Richard Marles
A steady-handed Labor politician who rose from union law to become Australia's Defence Minister and deputy prime minister.
Born 1967 (age 59)·Australian politician·Birthday: July 13·Generation X
Biography
Richard Marles’s political career is a study in deliberate, understated ascent. The Geelong-based MP cut his teeth not in the partisan fray of question time, but in the detailed work of industrial law as a union lawyer. Elected to the safe Labor seat of Corio in 2007, he avoided the spotlight, building a reputation as a competent manager and a loyal party figure. His early ministerial portfolios—Trade, Defence Procurement—were preparation for his biggest roles. As deputy leader, he became a crucial unifying force within the Labor Party after its 2019 election loss. When Labor returned to power, Marles stepped into the dual roles of Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister, a pair of jobs that placed him at the center of Australia's most significant strategic shift in generations, overseeing a historic military expansion in response to a changing region.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Richard was born in 1967, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Richard Was Born
The biggest hits of 1967
#1 Movie
The Jungle Book
Best Picture
In the Heat of the Night
#1 TV Show
The Andy Griffith Show
Richard's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1967Born
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1972Started school
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1980Became a teenager
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1983Could drive
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1985Could vote
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1988Turned 21
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1997Turned 30
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 40
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 50
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 59 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Appointed Australia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence in the Albanese government in 2022.
- Served as the Shadow Minister for Defence and Deputy Leader of the Opposition from 2019 to 2022.
- Held the portfolio of Minister for Trade in the second Rudd government in 2013.
- Elected as the Member for Corio in 2007, succeeding long-serving MP Gough Whitlam's son.
Did You Know?
He was a competitive rower in his youth and represented Victoria at the national level.
He worked as a solicitor specializing in industrial law for the Australian Workers' Union.
He is a passionate supporter of the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League.
“My focus is on the substance of policy, not the theatre of politics.”
