Warren Snowdon

Warren Edward Snowdon (born 30 March 1950) is an Australian politician. He is a Labor member of the Australian House of Representatives. He represented the Division of Northern Territory from July 1987 to March 1996, and from October 1998 to November 2001. Since November 2001, he has represented the Division of Lingiari. This electorate includes all the towns and communities in the Northern Territory outside Darwin, as well as Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands in the Indian Ocean.
Snowdon was the Minister for Defence Science and Personnel, Minister for Veterans' Affairs, Minister for Indigenous Health, and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on the Centenary of ANZAC in the second Rudd ministry.
Snowdon is a member of the Left faction of the Labor Party.

He was born in Canberra, and was educated at St Edmund's College, the Australian National University and the University of Western Australia.

Snowdon worked as a teacher with the Northern Territory teaching service before entering politics. He was a senior project officer with the Central Land Council in Alice Springs 1983–87 and was founding president of the Central Australian Regional Trades and Labour Council, then assistant secretary of the Northern Territory Trades and Labour Council.

Snowdon was Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Transport and Communications 1990–92, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Employment, Education and Training 1992–96, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Environment, Sport and Territories 1993 and 1994–96 and Parliamentary Secretary (Territories) 1993–94.

Defeated at the 1996 federal election, Snowdon returned to parliament two years later. He served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Shadow Minister for Regional and Urban Development, Transport and Infrastructure (Northern Australia and the Territories) 2001–04. From 2004 to 2007 he was Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern Australia and Indigenous Affairs.

Snowdon was sworn in as Minister for Defence Science and Personnel in the first Rudd ministry on 3 December 2007. Following a reshuffle of the Ministry on 9 June 2009 as a result of the resignation of the Defence Minister, Joel Fitzgibbon, Snowdon was promoted to Minister for Indigenous Health, Rural and Regional Health and Regional Service Delivery. On 14 September 2010, he gained the portfolio of Veterans' Affairs and regained Defence Science and Personnel, while losing responsibility for Rural and Regional Health and Regional Service Delivery, but retaining Indigenous Health. On 12 September 2011 he was given the added responsibility of Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on the Centenary of ANZAC.

Snowdon narrowly retained his seat at the 2013 federal election, largely due to his winning all but five booths. However, Snowdon was not appointed to the shadow ministry.

Snowdon was reelected again in the 2016 federal election.