George Brandis
George Henry Brandis KC (born 22 June 1957) is an Australian former politician. He was a Senator for Queensland from 2000 to 2018, representing the Liberal Party, and was a cabinet minister in the Abbott and Turnbull governments. He was later High Commissioner to the United Kingdom from 2018 to 2022.
The Honourable George Brandis | |
|---|---|
Brandis in 2017 | |
| Australian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom | |
| In office 30 April 2018 – 30 April 2022 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Prime Minister | Malcolm Turnbull Scott Morrison |
| Preceded by | Alexander Downer |
| Succeeded by | Lynette Wood (Acting) |
| Attorney-General for Australia | |
| In office 18 September 2013 – 20 December 2017 | |
| Prime Minister | Tony Abbott Malcolm Turnbull |
| Preceded by | Mark Dreyfus |
| Succeeded by | Christian Porter |
| Leader of the Government in the Senate | |
| In office 21 September 2015 – 20 December 2017 | |
| Prime Minister | Malcolm Turnbull |
| Deputy | Mathias Cormann |
| Preceded by | Eric Abetz |
| Succeeded by | Mathias Cormann |
| Vice-President of the Executive Council | |
| In office 18 September 2013 – 20 December 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Tony Burke |
| Succeeded by | Mathias Cormann |
| Minister for the Arts | |
| In office 18 September 2013 – 21 September 2015 | |
| Prime Minister | Tony Abbott Malcolm Turnbull |
| Preceded by | Tony Burke |
| Succeeded by | Mitch Fifield |
| Minister for the Arts and Sport | |
| In office 30 January 2007 – 3 December 2007 | |
| Prime Minister | John Howard |
| Preceded by | Rod Kemp |
| Succeeded by | Kate Ellis (Sport) Peter Garrett (Arts) |
| Senator for Queensland | |
| In office 16 May 2000 – 8 February 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Warwick Parer |
| Succeeded by | Amanda Stoker |
| Personal details | |
| Born | George Henry Brandis 22 June 1957 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Political party | Liberal Party |
| Other political affiliations | Liberal National Party |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | University of Queensland Magdalen College, Oxford |
Brandis studied law at the University of Queensland and Magdalen College, Oxford. Before entering politics he practised as a barrister. He was appointed to the Senate in 2000 to fill the casual vacancy caused by the resignation of Warwick Parer. He served as Minister for the Arts and Sport for the last year of the Howard government in 2007. When the Coalition returned to power in 2013, Brandis became Attorney-General and Minister for the Arts. He relinquished the latter portfolio in 2015, when Malcolm Turnbull became prime minister, but was instead made Leader of the Government in the Senate.
Brandis announced his retirement from politics in December 2017, with effect from February 2018. He replaced Alexander Downer as High Commissioner to the United Kingdom in May 2018, departing the role in April 2022. In June 2022, Brandis was appointed a professor in national security at the Australian National University.