Brendan O'Connor

Brendan O’Connor is an Australian politician and a member of the Australian Labor Party, representing the division of Gorton since 2004. He was previously the member for Burke from 2001 until the constituency was abolished.

Mr O'Connor held ministerial office in the governments of Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard from 2007 to 2013, including as a member of cabinet from 2012. He has been a member of the shadow cabinet since the ALP's defeat at the 2013 federal election, holding the portfolios of employment and workplace relations (2013–2019), special minister of state (2016), employment and industry (2019–2021), science (2019–2021), and small and family business (2019–2021). He took over as shadow minister for defence in a cabinet reshuffle in January 2021. Following the Labor Party's victory at the 2022 federal election, Mr O'Connor became the Minister for Skills and Training under the Albanese government.

While at university, Mr O'Connor worked as a researcher for the Municipal Employees Union. He was the assistant national secretary of the Australian Services Union from 1993 to 2001.

Mr O'Connor holds a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws from Monash University, and completed a Diploma at Harvard University through the Harvard Trade Union Program.