VZCZCXRO6747
RR RUEHPT
DE RUEHBN #0087/01 2080353
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 270353Z JUL 09
FM AMCONSUL MELBOURNE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4972
INFO RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 3617
RUEHPT/AMCONSUL PERTH 1589
RUEHDN/AMCONSUL SYDNEY 2110

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 
------- 
 
¶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 
-------------------------- 
 
¶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 
----------------- 
 
¶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 
 
MELBOURNE 00000087  002 OF 002 
 
 
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 
------- 
 
¶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