THE HON ANTHONY ALBANESE MP

Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development, Local Government, Leader of the House

Anthony was elected Member for Grayndler in 1996. He was born in Camperdown and educated at St Joseph's Camperdown and Christian Brothers, St Mary's. He worked for the Commonwealth Bank and then studied economics at Sydney University.

He was a research officer for the then Minister for Local Government and Administrative Services, Tom Uren, and in 1989 was elected assistant general secretary of the NSW ALP, a position he held until 1995.

Anthony has been a delegate to National Conference since 1986.

He was elected to the Shadow Ministry on 22 November 2001. Anthony is Minister for Infrastructure; Minister for Transport and Regional Development; and Minister for Local Government in the Rudd Labor Government. He also holds the parliamentary position of Leader of the House.

STEPHEN ALCHIN

Infrastructure Australia

Stephen Alchin has almost 30 years experience in urban and transport planning, across all three spheres of government and in the private sector. Stephen has broad experience in local government, having started his professional life with Gosford City Council, before working with the Local Government and Shires Associations of NSW, and then as Executive Director of the Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils.

Stephen's broad experience in transport planning and infrastructure matters developed further at the NSW Department of Transport, where he was Project Director for the Ultimo-Pyrmont Light Rail Project. He then held senior strategy and planning roles in the NSW railway system, before taking the roles of Executive Director, Planning and Infrastructure in Transport NSW and head of transport planning in the NSW Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources.

Following several years as a consultant, Stephen has returned to government, taking the role of General Manager, Planning at Infrastructure Australia. At Infrastructure Australia, he has been closely involved in the development of the Infrastructure Priority List that was recommended to government, and, amongst other things, the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) sponsored review of major infrastructure approval processes.

SENATOR BOB BROWN

Leader of the Australian Greens

Bob Brown was elected to the Senate in 1996, after 10 years as an Member of the House of Assembly in Tasmania's state parliament.

Some of the many issues that Bob has raised in the Senate include petrol sniffing in Central Australia, self-determination for West Papua and Tibet, saving Tasmania's ancient forests, opposing the war in Iraq, justice for David Hicks, stopping the sale of the Snowy Hydro scheme and opposing the dumping of nuclear waste in Australia.

Bob was re-elected to the Senate in 2001. Following the election of four Greens senators in 2004, Bob became parliamentary leader of the Australian Greens in 2005.

The 2007 election saw Bob re-elected to the Senate for a third term along with two new Greens Senators in WA and SA. Bob received the highest personal Senate vote in Tasmania and was elected with more than a quota in his own right.

THE HON WARREN TRUSS MP

Leader of the Nationals, Shadow Minister for Trade, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government

Before entering Parliament, Warren was a Kingaroy Shire Councillor from 1976 to 1990, including seven years as Mayor. He served as President of the Burnett District Local Government Association and as Chairman of the Fraser Coast-South Burnett Regional Tourism Board. He was Deputy Chairman of the Queensland Grain Handling Authority and a member of the State Council of the Queensland Graingrowers’ Association.

Following the Coalition Government's election defeat in 2007, he was elected Federal Parliamentary Leader of The Nationals. He is also Shadow Minister for Trade, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government.

Warren was a Minister in the Howard Coalition Government for 10 years. He was appointed Minister for Customs and Consumer Affairs in October 1997, and a year later, Minister for Community Services.

In July 1999 he assumed the position of Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, where he served for six years. He became Minister for Transport and Regional Services in July 2005 and in September 2006 Minister for Trade.

THE HON MALCOLM TURNBULL MP

Leader of the Opposition

Malcolm grew up in Vaucluse and Double Bay in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1997 Malcolm was elected to attend the Australian Constitutional Convention. He led the republican case in that Convention and in the subsequent referendum.

At the Federal election on 9 October 2004, Malcolm was elected as the Member for Wentworth and upon entering Parliament. He joined the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade as well as the House of Representatives Standing Committees on Economics, Health and Ageing and Legal and Constitutional Affairs.

On 27 January 2006, Malcolm was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and just over twelve months later, he was appointed to Cabinet as the Minister for Environment and Water Resources; a position he held until the Federal Election on 24 November 2007.

On 6 December 2007, Malcolm was appointed as Shadow Treasurer and following a leadership ballot on 16 September 2008, he was elected by his Liberal Party colleagues to lead the Coalition as Leader of the Opposition.