Murray Watt
Counted against the divisions held while they sat, not the whole parliament. Absence from a division is not abstention: pairing arrangements, leave and parliamentary duties are not distinguished in the official record. How these figures are computed.
Background
| Born | 20 Jan 1973, Brisbane, Queensland |
|---|---|
| Entered parliament | 2 Jul 2016 |
| Parliaments | 45th, 46th, 47th, 48th |
| Qualification | Institution |
|---|---|
| Bachelor of Commerce | University of Queensland |
| Bachelor of Laws | University of Queensland |
Occupations before parliament
| Role | Organisation | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Senior Associate | Maurice Blackburn Lawyers | 2012 – 2016 |
| Executive Director of Policy Development | Department of Premier and Cabinet (Qld) | 2008 – 2009 |
| Director of Policy Development | Department of State Development (Qld) | 2007 – 2008 |
| Chief of Staff | Premier A Bligh (Qld) | 2002 – 2007 |
| Solicitor | Maurice Blackburn Lawyers and Reidy and Tonkin | 2000 – 2002 |
| Associate to the Hon. P Gray | Federal Court of Australia | 1999 – 2000 |
| Articled Clerk | Blake Dawson Waldron Solicitors | 1997 – 1999 |
Positions held
| Role | Ministry | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minister for Environment and Water | Albanese Ministry (2nd) | 13 May 2025 | current |
| Cabinet Minister | Albanese Ministry; Albanese Ministry (2nd) | 1 Jun 2022 | current |
| Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations | Albanese Ministry | 29 Jul 2024 | 13 May 2025 |
| Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry | Albanese Ministry | 1 Jun 2022 | 29 Jul 2024 |
| Minister for Emergency Management | Albanese Ministry | 1 Jun 2022 | 29 Jul 2024 |
| Shadow Minister for Disaster and Emergency Management | Albanese Shadow Ministry | 28 Jan 2021 | 23 May 2022 |
| Shadow Minister for Queensland Resources | Albanese Shadow Ministry | 28 Jan 2021 | 23 May 2022 |
| Shadow Minister for Northern Australia | Albanese Shadow Ministry | 2 Jun 2019 | 23 May 2022 |
| Shadow Minister for Natural Disaster and Emergency Management | Albanese Shadow Ministry | 2 Jun 2019 | 28 Jan 2021 |
Committee service
| Committee | Role | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| COVID-19 Senate Select | Member | 8 Apr 2020 | 7 Apr 2022 |
| Finance and Public Administration: References Senate Legislative and General Purpose Standing | Member | 5 Feb 2020 | 1 Jun 2022 |
| Effectiveness of the Australian Government's Northern Australia Agenda Senate Select | Chair from 25 Jul 2019 to 28 Apr 2021 | 22 Jul 2019 | 28 Apr 2021 |
| Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport: Legislation Senate Legislative and General Purpose Standing | Member | 2 Jul 2019 | 13 May 2020 |
| Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport: References Senate Legislative and General Purpose Standing | Member | 2 Jul 2019 | 12 Jun 2020 |
| Future of Work and Workers Senate Select | Member | 19 Oct 2017 | 19 Sep 2018 |
| Red Tape Senate Select | Member | 30 Mar 2017 | 3 Dec 2018 |
| National Integrity Commission Senate Select | Member | 9 Feb 2017 | 13 Sep 2017 |
| Trade and Investment Growth Joint Standing | Deputy Chair from 13 Oct 2016 to 8 Feb 2018 | 11 Oct 2016 | 1 Jul 2019 |
| Finance and Public Administration: References Senate Legislative and General Purpose Standing | Substitute member | 15 Sep 2016 | 2 Dec 2016 |
| Corporations and Financial Services Joint Statutory | Member | 12 Sep 2016 | 1 Jul 2019 |
| Community Affairs: Legislation Senate Legislative and General Purpose Standing | Member | 1 Sep 2016 | 1 Jul 2019 |
| Community Affairs: References Senate Legislative and General Purpose Standing | Member | 1 Sep 2016 | 1 Jul 2019 |
| Legal and Constitutional Affairs: Legislation Senate Legislative and General Purpose Standing | Member | 1 Sep 2016 | 1 Jul 2019 |
| Legal and Constitutional Affairs: References Senate Legislative and General Purpose Standing | Member | 1 Sep 2016 | 1 Jul 2019 |
| Scrutiny of Bills Senate Standing | Member | 1 Sep 2016 | 1 Jul 2019 |
Memberships as the Parliamentary Handbook records them; current means no end date is recorded.
Election history
| Election | Electorate | Party | First pref % | Swing | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 federal election | Senate, Queensland | Australian Labor Party | 24.69 | Elected 2nd of 6 | |
| 2016 federal election | Senate, Queensland | Australian Labor Party | 26.35 | Elected 2nd of 12 |
First-preference share of the formal vote at each event, matched by name within the member's state. A Senate row gives the whole group's share of the state's formal vote, since most Senate votes are cast for a group above the line.
Parliamentary expenses
| Category | Apr-Jun 2026 | Jan-Mar 2026 | Oct-Dec 2025 | Jul-Sep 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employee Travel | $172,838 | $140,030 | $179,628 | $193,942 |
| Office Facilities | $55,974 | $50,503 | $74,056 | $61,936 |
| Scheduled Commercial Transport | $41,831 | $29,958 | $30,029 | $22,888 |
| Office Administration | $29,028 | $5,156 | $6,361 | $14,125 |
| Travel Allowance | $14,764 | $11,340 | $15,505 | $12,020 |
| Other Car Costs | $12,807 | $11,732 | $12,574 | $13,757 |
| International Travel | $0 | $0 | $0 | $33,446 |
| Family or Nominee Travel | $0 | $0 | $248 | $3,337 |
| Telecommunications | $359 | $410 | $577 | $607 |
| Total | $327,600 | $249,128 | $318,978 | $356,058 |
Expenditure as the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority publishes it each quarter, in its own categories, rounded to the dollar. Travel distances, office locations and roles differ, so totals do not compare between members. IPEA's reports and notes.
Funding disclosures
| Election | Electorate | Donations | Donors | Expenditure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 federal election | Senate, Queensland | Nil return | ||
| 2016 federal election | Senate, Queensland | Nil return | ||
Returns as lodged with the AEC: a candidate's return covers the gifts received and electoral expenditure for that election, a member's annual return the gifts received in the financial year. A nil return records no gifts or spending of the candidate's own. A party-endorsed candidate lodges one when the party or its campaign committee handled the campaign's money, and the party discloses it in its own returns. AEC Transparency Register.
Voting record 325 divisions
Photo: Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment (CC BY 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons.
Sources: Wikidata, Parliamentary Handbook, AEC (CC BY 4.0), IPEA (CC BY 3.0 AU), AEC disclosures (CC BY 4.0), They Vote For You (ODbL). Errors? Request a correction.