Mike Baird | |
---|---|
44th Premier of New South Wales | |
In office 17 April 2014 –23 January 2017 | |
Monarch | Elizabeth II |
Governor | Marie Bashir David Hurley |
Deputy | Andrew Stoner Troy Grant John Barilaro |
Preceded by | Barry O'Farrell |
Succeeded by | Gladys Berejiklian |
20th Leader of the New South Wales Liberal Party | |
In office 17 April 2014 –23 January 2017 | |
Deputy | Gladys Berejiklian |
Preceded by | Barry O'Farrell |
Succeeded by | Gladys Berejiklian |
Minister for Infrastructure | |
In office 23 April 2014 –2 April 2015 | |
Preceded by | Brad Hazzard |
Succeeded by | Andrew Constance |
Minister for Western Sydney | |
In office 23 April 2014 –23 January 2017 | |
Preceded by | Barry O'Farrell |
Succeeded by | Stuart Ayres |
Treasurer of New South Wales | |
In office 3 April 2011 –23 April 2014 | |
Premier | Barry O'Farrell |
Preceded by | Eric Roozendaal |
Succeeded by | Andrew Constance |
Member of the New South Wales Parliament for Manly | |
In office 24 March 2007 –23 January 2017 | |
Preceded by | David Barr |
Succeeded by | James Griffin |
Personal details | |
Born | Michael Bruce Baird 1 April 1968 Melbourne,Victoria,Australia |
Political party | Liberal |
Spouse | Kerryn Baird |
Relations | Bruce Baird (father) Julia Baird (sister) |
Children | 3 |
Education | The King's School,Parramatta University of Sydney Regent College |
Occupation | Chief Executive Officer of Hammondcare Politician |
[1] [2] | |
Michael Bruce Baird AO (born 1 April 1968 [3] ) is an Australian investment banker and former politician who was the 44th Premier of New South Wales,the Minister for Infrastructure,the Minister for Western Sydney,and the Leader of the New South Wales Liberal Party from April 2014 to January 2017.
Baird represented the electoral district of Manly in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for the Liberal Party from 2007 to 2017. Before becoming Premier,he was the Treasurer of New South Wales in the O'Farrell government between 2011 and 2014. On 19 January 2017,Baird announced his intention to step down and on 23 January he resigned as Premier and member for Manly.
Born in Melbourne,Baird is the son of Judy and Bruce Baird. [2] His father was Deputy Leader of the New South Wales Liberal Party and Member of Parliament representing the electoral district of Northcott,and later a Member of the Australian House of Representatives,representing the Division of Cook,for the Liberal Party. He attended The King's School,Parramatta, [4] and spent time living in the U.S. while his father served as head of the Australian trade commission in New York City. [5] [6] Baird graduated with a Bachelor of Arts with majors in Economics and Government from the University of Sydney in 1989. [7] [8] Baird also studied at Regent College in Vancouver,British Columbia,Canada,initially intending to enter the Anglican ministry,but while there decided to pursue a career in investment banking and later politics. [4]
In 1999,Baird unsuccessfully sought preselection for the seat of Manly. Baird then returned to investment banking,working for the National Australia Bank for a time in London,before returning to Sydney to work for HSBC Australia. [9] He again sought,this time successfully,Liberal Party preselection for the seat of Manly and went on to defeat the sitting independent member David Barr by 3.4% at the 2007 state election. [10] After initially serving in a range of junior shadow ministries,Baird was promoted to the position of Shadow Treasurer in 2008 and touted as a future Liberal leader. [9] [11]
Following the election of the O'Farrell government in 2011,Baird was appointed Treasurer,although O'Farrell removed some of Baird's ministerial responsibilities,transferring the authority for land tax,gaming tax,payroll tax,public service superannuation and the Office of State Revenue to Greg Pearce,the Minister for Finance and Services. [12] Baird has campaigned against dangerous drinking,voted against embryonic stem research and euthanasia,does not support same-sex marriage or same-sex adoption [13] [5] and has stated that his strongest preference is not to support abortion in most circumstances. [14] He is strongly in favour of Australia becoming a republic. [15] In 2015,he supported calls for increasing the GST to 15%. [16] [17]
Following Barry O'Farrell's resignation, [18] Baird was elected unopposed as parliamentary leader of the NSW division of the Liberal Party on 17 April 2014,and subsequently sworn in as the 44th Premier of New South Wales on 23 April by the Governor of New South Wales,Dame Marie Bashir. [19] Just six days later,on April 29,Baird presided over the sale of the Port of Newcastle,with 50% ownership going to the China state owned China Merchants Group. [20] According to the Port Authority,the Port is "Australia’s deepwater global gateway" which " enables Australian businesses to successfully compete in international markets". [21]
