Introduction
Jason Dean Clare (born 22 March 1972) is the Australian Labor Party member of the Australian House of Representatives for the seat of Blaxland in the western suburbs of Sydney. He first won the seat at the 2007 Australian federal election, and retained it with clear majorities at both the 2010 and 2013 elections. Clare filled various positions in the Second Gillard (2010–2013) and Second Rudd Ministries (2013), namely Minister for Defence Materiel, Minister for Justice, and Minister for Home Affairs. Following Labor's loss at the 2013 election, he was named Shadow Minister for Communications in the Shadow Cabinet led first by Chris Bowen and then by the current Leader of the Opposition, Bill Shorten.
Early life and career
Clare was born and raised in western Sydney and attended Cabramatta Primary School and Canley Vale High School. He was the dux of Canley Vale High School in 1989. When he left school he joined the Labor Party and was the secretary of the Cabramatta Branch for 10 years (1992 to 2002). He has a BA (Hons) and an LLB (law degree) from the University of New South Wales. He was a senior adviser to former NSW Premier Bob Carr and an executive at Transurban, one of Australia's Top 100 companies.
Politics
The safe Labor seat Blaxland was the electorate of Prime Minister Paul Keating from 1969 to 1996. From 1996 to 2007 it was held by Michael Hatton, who lost his Labor preselection for the 2007 election in May of that year and was replaced by Clare. Clare also competed for preselection against George Williams, who had been "anointed by the ALP executive", had the "blessing of [former Prime Minister] Gough Whitlam" and whose chances had been "talked up" by ABC news reports. Clare won Blaxland in the 2007 federal election. Although the seat had a redistribution in 2006, it is likely that the redistribution has made the seat safer for Labor. Clare does not live in his electorate but in neighbouring Banks.
Clare has been touted as a future ALP leader but has denied any interest in becoming leader.
Ministerial appointments
Clare was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Employment in June 2009. Following the intra-party power struggle that saw Julia Gillard become Prime Minister, Clare was promoted into the Ministry and appointed Minister for Defence Materiel in September 2010.
On 12 December 2011, Clare was appointed Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Justice and in the March 2012 reshuffle he again picked up the portfolio of Defence Materiel.