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Michael was born in 1955 and has lived all his life in Melbourne Ports. He was educated at Elwood State School, Mount Scopus College and Melbourne University, where he was active in student politics and joined the Australian Labor Party. Before entering politics he worked as a journalist and editor, and then for federal Labor ministers Barry Cohen and Alan Griffiths. He was also an industrial officer with the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees' Association.
Michael Danby was elected as the Labor member for Melbourne Ports in 1998, and was re-elected in 2001, 2004 and 2007. Since his election his main areas of interest have been foreign affairs, defence and national security, immigration, electoral matters, human rights and the environment. He has also been active on the issue of the child care crisis in inner urban areas such as Melbourne Ports.
In the Parliament Michael Danby currently serves as Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Migration and Chair: Sub Committee Foreign Affairs (Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade). He is Chair of the Australia-United States Parliamentary Friendship Committee and Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Tibet.
Michael has visited Indonesia three times and participates in Centre for Democratic Institution (CDI) functions in both Australia and Indonesia and is seeking to enhance the relationship between the two countries particularly with JCFDAT. He has participated in four Australian Indonesian Parliamentary dialogues, the only MP to have participated in all four dialogues.
In March 2009, Mr Danby will host and convene the conference on Human Rights in North Korea for the Citizens Alliance for North Korean Human Rights and the Australian Committee for Human Rights in North Korea . This will take place in Melbourne, Australia after Mr. Danby attended the previous conference at Chatham house, London in January 2008.
He is on the Steering Committee of World Movement for Democracy, based in Washington DC and participated in two of their assemblies for Parliamentarians and Non Government Organizations with a focus on Human Rights, in Istanbul in 2006 and Kiev 2008. International Human Rights and Democracy is a cause Michael pursues vigorously and with great passion in his role as a Parliamentarian. He has hosted public forums on the situation in Darfur in his electorate.
Michael Danby has two children and lives in Elwood. He is a keen supporter of St Kilda in the AFL, Port Melbourne in the VFL and the Port Melbourne Colts in the Western Region League.
The federal electorate of Melbourne Ports encompasses the suburbs of Albert Park, Balaclava, Carnegie, Caulfield, Caulfield North, Caulfield South, Elsternwick, Elwood, Garden City, Melbourne, Middle Park, Port Melbourne, Prahran, Southbank, South Melbourne, South Yarra, St Kilda and St Kilda East
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