He also immediately reshuffled the ministry elevating Andrew Constance into the Treasury portfolio and increasing Andrew Stoner's ministries to five [22] in preparation for the 2015 state election. [23] [22] In October,Stoner resigned as Leader of the NSW Nationals and Deputy Premier of New South Wales and was replaced by Troy Grant. The Sydney Morning Herald described Baird's government as "the most devout in living memory," with a concentration of powerful religious figures in its upper echelons. [13] Baird's chief of staff,Bay Warburton,once said that in his role as chief of staff he is serving Jesus,"and Mike (Baird),who's the Treasurer—he believes he's serving Jesus as the Treasurer of the state. He believes that he has a great opportunity to help people by making responsible decisions about the money from this state." [13]
On the morning of 15 December 2014,a lone gunman,Man Haron Monis,held hostage ten customers and eight employees of a Lindt chocolate cafélocated at Martin Place,Sydney. Baird addressed the media during the stand-off,and stated "we are being tested today... in Sydney. The police are being tested,the public is being tested,but whatever the test we will face it head on and we will remain a strong democratic,civil society. I have full confidence in the Police Commissioner and the incredible work of the NSW police force." [24] On 20 March 2015,Baird met with staff at the re-opened café,stating the staff and company:"...Are saying that they want to be strong for their friends,they want to be strong for this city and state". [25] Baird suffered from post-traumatic stress following the attack. [26]
At the 2015 election,Baird led the Liberal-National Coalition to a second term. The main policy that dominated the election was Baird's unpopular policy to lease 49% of the state's electricity distribution network,known as the "poles and wires" in the form of a 99-year lease to the private sector and use the proceeds to invest in new road,public transport,water,health and education infrastructure. [27] [28] Other regional policies centred around the Baird Government's truncation of the Central Coast &Newcastle Railway Line at Wickham and its replacement with the $130 million light rail system and associated transport interchange as part of a broader revitalisation of the Newcastle city centre. [29] Coal Seam Gas was a likewise major regional issue in northern New South Wales. [30]
Ultimately,Baird won a full term,though he lost 15 seats from the massive majority he'd inherited from O'Farrell. Baird is only the fourth state Liberal leader,after Sir Robert Askin,Nick Greiner and O'Farrell,to win an election in New South Wales since the main non-Labor party adopted the Liberal banner in 1945. It also marked the first time since 1973 that a non-Labor government had retained its majority at an election and Baird became the first non-elected Liberal Premier to be elected in his own right.
After replacing Barry O'Farrell as Premier in April 2014,Baird initially fared well in statewide opinion polls but his approval rating collapsed in the 2nd half of 2016. From December 2015 to September 2016,Baird's satisfaction rating fell by 46 points—"the biggest fall in net satisfaction of any mainland state premier in the history of Newspoll". [31]
Satisfied | Dissatisfied | |
---|---|---|
September 2016 | 39% | 46% |
September 2015 | 63% | 23% |
March 2015 | 57% | 29% |
February 2015 | 59% | 26% |
December 2014 | 60% | 22% |
October 2014 | 56% | 20% |
August 2014 | 49% | 23% |
June 2014 | 49% | 19% |
Baird had publicly advocated for the tough Sydney lockout laws [33] and on 9 February 2016 posted a Facebook response to an article published by Matt Barrie condemning the Premier's actions. [34] Baird's response gained international attention [35] after the post received over 10,000 likes - along with more than 10,000 comments that were mostly critical of the Premier's stance on the laws. [36] Baird's reputation as a "darling of social media" [37] was tarnished as the hashtag #casinomike became the number one trending topic nationwide on Twitter in reference to lockout laws not applying to Star City Casino,as it is located outside the entertainment and CBD precincts where the laws apply. [38] A protest was organised in response to Baird's comments by community group Keep Sydney Open on 21 February 2016, [39] with over 15,000 people marching in Sydney's CBD and calling on the Baird government to abolish the lockout laws. [40]
