Warren Truss

Truss was born in the region of Kingaroy, Queensland. He attended Concordia Lutheran College in Toowoomba.{{cite news|url=https://www.crikey.com.au/2013/12/16/beware-cabinet-really-is-a-private-school-boys-club/|title=Survey: cabinet really is a private school boys' club|publisher=Crikey|first=Dylan|last=Barber|date=16 December 2013|access-date=10 June 2021|archive-date=10 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210610160236/https://www.crikey.com.au/2013/12/16/beware-cabinet-really-is-a-private-school-boys-club/|url-status=live}} He was a bean farmer before he entered politics.{{cite news|url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/warren-truss-from-bean-farmer-to-deputy-pm--and-now-retirement/news-story/c3396e03f0867c20de8cc6cf73ec59bd|title=Warren Truss: from bean farmer to Deputy PM — and now retirement|date=11 February 2016|newspaper=The Australian|publisher=News Corp Australia}} He was chair of the Sugar Coast Burnett Regional Tourism Board and a councillor of the Shire of Kingaroy 1976–90.{{cite web |title=The Hon Warren Truss MP, Member for Wide Bay (Qld) |publisher=Parliament of Australia |url=http://www.aph.gov.au/house/members/biography.asp?id=GT4 |access-date=8 November 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070830091537/http://www.aph.gov.au/house/members/biography.asp?id=GT4 |archive-date=30 August 2007 |df=dmy-all }} He was Chairman of Kingaroy Shire Council from 1983 to 1990."Landscapes of Change", by Dr Tony Mathews, p688

Truss's first attempt at a parliamentary seat was in the Queensland state parliament as the Nationals candidate at the 1988 Barambah by-election, triggered by the retirement of former premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen. However, Truss lost to an independent candidate Trevor Perrett, who later joined the National Party.{{cite web | url=http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/119846765/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0 | archive-url=https://archive.today/20130105144824/http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/119846765/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0 | url-status=dead | archive-date=5 January 2013 | title=Political Chronicle: Australia and Papua New Guinea January–June 1988. |work=Wiley InterScience | date=28 November 2007 | access-date=27 February 2009}}

Truss was elected to the safe National seat of Wide Bay at the 1990 election. He was a member of the Opposition Shadow Ministry 1994–96.

With the Liberal/National Coalition defeating the Australian Labor Party at the 1996 election, Truss was appointed Deputy Leader of the House 1997–98, Minister for Customs and Consumer Affairs 1997–98, and Minister for Community Services 1998–99. He was promoted to the John Howard cabinet and served as Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry 1999–2005.

In June 2005 John Anderson announced his intention to resign as National Party Leader. Deputy Leader Mark Vaile was elected the new Leader, and Truss was elected Deputy Leader. In the reshuffled ministry following Anderson's resignation Truss became Minister for Transport and Regional Services.

File:Warren Truss.jpg

In 2006, following the AWB oil for food scandal, Truss and Vaile swapped portfolios, with Truss becoming Minister for Trade and Vaile taking the Transport and Regional Services portfolio until the defeat of the Liberal/National Coalition government at the 2007 election.

After the election, Mark Vaile resigned as National Party Leader, citing the party's need for "generational renewal". With some reluctance, Truss nominated for the leadership, and was elected as federal leader of the Nationals on 3 December 2007.{{cite web

|last = Pearlman

|first = Jonathan

|date = 4 December 2007

|url = http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/nationals-decide-it-is-a-matter-of-truss/2007/12/03/1196530576374.html

|title = Nationals decide it is a matter of Truss

|work = Sydney Morning Herald

|publisher = Fairfax

|access-date = 1 September 2010

|archive-date = 23 October 2012

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121023235113/http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/nationals-decide-it-is-a-matter-of-truss/2007/12/03/1196530576374.html

|url-status = live

}}{{cite web | last = Murphy | first = Katharine | date = 29 November 2007 | url = http://www.theage.com.au/news/federal-election-2007-news/truss-puts-his-hand-up-for-nats-job/2007/11/28/1196036983633.html | title = Truss puts his hand up for Nats job | work = The Age | publisher = Fairfax | access-date = 1 September 2010 | archive-date = 4 January 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090104014419/http://www.theage.com.au/news/federal-election-2007-news/truss-puts-his-hand-up-for-nats-job/2007/11/28/1196036983633.html | url-status = live }}{{cite web | title=Truss wins Nationals leadership | date=3 December 2007 | publisher=ABC | url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/12/03/2107931.htm | work=ABC News | access-date=3 December 2007 | archive-date=5 December 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071205073820/http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/12/03/2107931.htm | url-status=dead }}

