Arthur Sinodinos

Arthur Sinodinos   (politician, diplomat)
Born	25 February 1957
Nationality	Australian
Alma mater	University of Newcastle
Member of	Global Panel Foundation/Board of Directors
One of the most powerful people in the country as Chief of Staff to Prime Minister John Howard;  Australia/Ambassador/US  In office 7 February 2020 - 20 March 2023 Succeeded by Kevin Rudd  Australia/Minister for Industry and Innovation and Science In office 24 January 2017 - 20 December 2017  Australia/Cabinet Secretary In office 21 September 2015 - 24 January 2017  Assistant Treasurer of Australia In office 18 September 2013 - 19 December 2014  Senator for New South Wales In office 13 October 2011 - 11 November 2019  Australia/Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister In office 1 September 1997 - 3 December 2007

Arthur Sinodinos is an Australian diplomat and former Liberal Party politician who has been Ambassador to the United States since February 2020.

He was Chief of Staff to Prime Minister John Howard from 1997 to 2007. As a close confidant of the Prime Minister, he was regarded as one of the most powerful people in the country, and would have had a hand in the machinations around the 2003 Iraq War, and the Children overboard, SIEV 4 and the very deadly SIEV-X incidents.

He was a Senator for New South Wales from 2011 to 2019, becoming a minister in the Abbott and Turnbull Governments.

After Howard's defeat at the 2007 election, Sinodinos spent time working for both Goldman Sachs and the National Australia Bank, before being appointed to fill a vacant seat in the Senate in 2011. After the Liberal victory at the 2013 election, newly-elected Prime Minister Tony Abbott appointed Sinodinos Assistant Treasurer. Sinodinos later stepped aside from his ministerial duties in 2014 during an investigation by the New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC).

In September 2015, after Malcolm Turnbull's appointment as Prime Minister, Sinodinos was appointed Cabinet Secretary. He was later made Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science in January 2017. He resigned from the Government in December 2017, due to receiving treatment for cancer. In May 2019, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that Sinodinos would become Ambassador to the United States.

Background and early career

Sinodinos was born in Newcastle, New South Wales, to Greek immigrant parents. His father was a member of the left-aligned Seaman's Union that, during Sinodinos' early years, was campaigning against the United States intervention in Vietnam. His mother recalled stories of the Greek Civil War of the 1940s where Communist guerrillas would knock on the door of their family home at night. Sinodinos has said that this helped him form his early political views.

Sinodinos graduated from the University of Newcastle in 1979 with a Bachelor of Commerce with Honours. He then entered the Australian Public Service as a graduate recruit, working within the Department of Finance, before working in the Department of the Treasury between 1980 and 1987 and again between 1989 and 1995.

He was the Chief of Staff to then Prime Minister John Howard from 1997 to 2006, after serving with him previously from 1987 to 1989 when he was Opposition Leader and rejoining him in 1995. As a close confidant of the Prime Minister, he was regarded as one of the most powerful people in the country.

Corporate career

Sinodinos left his position as the Prime Minister's Chief of Staff to become a director with the investment bank Goldman Sachs JBWere, and a regional general manager at the National Australia Bank; he reportedly declined an offer to become Australian Ambassador to the United States. In 2008, he was part of a panel that mediated public input into the Defence White Paper. In March 2009, he was appointed a managing director at the National Australia Bank.

Sinodinos became a director of Australian Water Holdings Pty Ltd (AWH) in 2008 and chairman in 2010. He resigned from these positions on becoming a senator.

Political career

Sinodinos was appointed to fill the vacant New South Wales Senate seat opened by the resignation of Helen Coonan on 13 October 2011. He was honorary Finance Director (2009 to 2011) and President (2011–2012) for the NSW branch of the Liberal Party. Initially touted as a candidate for the lower house seat of Bradfield, Sinodinos was appointed to the Australian Senate representing New South Wales, replacing the resigned Liberal Senator Helen Coonan for the remainder of her term, which was due to expire on 30 June 2014. At the 2013 election he was elected to a further six-year term from 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2020. Howard was present in Parliament when Sinodinos delivered his maiden speech.

Sinodinos is a member of the board of Global Panel Foundation – Australasia, a non-governmental organisation.

During 2012 Sinodinos was a regular columnist, writing in The Australian.

Resigned after corruption inquiry

On 19 March 2014, Sinodinos stood aside from his role as Assistant Treasurer prior to giving evidence as a witness before New South Wales's Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC). During the enquiry Sinodinos told he was unaware of a $74,000 donation made to the Liberal Party by Australian Water Holdings, despite being both Deputy chairman of the party and being on the board of the company on a $200,000 salary, plus bonuses. He also stood to gain about $20 million from the sale of AWH shares if the company had been awarded a lucrative contract by Sydney Water, a state government-controlled utility.

He formally resigned on 19 December 2014 as Assistant Treasurer and was succeeded as Assistant Treasurer by Josh Frydenberg. ICAC eventually made no adverse findings against Sinodinis.

Later Political Career

In September 2015, after Malcolm Turnbull's appointment as Prime Minister, Sinodinos was appointed Cabinet Secretary. He was later made Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science in January 2017. He resigned from the Government in December 2017, due to receiving treatment for cancer.

In January 2017, Sussan Ley temporarily stood aside as the Minister for Health and Aged Care and Minister for Sport and then subsequently resigned from the ministry. Sinodinos briefly acted in her portfolios until a subsequent rearrangement of the Turnbull ministry where Sinodinos was appointed as the Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science. In October 2017, Sinodinos took leave from parliament and the ministry to aid his recovery from an unnamed type of cancer. He "believes the prognosis is very positive and that the cancer is eminently treatable". This was later revealed to be a stage four Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, for which Sinodinos required a bone marrow transplant.

Ambassador to the United States

In May 2019, it was announced that Sinodinos would be appointed the next Australian Ambassador to the United States. He resigned as a member of the Senate on 11 November 2019. He replaced Joe Hockey as ambassador on 7 February 2020.

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References

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