Chris Bowen

Christopher Eyles Guy Bowen (born 17 January 1973) is an Australian politician who has been Minister for Climate Change and Energy in the Albanese government since June 2022. He is a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and was first elected to parliament at the 2004 federal election. He held ministerial office in the Rudd and Gillard governments from 2007 to 2013.

Bowen served on the Fairfield City Council from 1995 to 2004, including a term as mayor. He was elected to the House of Representatives in the 2004 election, winning the seat of Prospect; he later transferred to the seat of McMahon at the 2010 federal election, after his former seat was abolished. Bowen was added to Kevin Rudd's shadow ministry in 2006, and following the ALP's victory at the 2007 election served variously as Assistant Treasurer, Minister for Competition Policy and Consumer Affairs, Financial Services, Superannuation and Corporate Law, and Human Services. After Julia Gillard replaced Rudd as prime minister in June 2010, Bowen was made the Minister Immigration and Citizenship, and also served as the Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Science and Research, Small Business for a brief time in 2013.

In June 2013, Rudd replaced Gillard as prime minister in the final leadership contest between the two, and he assigned Bowen the role of Treasurer. He held this position for less than three months, as the ALP was defeated at the 2013 election. Bowen served briefly as the interim leader of the ALP and acting leader of the opposition. He was the shadow treasurer under Bill Shorten from 2013 to 2019. After the 2019 election, he became a candidate to succeed Shorten as party leader but eventually withdrew in favour of Anthony Albanese.

After the ALP's victory in the 2022 election, Bowen was appointed Minister for Climate Change and Energy. He is regarded as a senior figure in the Labor Right faction. Provided by Wikipedia