and aerial stock mustering.

Deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley is a keen pilot.

Several members of the ­Coalition’s frontbench have experience in the military, ­including assistant health spokesman Gavin Pearce, who served in East Timor during a 20-year career in the army, and assistant ­defence spokesman Phillip Thompson, OAM.

Mr Thompson had a long career in the ADF, serving in East Timor and Afghanistan until 2009, when he was severely wounded when an IED detonated just a metre in front of him, leading to years of recovery and his later advocacy for mental health and suicide prevention.

Opposition defence spokesman Andrew Hastie in Afghanistan in 2013.

However, the best-known former solder is defence spokesman Andrew Hastie, who went to Duntroon and was deployed to Afghanistan, eventually being commissioned as a Special Air Service Regiment officer with a special ops task group targeting the Taliban.

Perhaps the frontbencher with the most intriguing background is Nationals senator Perin Davey, the Coalition’s spokeswoman on water.

The daughter of ABC journalist Paul Davey (once federal director of the Nationals), Ms Davey trained as a journalist but also was an extra in movies and TV shows including Home And Away and Water Rats, as well as the 1999 comedy crime caper Two Hands, in which she shared a scene with Heath Ledger.

Other professions heavily represented on the frontbench are farmers (with former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce best known) and teachers, ­including Bridget McKenzie and Kevin Hogan.

But not all have spent much of their lives outside politics.

Tasmanian Senator Jonathon Duniam, whose portfolio includes environment, fisheries and forestry, was once the subject of a profile that ­reported, “his only job outside of politics has been frying chicken at KFC as a teenager”.

Peter Dutton first job was as a police officer (left), now he’s federal Opposition Leader.

Anthony Albanese’s cabinet is dominated by former union bosses and government staffers, with few of his new ministers having substantial professional experience outside politics.

Of the Prime Minister’s 23-person team, at least 11 held positions in trade unions prior to entering parliament.

At least 13 of the 23 worked for state and federal governments as policy advisers, ministerial staffers or electorate officers.

Mr Albanese, Jason Clare, Julie Collins and Murray Watt worked in the offices of state premiers before they became federal MPs.

The cabinet also includes two former mayors in Clare O’Neil and Chris Bowen, along with former ACT chief minister Katy Gallagher and former NSW deputy opposition leader Linda Burney.

New Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has cleaned pigeon poo off abandoned wharves. Picture: Getty Images

Mark Butler, Bill Shorten, Brendan O’Connor, Don Farrell, Richard Marles and Ed Husic held senior posts in powerful unions before their ascents to Canberra.

Mr Shorten — also an army reservist — shot to prominence as the Australian Workers’ Union boss during the 2006 Beaconsfield mine disaster, while Mr Marles was assistant secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions.

NDIS Minister Bill Shorten has a background in the unions. Picture: Alison Wynd

Mr Farrell, the Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association secretary from 1993 to 2008, had previously been employed as a waiter, mail sorter, shop assistant and council worker.

Tony Burke was an organiser for the same union, though he earlier established his own business called Atticus, which provided advocacy and communications training and was named after the central character of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird.

While Amanda Rishworth is another with a union background, her resume includes varied experience as a psychologist, swimming instructor, retail assistant, and occupational health and safety trainer.

Michelle Rowland started her working life at a supermarket in Blacktown in Western Sydney before she became a lawyer, working as an electorate officer, and serving as chairwoman of Screen NSW and director of the Western Sydney Area Health Service.

Tanya Plibersek worked in the NSW government’s domestic violence unit. Picture: Colin Murty

Before entering politics, Ms Burney was also a teacher, Catherine King was a health bureaucrat and a social worker, and Tanya Plibersek worked in the NSW government’s domestic violence unit.

Jim Chalmers cut his teeth working for former treasurer Wayne Swan before claiming the job himself after last month’s election.

As for the Prime Minister, he held a series of Labor Party positions and worked as a staffer in state and federal Labor governments before becoming an MP in 1996.

During the election, Mr ­Albanese also spoke about his experience in jobs such as cleaning pigeon poo off abandoned wharves, and working the overnight shift in the kitchen at the Pancakes on the Rocks restaurant.

LABOR’S TEAM

ANTHONY ALBANESE

Now: Prime Minister

Then: Labor Party official, state and federal government staffer, cleaned wharves and worked the night shift at Pancakes on the Rocks

RICHARD MARLES

Now: Deputy Prime Minister, Defence Minister

Then: Australian Council of Trade Unions assistant secretary, Transport Workers’ Union legal officer, Slater and Gordon lawyers

New Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong. Picture: NCA Newswire/ Andrew Taylor

PENNY WONG

Now: Foreign Affairs Minister

Then: Barrister, NSW government adviser, union industrial officer

JIM CHALMERS

Now: Treasurer

Then: Chief of staff to treasurer Wayne Swan, Chifley Research Centre executive director

KATY GALLAGHER

Now: Minister for Finance, Women and the Public Service

Then: ACT chief minister, Community and Public Sector Union organiser

DON FARRELL

Now: Trade and Tourism Minister, Special Minister of State

Then: Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association secretary, waiter, mail sorter, shop assistant, council worker

