Richard Marles; the 19th Deputy Prime Minister of Australia
Biography, age, education, career wife, children, net worth
Richard Donald Marles (born 13 July 1967 is a vibrant Australian politician who at the moment serves as the 19th deputy prime minister of Australia; he is also the Minister for Employment.
Since 2019, he has been the deputy leader of the Labor Party and formerly served as Deputy Leader of the Opposition.
From the year 2009 to 2013 he was a Parliamentary Secretary and later served as Minister for Trade from June to September 2013 in the Rudd 2nd Government.
Early life
Born in Geelong, Victoria, Richard Marles is the son of Donald Marles, who is a former headmaster of Trinity Grammar School, and Fay Marles (née Pearce), Victoria’s first Equal Opportunity Commissioner and later Chancellor of the University of Melbourne.
Marles attended Geelong Grammar School and the University of Melbourne in which he resided at Ormond College.
He then graduated with a Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Laws with Honours.
In 1989, he was also the General Secretary of the National Union of Students. He commenced his profession as a solicitor with Melbourne business regulation organization Slater and Gordon.
In 1994, he have become a legal officer for the Transport Workers Union (TWU). Four years later he was elected TWU National Assistant Secretary.
In 2000 he joined Australia’s top country-wide union body, the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), as assistant secretary, last in the position till 2007.
Career

In March 2006, Marles got nominated for Labor pre-selection against the sitting member for Corio, Gavan O’Connor, as part of a challenge to several sitting members organized by the right-wing Labor Unity faction of the party.
In the local ballot, Marles polled 57% of the vote, and his endorsement was then confirmed by the party’s public office selection committee.
Marles was elected member for Corio on 24 November 2007 in the election that returned the Labor Party to office under the leadership of Kevin Rudd.
From February 2008 to June 2009 he was chair of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs.
The parliamentary secretary and Minister for Trade
In June 2009 Marles was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Innovation and Industry. He retained his seat in the 2010 election and was sworn in as Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs in the First Gillard Ministry on 14 September 2010.
In July 2011, Marles became the first Australian member of parliament to visit Wallis and Futuna.
Marles arrived in Wallis and Futuna to attend a ceremony with King Kapiliele Faupala in Mata-Utu marking the 50th anniversary of the islands’ status as a French overseas collectivity.
Marles had previously visited New Caledonia in October 2010 and French Polynesia in March 2011.
In the ministerial reshuffle of 2 March 2012, Marles was given the additional role of Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs.
On 21 March 2013 he resigned from these roles after expressing support for Kevin Rudd to challenge Julia Gillard for the leadership; a challenge that did not eventuate.
In June 2013, he was appointed the Minister for Trade and a member of the Cabinet, succeeding Craig Emerson, who resigned following the June 2013 leadership spill that saw Kevin Rudd defeat Julia Gillard for leadership of the Labor Party.
Shadow minister
After the defeat of ALP in the 2013 federal election, Marles was nominated Shadow the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection under the competition leader Bill Shorten.
Marles had his portfolio modified after the 2016 election, becoming Shadow Minister for Defence. He has been referred to as conserving pro-U.S. perspectives and as a “somewhat of a hawk”.
Deputy Leader of the Opposition
In May 2019, after Labor got defeated in the 2019 federal election, there was a reportage that Marles could stand for the deputy leadership of the party, and could in all likelihood be elected unopposed following Clare O’Neil’s choice of no longer intends to run.
Marles became officially endorsed as deputy to Anthony Albanese on 30 May and decided on the portfolio of Defence in the shadow cabinet.
Following a shadow cabinet reshuffle in January 2021, Marles was located in rate of a new “remarkable portfolio” referring to restoration from the COVID-19 pandemic, encompassing a “broad brief across national reconstruction, jobs, skills, small enterprise, and science”.
Deputy Prime Minister
After the 2022 federal election, Albanese (the Australia Prime Minister), Richard Marles and 3 different senior Labor frontbenchers were sworn in as a period in between five individual governments.
The switch of electricity became expedited because of the approaching Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, with the entire ministry because of being sworn in after the Quad.
As Albanese flew to Tokyo to participate in the Quad quickly after being sworn in, Marles will function as Acting Prime Minister till Albanese’s return.
Wife and Children

Marles lives in Geelong together along with his spouse Rachel Schutze. He has 3 children from his current marriage and one from his first marriage with Lisa Neville.
Net worth
Richard Marle’s net worth is estimated at around $5 million Read More…