In March 2006, Marles nominated for Labor preselection against the sitting member for Corio, Gavan O'Connor, as part of a challenge to several sitting members organised by the right-wing Labor Unity faction of the party. In the local ballot Marles polled 57% of the vote, and his endorsement was then confirmed by the party's public office selection committee.[5][6]
Marles was elected member for Corio on 24 November 2007 in the election that returned the Labor Party to office under the leadership of Kevin Rudd. From February 2008 to June 2009 he was chair of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs.
In June 2009 Marles was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Innovation and Industry. He retained his seat in the 2010 election and was sworn in as Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs in the First Gillard Ministry on 14 September 2010.[7] In July 2011, Marles became the first Australian member of parliament to visit Wallis and Futuna.[8] Marles arrived in Wallis and Futuna to attend a ceremony with King Kapiliele Faupala in Mata-Utu marking the 50th anniversary of the islands' status as a French Overseas collectivity.[8] Marles had previously visited New Caledonia in October 2010 and French Polynesia in March 2011.[8]
In the ministerial reshuffle of 2 March 2012, Marles was given the additional role of Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs.[9] On 21 March 2013 he resigned these roles after expressing support for Kevin Rudd to challenge Julia Gillard for the leadership; a challenge that did not eventuate.[10]
In June 2013, he was appointed the Minister for Trade and a member of the Cabinet,[11] succeeding Craig Emerson, who resigned following the June 2013 leadership spill that saw Kevin Rudd defeat Julia Gillard for leadership of the Labor Party.
Shadow minister
After the ALP's defeat at the 2013 federal election, Marles was appointed Shadow Minister for Immigration and Border Protection under opposition leader Bill Shorten.[1] In February 2016, he began co-hosting the weekly television program Pyne & Marles on Sky News Live with Liberal MP Christopher Pyne.[12] Marles had his portfolio changed after the 2016 election, becoming Shadow Minister for Defence.[1] He has been cited as holding pro-U.S. views and as "somewhat of a hawk".[3][13]
Deputy Leader of the Opposition
In May 2019, after Labor lost the 2019 federal election, it was reported that Marles would stand for the deputy leadership of the party, and would likely be elected unopposed following Clare O'Neil's decision not to run.[14] He was formally endorsed as deputy to Anthony Albanese on 30 May, and selected the portfolio of Defence in the shadow cabinet.[15][16]
Following a shadow cabinet reshuffle in January 2021, Marles was placed in charge of a new "super portfolio" relating to recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic,[17] encompassing a "broad brief across national reconstruction, jobs, skills, small business and science".[18]
Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister
Two days after the 2022 federal election, Albanese had himself, Marles and three other senior Labor frontbenchers sworn in as an interim five-person government. Although counting was still underway, it was apparent by this time that no other party could realistically form even a minority government. The transfer of power was expedited due to the upcoming Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, with the full ministry due to be sworn in after the Quad. As Albanese flew to Tokyo to take part in the Quad soon after being sworn in, Marles served as Acting Prime Minister until Albanese returned to lead the nation full-time. He continues to return to the role whenever Albanese leaves the country.[19]
In August 2023, News.com.au reported that the cost of Marles' VIP flights since the 2022 federal election was $3.6 million. Marles refused to give passenger or destination details for his VIP flights, citing security concerns. Since the Defence Department blocked access to information about Marles' VIP flights, the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority cannot ask Marles' office to repay the cost of carrying electorate staff and family members on the flights.[22]
On 28 September 2023, Marles confirmed that 500 Australian troops would be relocated to Townsville over the course of six years from 2025 to strengthen the Australian Army's ability to conduct operations missions in the Pacific.[23] This announcement was criticised by the city's mayor Jenny Hill who claimed that Townsville City Council was not consulted about military personnel's housing.[24] On 29 September 2023, Marles announced that the Australian Defence Force would retire its fleet of MRH-90 Taipan helicopters following a fatal crash during Exercise Talisman Sabre in July 2023 which killed four military personnel.[25]
In early February 2024, Marles and Foreign MinisterPenny Wong hosted New Zealand Foreign MinisterWinston Peters and Defence MinisterJudith Collins at a joint bilateral meeting of foreign and defence ministers in Melbourne. Marles confirmed that Australia would send officials to brief their New Zealand counterparts about AUKUS Pillar Two, which would focus on advanced military technology including quantum computing and artificial intelligence. New Zealand is not expected to join AUKUS Pillar One due to its nuclear-free policy. The two governments also agreed to deepen bilateral security and military cooperation.[26][27]
On 6 May 2024, Marles denounced an incident in which a Chinese J-10 fighter jet dropped flares in close proximity to an Australian MH60R Seahawk helicopter.[28] The helicopter had been operating off HMASHobart in international waters in the Yellow Sea while enforcing United Nations-mandated sanctions against North Korea.[29][30]
On 11 July 2024, Marles announced that Australia would provide Ukraine with $250 million in military assistance, the largest single military package from Australia to Ukraine since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.[33]
On 12 September 2024, Marles stripped nine commanding officers who served in the War in Afghanistan of their distinguished service medals, implementing the final recommendation of the Brereton Report which had found "credible evidence" that Australian soldiers had unlawfully killed 39 people.[34]
On 20 February 2025, Marles and his New Zealand counterpart Collins confirmed that the Australian and New Zealand militaries were monitoring three Chinese warships that were sailing through Australia's exclusive economic zone near Sydney.[35] After the Chinese warships commenced live-fire exercises in the Tasman Sea, Marles criticised the Chinese government for not giving the Australian government prior notice of the first live fire exercise, describing them as "disconcerting for planes that were in the air." Australian civil aviation and defence authorities had only learnt about the exercise ten minutes after initial contact between the Chinese warships and a Virgin Australia pilot nearby.[36][37]
Political positions
Marles is a senior figure in his state's Labor Right faction.[13]
Refugees and asylum seekers
Marles supports the turning back of asylum seekers who arrive in Australia by boat and a Pacific Solution for the resettlement of refugees.[38]
Marles (center) speaks with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (left) and Japanese Minister of Defense Yasukazu Hamada (right) in 2022
In 2020, as shadow defence minister, Marles was critical of the Morrison government's handling of the programme to purchase French submarines, which, he said, had "profoundly compromised" Australia's national security. Marles otherwise supported the bipartisan consensus on national defence matters.[40]
Fossil fuels and energy
On an interview on Sky News on 20 February 2019, Marles stated that it would be "a good thing" if the thermal coal market in Australia collapsed.[41] He later back-tracked on this statement, saying that his "attack on coal was tone-deaf".[42]
Following the 2019 Federal Election, Marles maintained that public funds should not be used to subsidise coal, saying "a Labor government is not going to put a cent into subsidising coal-fired power", and the market should be allowed to make its own decisions, while also saying that if a private company decided to push forward with a mine and gained the necessary approvals that Labor would not stand in its way.[43]
China
In June 2024 Richard was giving a speech in Singapore when he was confronted by Chinese military officers. They did not like his comments about China and they confronted him.[44]
Personal life
Marles lives in Geelong with his wife Rachel Schutze. He has three children from his current marriage and one from his first marriage to Lisa Neville, who was elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly in 2002 and later became a state minister.[45]
↑ Jackson, Blair (28 September 2023). "Townsville mayor blasts Army shake-up over housing crisis". Townsville Bulletin. Archived from the original on 9 May 2024. Retrieved 30 September 2023. They need to show us what the hell their plan is … get your friggin' act together! We want the troops. We want the economic activity they bring, the population they bring, but we need the support services.
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