On 19 January 2017,Baird announced he was retiring from politics,with his resignation to be effective after a leadership spill the following week. [41] He said,"I have made clear from the beginning that I was in politics to make a difference,and then move on. After 10 years in public life,this moment for me has arrived." [42] [43] Following his decision to resign,he was criticised for his failure to listen on key issues such as protests against the WestConnex,lockout laws and local government amalgamations. Baird also reversed an earlier decision to ban greyhound racing in the face of significant community pressure,especially from the Nationals. [44] On 23 January 2017,he formally resigned as both premier and member for Manly,and Gladys Berejiklian was sworn in as New South Wales' 45th premier. [45]
In February 2017,Baird was appointed Chief Customer Officer at National Australia Bank. [46] He was paid a total of A$2.29 million in 2018. In 2019,NAB executives forfeited their short-term bonuses,resulting in Baird earning the lesser total of A$1.7 million for that year. At the end of the 2018/2019 financial year,Baird held A$500,000 of NAB stock as well as 67,888 NAB performance rights,worth A$1.59 million as of March 2020. [47] In March 2020,it was reported that he would leave the company on 15 April 2020. [48] In April 2020,Baird was appointed Chief Executive Officer of HammondCare,a Christian aged care provider of palliative and dementia care. [49] [50] [51]
In October 2021,Baird gave evidence to the Independent Commission Against Corruption regarding Gladys Berejiklian's relationship with disgraced Liberal MP Daryl Maguire. After leaving the ICAC,Baird stated he was "devastated" to have to give evidence about Berejiklian,who he described as a "close personal friend". [52]
Baird lives in Fairlight in Sydney’s northern beaches [53] and is married to wife Kerryn. Together they have three children;Laura,Cate and Luke. [54] His mother,Judy,who died in 2021 was in full-time care at the time of his appointment. [55] His sister is journalist Julia Baird,presenter of ABC's The Drum TV program and a bestselling author. [56] His younger brother,Steve Baird,is the CEO of International Justice Mission Australia. [51] Baird is a long time friend of former Australian prime minister Tony Abbott and they regularly surf together off the Northern Beaches. [57] [58] Baird is a supporter of NRL club the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles.[ citation needed ]
In 2016,Sydney DJ Tom Budin released a song named "Mike Baird",which mocked and protested against the Sydney lockout laws,which were introduced in February 2014,two months before Baird became the Premier of New South Wales. [59]
The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) is an integrity agency of the Government of New South Wales responsible for eliminating and investigating corrupt activities and enhancing the integrity of the state's public administration. The commission was established in 1989, pursuant to the Independent Commission Against Corruption Act, 1988 (NSW), modeled after the ICAC in Hong Kong.
Barry Robert O'Farrell is an Australian former politician who was Australia's High Commissioner to India and non-resident Ambassador to Bhutan from February 2020 to 30 June 2023. O'Farrell was the 43rd Premier of New South Wales and Minister for Western Sydney from 2011 to 2014. He was the Leader of the New South Wales Liberal Party from 2007 to 2014, and was a Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1995 to 2015, representing Northcott until 1999 and representing Ku-ring-gai on the Upper North Shore of Sydney from 1999 to 2015. He was President and Independent Board Chair of Diabetes Australia, Chair of the Wests Tigers Rugby League Football Club and CEO of Racing Australia Ltd until taking up his role in India.
Duncan John Gay, an Australian politician, was the Vice-President of the Executive Council of New South Wales and the Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council from May 2014 to January 2017; and the Minister for Roads, Maritime and Freight from April 2015 to January 2017. Gay was the Leader of the Nationals in the Legislative Council until January 2017 and was a member of the Council from 1988 to 2017, representing The Nationals.
Gladys Berejiklian is an Australian businesswoman and former politician who served as the 45th premier of New South Wales and the leader of the New South Wales division of the Liberal Party from 2017 to 2021. Berejiklian currently works as an executive for the telecommunications company Optus.
