Pat Conroy has represented the Lake Macquarie region in Federal Parliament since 2013.

After being elected to Parliament in 2013 as the Member for Charlton representing the western suburbs of Lake Macquarie and Newcastle, he was re-elected as the Member for Shortland in 2016, following a redistribution of electoral boundaries, and was er-elected again in 2019 and 2022.

The seat of Shortland stretches from Charlestown and Kahibah in the North, Cardiff, Boolaroo and Speers Point in the West and through to Budgewoi, San Remo and Lake Munmorah in the South. Pat has lived in this community for most of his life – he grew up on the Central Coast, went to school at Gosford High, and now lives in Lake Macquarie, where he and his wife are raising their two children.

Pat joined the Labor party when he was 15 years old. He studied Economics at the University of Sydney and has worked developing economic policy in the mining and manufacturing industries. He spent six years as an economic adviser in the areas of climate change, industry policy and defence.

Pat was appointed the Shadow Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy and Shadow Assistant Minister for Infrastructure in 2016 and Shadow Minister for International Development and the Pacific and Shadow Minister Assisting for Defence in 2019. Following the election of the Albanese Labor Government in 2022, he was appointed as Minister for International Development and the Pacific and Minister for Defence Industry. In 2024 he was also promoted to Cabinet and appointed as Minister for International Development and the Pacific and Minister for Defence Industry and Capability Delivery.

Parliamentary positions:

Minister for Defence Industry and Capability Delivery (July 2024 - Present)
Minister for International Development and the Pacific (June 2022 - Present)

Minister for Defence Industry (June 2022 - July 2024)

Shadow Minister for International Development and the Pacific (June 2019 – May 2022)
Shadow Minister Assisting for Climate Change (June 2019 – May 2022)
Shadow Minister Assisting for Defence (June 2019 – May 2022)
Shadow Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy (2016 – 2019)
Shadow Assistant Minister for Infrastructure (2016 – 2019)

Deputy Chair, House of Representatives Standing Committee on the Environment and Energy (2016 – 2019)
Deputy Chair, House of Representatives Standing Committee of Privileges and Members’ Interests (2016 – 2019)
Standing Committee of Privileges and Members’ Interests (2016 – 2019)
Member, Speaker’s Panel (2015 – 16)
Deputy Chair, Joint Select Committee on Trade and Investment Growth (2015 – 16)
Chair, Labor’s Waste Watch Committee (2014 – 16)
Member, House of Representatives Economics Committee (2013 – 16)
Deputy Chair, Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit (2013 – 16)