Mark Furner

{{short description|Australian politician}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}} {{Use Australian English|date=March 2012}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = The Honourable | name = Mark Furner | honorific_suffix = MP | image = Mark Furner 090720-N-9950J-049.jpg | image_size = | caption = | office6 = Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries of Queensland | term_start6 = 12 December 2017 | term_end6 = 28 October 2024 | premier6 = Annastacia Palaszczuk<br>Steven Miles | predecessor6 = Bill Byrne | successor6 = Jarrod Bleijie | office7 = Minister for Local Government of Queensland | term_start7 = 10 February 2017 | term_end7 = 12 December 2017 | premier7 = Annastacia Palaszczuk | predecessor7 = Jackie Trad | successor7 = Stirling Hinchliffe | office8 = Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships of Queensland | term_start8 = 10 February 2017 | term_end8 = 12 December 2017 | premier8 = Annastacia Palaszczuk | predecessor8 = Curtis Pitt | successor8 = Jackie Trad | title9 = Senator for Queensland | term_start9 = 1 July 2008 | term_end9 = 30 June 2014 | predecessor9 = Andrew Bartlett | successor9 = Glenn Lazarus | title10 = Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Ferny Grove | term_start10 = 31 January 2015 | term_end10 = | predecessor10 = Dale Shuttleworth | successor10 = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1958|4|11}} | birth_place = Brisbane, Queensland | death_date = | death_place = | spouse = Lorraine Furner | party = Australian Labor Party | relations = | children = 3 | alma_mater = Queensland University of Technology | occupation = Union Official | profession = | signature = Mark Furner signature 2024.svg | website = {{URL|https://www.markfurnermp.com.au/}} | footnotes = }} '''Mark Lionel Furner''' (born 11 April 1958) is an Australian politician. He was a Labor member of Australian Senate from 2008 to 2014, representing the state of Queensland.<ref name=aphbio/> Since the 2015 Queensland state election, he has represented Ferny Grove in the Queensland Legislative Assembly.<ref>{{cite web |title=Member Details - Hon Mark Furner MP |url=https://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/members/current/list/MemberDetails?ID=3394533373 |website=Queensland Parliament |publisher=Queensland Government |access-date=16 November 2020}}</ref>

==Early life and education== Furner was born in Brisbane, Queensland and grew up a housing commission development in {{QLDcity|Chermside}}. Initially working as a tradesman in the transport industry,<ref name=maiden/> he graduated from the Queensland University of Technology with an associate diploma of business with a major in industrial relations.

Between 1989 and 2008 he worked as a union official for the Transport Workers' Union, the Queensland Police Union, and the National Union of Workers. Furner held a range of positions within the Labor Party between 1996 and 2008.<ref name=aphbio>{{cite Au Parliament |mpid=I0P |name=Former Senator Mark Furner |access-date=2022-08-20}}</ref>

==Career== He was elected to the Senate at the 2007 federal election as the third candidate of the Labor Party Senate ticket in Queensland. He was defeated at the 2013 federal election and his term ended on 30 June 2014.<ref name=aphbio/>

He won the seat of Ferny Grove representing Labor at the 2015 Queensland state election.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://results.ecq.qld.gov.au/elections/state/State2015/results/district29.html|title=Ferny Grove: District Summary|work=2015 State General Election|publisher=Electoral Commission of Queensland|date=5 February 2015|access-date=5 February 2015|archive-date=5 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150205131057/http://results.ecq.qld.gov.au/elections/state/State2015/results/district29.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> On 10 February 2017, Furner was appointed to the posts of Minister for Local Government and Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships in a Cabinet reshuffle announced by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-02-09/mark-furner-replaces-stirling-hinchliffe-in-qld-cabinet/8253660|title=Queensland Cabinet reshuffle: Mark Furner to replace Stirling Hinchliffe after resignation|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|date=9 February 2017|access-date=17 February 2017}}</ref>

In December 2017, Furner was sworn in as Queensland's Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries. He retained this portfolio following the swearing in of the Third Palaszczuk Ministry in November 2020.<ref>{{cite news |title=Who's who in Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk's new Queensland Cabinet? |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-12/qld-state-election-2020-who-is-who-in-palaszczuk-new-cabinet/12872948 |newspaper=ABC News |date=11 November 2020 |location=Australia|access-date=16 November 2020}}</ref>

==Personal life== Furner was married to Lorraine and they have three children.<ref name=maiden>{{cite web|url=http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id%3A%22chamber%2Fhansards%2F2008-09-02%2F0079%22|author=Furner, Mark|title=The Senate: First Speech|work=Hansard, Parliament of Australia|publisher=Commonwealth of Australia|date=2 September 2008|access-date=5 February 2015}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== * [http://www.markfurner.com.au Personal website]

{{s-start}} {{s-par|au-qld}} {{s-bef|before=Dale Shuttleworth}} {{s-ttl|title=Member for Ferny Grove|years=2015–present}} {{s-inc}} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Furner, Mark}} Category:1958 births Category:Living people Category:Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Australia Category:Members of the Australian Senate for Queensland Category:Members of the Australian Senate Category:Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly Category:Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Queensland Category:21st-century Australian politicians Category:Labor Right politicians