Katrina Ann Hodgkinson is an Australian former politician. She is the former Federal Vice President of the National Party of Australia and a former Australian Member of Parliament. She was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, representing Cootamundra for The Nationals from 28 March 2015 to 1 September 2017, and Burrinjuck from 27 March 1999 to 27 March 2015.
Adrian Piccoli is a former Australian politician who represented the electoral district of Murray in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 2015 to 2017, and the district of Murrumbidgee from 1999 to 2015. He was the deputy leader of the Nationals in the New South Wales Parliament from 2008 to 2016. Piccoli served as the Minister for Education between April 2011 and January 2017, in both the O'Farrell and Baird ministries.
Andrew James Constance is an Australian politician who represented Bega for the Liberal Party in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly between 2003 and December 2021.
Anthony John Roberts is an Australian politician. Roberts is a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Lane Cove for the Liberal Party since 2003. He is the longest-serving Member of the Legislative Assembly and so holds the honorary title of "Father of the House."
Bradley Ronald "Brad" Hazzard is a retired Australian politician who served as the member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly district of Wakehurst between May 1991 and March 2023.
Jillian Gell Skinner is an Australian politician who was the New South Wales Minister for Health in the Baird government. Skinner was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing North Shore for the Liberal Party from 1994 to 2017 and was the Deputy Leader of the New South Wales Liberal Party from 2007 to 2014. Between 2011 and 2015 Skinner also served as the Minister for Medical Research. On 27 January 2017, Skinner announced her intention to resign from the ministry and from Parliament.
John George Ajaka, is a former Australian politician who served as a New South Wales Minister in the O'Farrell and Baird governments. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council from 2007 to 2021, representing the Liberal Party. He was the first Liberal Party Lebanese Australian member of an Australian parliament.
Michael Joseph Gallacher is an Australian former politician. He was the Minister for Police and Emergency Services and Vice-president of the Executive Council in the O'Farrell government and Baird government from 2011 to 2014; the Minister for the Central Coast from December 2013 to May 2014; and the Minister for Industrial Relations in the Baird government from April to May 2014. Gallacher has been a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council since 1996. He was the Minister for the Hunter between 2011 and 2014.
Robert Gordon Stokes is an Australian retired politician. Stokes served as the New South Wales Minister for Infrastructure, the Minister for Cities, and the Minister for Active Transport in the Perrottet ministry between 21 December 2021 and 25 March 2023. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Pittwater for the Liberal Party between 2007 and 2023.
Kevin John Humphries, an Australian politician, was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Barwon for the Nationals from 2007 to 2019. He was the Minister for Healthy Lifestyles and Mental Health between 2011 and 2014 in the O'Farrell government; and the Minister for Western New South Wales from April 2011 to 2015. In April 2014, he was appointed as Minister for Natural Resources, Lands and Water during the Cabinet reshuffle under Premier Mike Baird.
Gabrielle Cecelia Upton is an Australian former politician. She was the member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, representing the seat of Vaucluse for the Liberal Party from 2011 until her retirement at the 2023 New South Wales state election.
Stuart Laurence Ayres is an Australian politician. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 19 June 2010 to 25 March 2023, representing the electorate of Penrith as a member of the Liberal Party.
Paul Lawrence Toole is an Australian politician. Toole was the Deputy Premier of New South Wales from 2021 to 2023, and the leader of the New South Wales Nationals from October 2021 to May 2023.
Troy Wayne Grant is an Australian politician and former police officer. Grant has been the Inspector-General of Water Compliance (IGWC) since August 2021, the first to hold the position. Previously, he was the Minister for Police and the Minister for Emergency Services from January 2017 until March 2019 in the Berejiklian government. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Dubbo for the Nationals from 2011 to 2019.
The 2015 New South Wales state election was held on Saturday 28 March 2015. Members were elected to all 93 seats in the Legislative Assembly using optional preferential voting. Members were also elected to 21 of the 42 seats in the Legislative Council using optional preferential proportional representation voting. The election was conducted by the New South Wales Electoral Commission.
The Baird ministry (2014–2015) or First Baird ministry was the 94th ministry of the Government of New South Wales, and was led by Mike Baird, the state's 44th Premier.
Mike BAIRD (BA '89).
Melbourne-born, Baird attended the King's School, Parramatta before undertaking his Sydney Arts degree with majors in Economics and Government.