TONY BURKE

Now: Minister for Employment, Workplace Relations and the Arts

Then: Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association organiser, government staffer,
small business owner, shop assistant

Deputy PM and Defence Minister Richard Marles. Picture: Mike Dugdale

MARK BUTLER

Now: Health and Aged Care Minister

Then: United Voice state secretary, Labor Party official

CHRIS BOWEN

Now: Climate Change and Energy Minister

Then: NSW government adviser, Fairfield mayor, Finance Sector Union industrial officer

TANYA PLIBERSEK

Now: Environment and Water Minister

Then: Worked in the domestic violence unit at the NSW Ministry for the Status of Women, electorate officer

CATHERINE KING

Now: Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Minister

Then: KPMG Consulting senior manager, Health Department director of injury prevention, National Public Health Partnership assistant director, social worker

LINDA BURNEY

Now: Minister for Indigenous Australians

Then: NSW community services minister and deputy opposition leader, NSW Department of Aboriginal Affairs director-general, teacher

Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil. Picture: Nicki Connolly

AMANDA RISHWORTH

Now: Social Services Minister

Then: Psychologist, occupational health and safety trainer, union representative, research assistant, swimming instructor, retail assistant

BILL SHORTEN

Now: Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme and Government Services

Then: Australian Workers’ Union national secretary, Australian Super director, Australian Army reservist

MARK DREYFUS

Now: Attorney-General

Then: Barrister, state government adviser

BRENDAN O’CONNOR

Now: Skills and Training Minister

Then: Australian Services Union assistant secretary

JASON CLARE

Now: Education Minister

Then: Transurban corporate relations manager, senior policy adviser to NSW premier Bob Carr

JULIE COLLINS

Now: Housing, Homelessness and Small Business Minister

Then: Political staffer and administrative officer including for Tasmanian premier Jim Bacon

Education Minister Jason Clare. Picture: NewsWire/Monique Harmer

MICHELLE ROWLAND

Now: Communications Minister

Then: Gilbert and Tobin senior lawyer, Screen NSW chairwoman, Western Sydney Area Health Service director, Blacktown deputy mayor, electorate officer, supermarket checkout operator

MADELEINE KING

Now: Resources and Northern Australia Minister

Then: Perth US Asia Centre chief operating officer, barrister, University of Western Australia chief of staff, government staffer

MURRAY WATT

Now: Agriculture, Fisheries, Forestry and Emergency Management Minister

Then: Maurice Blackburn Lawyers senior associate, chief of staff to Queensland premier Anna Bligh, Queensland Department of Premier and Cabinet executive policy development director

ED HUSIC

Now: Science and Industry Minister

Then: Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union national president, Integral Energy corporate affairs manager, government adviser

CLARE O’NEIL

Now: Home Affairs Minister

Then: McKinsey and Company engagement adviser, Dandenong mayor, government adviser

THE COALITION’S TEAM

PETER DUTTON

Now: Leader of the Opposition

Then: Queensland police officer working on sex and drug squads

SUSSAN LEY

Now: Deputy Leader of the Opposition

Then: Pilot, aerial stock musterer, air traffic controller

MARISE PAYNE

Now: Opposition cabinet secretary

Then: Public affairs adviser in finance industry

ANGUS TAYLOR

Now: Opposition treasurer

Then: Agribusiness development and management consulting

Nationals Leader David Littleproud with Peter Dutton. Picture: Richard Walker

ANDREW HASTIE

Now: Opposition defence spokesman

Then: SAS officer in Afghanistan

KAREN ANDREWS

Now: Opposition home affairs spokesman

Then: Engineer with the Queensland Electricity Generating Board

JANE HUME

Now: Opposition finance spokeswoman

Then: Banker at major institutions such as NAB

TED O’BRIEN

Now: Opposition environment spokesman

Then: Corporate career developing Australian businesses overseas

SUSAN MCDONALD

Now: Opposition resources spokesman

Then: Ran the family’s chain of butcher shops

DAVID LITTLEPROUD

Now: Leader of the Nationals, Opposition agriculture spokesman

Then: Agribusiness banker

Opposition water spokeswoman Perin Davey. Picture: Richard Dobson

ALAN TUDGE

Now: Opposition education spokesman

Then: Boston Consulting management consultant

SIMON BIRMINGHAM

Now: Opposition foreign affairs spokesman

Then: State and federal political adviser

JONATHON DUNIAM

Now: Opposition environment, forestries, and fisheries spokesman

Then: “Frying chicken at KFC”

JULIAN LEESER

Now: Opposition Indigenous Australians spokesman

Then: Youngest local councillor elected in NSW history

PERIN DAVEY

Now: Opposition water spokesman

Then: Journalist, actor, and Botswana safari cook

SARAH HENDERSON

Now: Opposition communications spokesman

Then: Walkley Award-winning journalist

BRIDGET MCKENZIE

Now: Opposition Infrastructure spokeswoman

Then: PE and maths teacher in Gippsland