In 2008, Coalition leader Malcolm Turnbull appointed Truss as Shadow Minister for Trade, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government.{{cite web |url=http://www.liberal.org.au/news.php?Id=1654 |title=Appointment of Shadow Ministry |publisher=Liberal.org.au |date=2015-09-15 |access-date=2016-07-11 |archive-date=27 October 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091027023807/http://www.liberal.org.au/news.php?Id=1654 |url-status=live }} He retained that portfolio after Tony Abbott became Coalition leader in late 2009.{{Cite web |url=https://register.to/ |title=.TO Domain - Register.TO TLD Registrar Best Price Online $37 |access-date=25 August 2021 |archive-date=24 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210824140955/https://register.to/ |url-status=dead }} Following the 2010 election, Truss became Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport.{{cite web|url=http://www.aph.gov.au/Library/parl/43/Shadow/index.htm |title=Department of the Parliamentary Library - Shadow Ministry |access-date=15 October 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100917122739/http://www.aph.gov.au/Library/parl/43/Shadow/index.htm |archive-date=17 September 2010 }} At this election, Truss was elected for the Liberal National Party, which had been formed from the 2009 merger of the two non-Labor parties' Queensland branches. However, he continued to sit as a National, and remained the Nationals' federal leader.

{{Main|Abbott government|Turnbull government}}

Truss retained his seat in the 2013 Federal election, in which the Coalition was elected to a strong majority government. On 18 September, Truss was sworn in as Deputy Prime Minister, per a longstanding agreement between the Liberals and Nationals. The leader of the Nationals has ranked second in all but two non-Labor governments since the Coalition was first formed in 1923.

Truss remained Deputy Prime Minister after Turnbull deposed Abbott in a 2015 leadership spill. On 11 February 2016 Truss announced his decision to retire from politics at the 2016 federal election and immediately resigned as Nationals leader and Deputy Prime Minister. Barnaby Joyce was elected as leader and was sworn as the Deputy Prime Minister. Truss also resigned from cabinet and returned to the backbench.{{cite news |url=http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/cabinet-reshuffle-malcolm-turnbull-announces-new-frontbench-as-mal-brough-resigns-20160213-gmta7z.html |title=Cabinet reshuffle: Malcolm Turnbull announces new frontbench as Mal Brough resigns |work=The Age |date=13 February 2016 |access-date=13 February 2016 |author=Massola, James |archive-date=4 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170104083641/http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/cabinet-reshuffle-malcolm-turnbull-announces-new-frontbench-as-mal-brough-resigns-20160213-gmta7z.html |url-status=live }}

Truss's leadership of the Nationals was considered steady, albeit rarely visible. Despite being the number-two man in the government, Truss was relatively unknown; only one in five Australians were familiar with him. He lifted the party's representation in the House of Representatives from ten seats in 2007 to 15 seats in 2013.{{cite news |url=http://www.smh.com.au/comment/smh-editorial/malcolm-turnbulls-challenge-replace-warren-truss-andrew-robb-and-stuart-robert-20160211-gmr72n.html |title=Malcolm Turnbull's challenge: replace Warren Truss, Andrew Robb and Stuart Robert |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=11 February 2016 |access-date=13 February 2016 |archive-date=20 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160820144335/http://www.smh.com.au/comment/smh-editorial/malcolm-turnbulls-challenge-replace-warren-truss-andrew-robb-and-stuart-robert-20160211-gmr72n.html |url-status=live }}

On 1 January 2001, Truss was awarded the Centenary Medal for "service as Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry".[https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/1128495 It's an honour entry – Centenary Medal – 1 January 2001] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230422060450/https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/1128495 |date=22 April 2023 }} Citation: For service as Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

In 2014, the South Burnett Regional Council named their Kingaroy Chambers the "Warren Truss Chamber" in recognition of Truss's time as Mayor of the former Kingaroy Shire.

Truss was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia in the 2019 Australia Day Honours for "eminent service to the Parliament of Australia, particularly in the areas of trade, transport, agriculture, and rural and regional development".{{cite news |url=https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/business/work/australia-day-2019-awards-honours-list-order-of-australia/news-story/b4e0f6e1d88092c0f2a2e8838b519151?memtype=anonymous |title=Australia Day 2019 awards: Honours list, Order of Australia |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=25 January 2019 |access-date=25 January 2019 }}

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category|Warren Truss}}

• [http://www.warrentruss.com/ Warren Truss official website]
• [https://www.aph.gov.au/Senators_and_Members/Parliamentarian?MPID=GT4 Electoral Division of Wide Bay (Qld) The Hon Warren Truss MP]
• [https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id%3A%22chamber%2Fhansardr%2F1990-05-15%2F0052%22 Warren Truss maiden speech 15 May 1990 Hansard p522]
• [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0411008/ Lost (TV Series 2004–2010) - IMDb]

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