BIO NOTES - RICHARD MARLES, MP

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MELBOURNE 000087

NOFORN
SIPDIS

STATE FOR INR

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/27/2019
TAGS: PINR PREL PGOV AS
SUBJECT: BIO NOTES - RICHARD MARLES, MP

REF: A. CANBERRA 542

B. CANBERRA 188

C. MELBOURNE 69

Classified By: Justin Kolbeck, Pol/Econ Officer for Reasons 1.4 (b)(d)

Summary
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1. (SBU) Consul General met with Richard Marles, federal
Member for Corio and Australia's new Parliamentary Secretary
for Innovation and Industry on July 13. A rising star in the
Australian Labor Party (ALP),we provide bio notes on this
recently promoted Parliamentarian. End summary.

Bio Notes - Richard Marles
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2. (SBU) Born July 13, 1967, Richard Donald Marles hails from
Victoria's industrial heartland, Geelong. Prime Minister
Rudd promoted Marles to Parliamentary Secretary for
Innovation and Industry in his June 6 cabinet reshuffle (Ref.
A). When asked about the reasons behind his promotion,
Marles volunteered that the industries in his electoral
district were major factors. Geelong is home to Ford
Australia's aging engine manufacturing plant, an aluminum
smelter and other heavy industry which may be impacted under
the Emissions Trading Scheme scheduled to begin in 2011.
Marles now "reports" to Kim Carr, Minister for Innovation,
Industry, Science and Research. In addition, he suspected
his role in mending a rift within his right-of-center faction
in the Victorian ALP played a role in the Prime Minister's
decision to promote him.


3. (SBU) Marles said he maintains a very close relationship
with trade unions including the Australian Council of Trade
Unions (ACTU),a peak body designed to speak for Australia's
labor movement. A former Assistant Secretary of the ACTU, he
said the ACTU uses his office in Canberra when Parliament is
sitting. Marles served as legal officer and National
Assistant Secretary for the right-leaning Transport Workers'
Union (TWU) before his move to the ACTU. He stated that he
has a very close relationship with Joe de Bruyn, the Shop
Distributive and Allied (SDA) Employees Association National
Secretary. (Note: The SDA is Australia's largest union. End
note.)


4. (SBU) Marles described himself as a "peacemaker" who
worked to mend the rift between Bill Shorten and David Feeney
who run the more conservative "right" faction within the
Victorian ALP. This split erupted after a deal to distribute
federal and state Parliamentary seats turned bad between
Shorten and Feeney, who, along with Marles "hunted as a pack"
as young men. Caesar Melham, Victorian secretary of the
Australian Workers Union (AWU) told us that a meeting was
held on July 10 in which the major right-leaning unions
reconciled their issues. According to Marles, the rift
within the right-leaning unions in Victoria has been mended.
Marles was also well aware of a separate divide within the
New South Wales ALP right faction that opened after New South
Wales Premier Morris Iemma was sacked (Ref. B).


5. (SBU) Marles comes from a new generation of young union
leaders in the ALP that include Victorian MP Bill Shorten and
South Australian MP Mark Butler. He was elected to
Parliament in November 2007 in the same election that
returned the ALP to power under Kevin Rudd. Before his
recent promotion, Marles served as the Chair of the House of
Representatives Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander Affairs, and was a member of the House of
Representatives Employment and Workplace Relations Committee.
He spoke highly of fellow leaders like Shorten and described
having a close relationship with Deputy Prime Minister Julia
Gillard and a "friendly" relationship with Kevin Rudd.
Marles received a degree in Law and a Bachelor of Science
from Melbourne University. His mother, Faye was Victoria's
first Equal Opportunity Commissioner and later Chancellor of
Melbourne University.

Ministerial Style
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6. (C/NF) Marles said that he places a strong emphasis on an
increased Australian presence in Asia. He believes that Asia
will become increasingly important to the Australian economy
as
Asian economies develop. He would like to see Australia
become less dependent on commodities exports, and

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specifically mentioned education as an area for growth.
(Comment: Marles' comment is not in line with observations we
have heard from Melbourne's big three universities - the
University of Melbourne, the Royal Melbourne Institute of
Technology (RMIT)
and Monash University. These universities are concerned
about the impact a growing foreign student population is
having on the quality of their education system and plan to
appeal to the federal government for additional funding
rather than increasing revenue-earning foreign student
numbers. Septel for additional details. End Comment.)


7. (C/NF) Marles takes a very thorough approach to his new
portfolio. He said that he has been "hitting the books"
since his June promotion. When asked about other
alternatives to Australia's commodities export-oriented
economy, he appeared reluctant to respond given that he had
not finished his homework. He is a friendly and gregarious
interlocutor who appeared somewhat bashful and overcome by
his rapid rise through the ALP ranks. Marles comes across as
a humble lawmaker and
even told several self effacing jokes about being overwhelmed
vis-a-vis his friend and later Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd.

Comment
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8. (C/NF) Marles struck us as a very loyal politician,
especially to fellow ALP leaders like Bill Shorten. When
asked about Shorten's feelings about being passed over for
promotion in the June 6 reshuffle, Marles circumvented the
question and defended Shorten. Post notes, however, that
Shorten did appear disappointed at a separate meeting with
Consul General (Ref. C). Marles is a realistic moderate who,
along with his "peacemaker" characteristics, will tend to
seek the middle ground on issues. While Marles lacks the
obviously burning ambition of a leader like Bill Shorten, he
is a very well-connected insider who will likely continue to
rise in the ALP ranks due to his strong loyalties and
non-confrontational disposition.
THURSTON