Member of the Australian Parliament for Maribyrnong
In office 2 March 1996 – 17 October 2007
Preceded by
Alan Griffiths
Succeeded by
Bill Shorten
Personal details
Born
(1949-04-03) 3 April 1949 (age 75) Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Political party
Australian Labor Party
Alma mater
University of Melbourne
Occupation
Public servant
Robert Charles Grant Sercombe (born 3 April 1949) is a former Australian politician who represented the Division of Maribyrnong, Victoria for the Australian Labor Party from March 1996[1] until his retirement at the 2007 federal election.[2]
He was born in Melbourne, Victoria, and was educated at the University of Melbourne. He was a public servant, social planner, and administrator before entering politics. He was an adviser to Clyde Holding, a former Victorian opposition leader and a minister in the Hawke government from 1983 until 1988. Sercombe was a member of the Essendon City Council in 1983 and 1984.[2] Sercombe was the Member for Niddrie in the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 1988 until 1996. He was Deputy Leader of the Opposition 1993–94 and a member of the Opposition Shadow Ministry 1992–94.[3]
In State politics, he became well known for supporting a leadership challenge on behalf of Ian Baker who attempted to topple then Leader John Brumby in 1994. After the bid failed, he did not contest the deputy leadership.[citation needed] In the federal Parliament, Sercombe was an Opposition Whip from 1998 until 2001. He was elected to the Opposition Shadow Ministry after the 2004 election and appointed Shadow Minister for Pacific Islands (assisting the Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs, Kevin Rudd).[2] His portfolio responsibilities were expanded some time later by Beazley to include Overseas Development. As Shadow Minister, Sercombe put out a series of policy announcements about expanding Australia's relationship with that region.[citation needed]
Within the Labor Party, Sercombe was for many years a leading member of the Labor Right in Victoria, although later became allied to the Left faction in Victoria while being a leading light of the Centre caucus in Canberra. Just prior to a local vote of ALP members, in February 2005 Sercombe announced he was withdrawing his candidacy from Labor preselection for his seat of Maribyrnong in favour of Australian Workers' Union National Secretary Bill Shorten as Shorten had the numbers over Sercombe to win the preselection and Shorten was elected unopposed as a result.[4] He criticised challenges to other incumbent MPs.[4] Despite announcing his retirement Sercombe was kept on the frontbench by Opposition Leader Kim Beazley until December 2006 when he was sacked by new leader Kevin Rudd. Sercombe was an Opposition frontbencher in both the Victorian State and Federal Parliaments but did not become a Minister in either tier of Government.[2][3]
^Onselen, Peter Van (2008). Liberals and Power: The Road Ahead. Melbourne Univ. Publishing. p. 188. ISBN 978-0-522-85590-6.
^ abcd"Mr Bob Sercombe MP". Senators and Members of the Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
^ ab"Robert Charles Sercombe". Re-Member: a database of all Victorian MPs since 1851. Parliament of Victoria. Archived from the original on 23 April 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
^ ab"Sercombe withdraws preselection challenge". The World Today. ABC Local Radio. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
Robert Charles Grant Sercombe (born 3 April 1949) is a former Australian politician who represented the Division of Maribyrnong, Victoria for the Australian...
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Labor preselection for the Division of Maribyrnong. He was defeated by BobSercombe, who went on to retain the seat for Labor at the election. In February...
National Party member Bob Katter Sr., who had retired from politics (he died just prior to the election). In 1993, he was defeated by Bob Katter, the former...
of the Labor Unity faction, he was a strong supporter of Prime Minister Bob Hawke and an opponent of the Socialist Left faction, which historically had...
office 5 March 1983 – 29 January 1996 Preceded by Moss Cass Succeeded by BobSercombe Personal details Born (1952-09-04) 4 September 1952 (age 71) Melbourne...
legislation, aided by Dr Philip Nitschke. The first person was a carpenter, Bob Dent, who died on 22 September 1996. Following the repeal of the federal...
Joan Kirner Became leader following the resignation of Joan Kirner 16 BobSercombe (1949–) 22 March 1993 3 May 1994 Niddrie (1988–1996) 1 year, 42 days...
29 January 1996 Served as minister under Hawke and Keating. Retired BobSercombe (1949–) 2 March 1996 – 17 October 2007 Previously held the Victorian...
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member for Canberra, Brendan Smyth (Liberal), contested Namadgi. ACT Senator Bob McMullan (Labor) contested Canberra. Michael Duffy MP (Holt, Vic) Wendy Fatin...
BobSercombe Preceded by Joan Kirner Succeeded by John Brumby Leader of the Labor Party in Victoria In office 22 March 1993 – 29 June 1993 Deputy Bob...
Carrum Mal Sandon ALP 7.5% Dandenong North Jan Wilson ALP 8.1% Niddrie BobSercombe ALP 8.1% Doveton Rob Jolly ALP 8.3% Frankston North Jane Hill ALP 8.8%...
office 3 May 1994 – 23 December 1996 Leader John Brumby Preceded by BobSercombe Succeeded by John Thwaites Deputy Leader of the Labor Party in Victoria...
Archived from the original on 23 April 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2022. "Mr BobSercombe MP". Senators and Members of the Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 4...
John Delzoppo (Lib) John Cross (Ind) Trisha Taig (Ind) Niddrie Labor BobSercombe David Davis (Lib) Dorothy Costa (Ind) Maria Ferrigno (Ind) Sam Ortisi...
and Multicultural Affairs, Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate – Senator Joseph Ludwig Shadow Minister for the Pacific Islands – BobSercombe...
Ellis Labor 9.6% Canning, WA Don Randall Liberal 9.5% Maribyrnong, Vic BobSercombe Labor 9.5% Dunkley, Vic Bruce Billson Liberal 9.4% Shortland, NSW Jill...
Australia. Retrieved 7 August 2013. Australian Parliamentary Library. "Sercombe, Robert Charles Grant (1949–)". Trove. National Library of Australia. Retrieved...
Neil Young John Delzoppo Kenneth Ipsen David White (Dem) Niddrie Labor BobSercombe Susan Feltham Lance Hutchinson (Ind) Northcote Labor Tony Sheehan Ross...
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