Simon Crean - Early Career

Early Career

Crean was born in Melbourne. He is the son of Frank Crean, a federal Labor MP from 1951 to 1977, who was at separate times Treasurer, Trade Minister, and Deputy Prime Minister in the Gough Whitlam government, and the brother of Dr David Crean, a former Labor member of the Parliament of Tasmania. He was educated at Middle Park Central School, Melbourne High School and Monash University. Following his graduation from Monash University with degrees in economics and law, Simon Crean worked in a number of trade unions before becoming an official with the Storeman and Packers Union, of which he became General Secretary in 1979.

In 1977, his father, Frank Crean, retired from Federal politics and made the seat of Melbourne Ports vacant for a successor. The ALP preselection was between Simon Crean and Clyde Holding, with Holding winning.

In 1981 Crean became Vice-President of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), and in 1985 he was elected the organisation's President. In this role he played a key role in negotiating agreements on wages and other industrial issues with the Labor government of Bob Hawke. In 1990 he left the ACTU to go into politics.

At the 1990 election, Crean was elected to the seat of Hotham in the Australian House of Representatives, and immediately entered the Hawke ministry as Minister for Science and Technology. He became Minister for Primary Industries and Energy in 1991, a portfolio he kept under Paul Keating. He became Minister for Employment, Education and Training in 1993. Following the Labor Party's 1996 election defeat, Crean contested the deputy leadership of the party but was defeated by Gareth Evans, 42 votes to 37. He was an Opposition front-bencher until Labor's defeat at the 1998 election. He was then elected Deputy Leader of the Opposition and became shadow Treasurer in succession to Evans. In January 2001, Crean was awarded the Centenary Medal.