John Brown

Who is John Brown?

John Joseph Brown AO is a retired Australian politician.

Brown was born in the western suburbs of Sydney and was educated at Christian Brothers College, Burwood, St Patrick's College, Strathfield and the University of Sydney. He was one of the founders of Brown and Hatton, a meat distribution company and helped create the Pork and Bacon Marketing Council. He has been an active member of the Meat Industry Employees Union since that time, but was also chairman of the Employers Association for five years. In 1963, he married Jan Murray, who ran a public relation consultancy from 1982 to 1995, and they have five children. He was an alderman on Parramatta Council from 1977 to 1980.

Brown was elected as the Australian Labor Party member for the seat of Parramatta in 1977. With the election of the Hawke Government in 1983, he was appointed Minister for Sport, Recreation and Tourism, a position he retained until 1988. He was also appointed Minister for Administrative Services until 1984, when he gained the position of Minister assisting the Minister for Defence.

Brown is notable for initiating a series of television advertisements commencing in 1986 for the American market by the Australian Tourism Commission starring Paul Hogan saying, "I'll slip an extra shrimp on the barbie for you". He gained notoriety for describing koalas as "flea-ridden, piddling, stinking, scratching, rotten little things". He was also responsible for substantially increasing expenditure on sports facilities around Australia and the Australian Institute of Sport.