Wayne Swan grew up on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.
And like nearly all Sunny Coast locals, he loved the sun and sand and was a keen surfer.
At 20-years-of-age he was awarded a Commonwealth Scholarship to study Public Administration at the University of Queensland.
Wayne went on to work as a lecturer and then advisor for Labor Leaders and Ministers before trying his own hand at being a politician.
He was first elected in 1993 as Federal Member for Lilley.
14 years later, following Labor’s landslide federal 2007 victory, Wayne was appointed as Treasurer and before long his ability and economic expertise underwent the ultimate test as the Global Financial Crisis hit.
With Wayne behind the wheel, Australia survived the GFC, avoiding the recession that brought most other Western economies to their knees.
He oversaw cash stimulus and the schools building program which were hailed as the key policies that saved our country from being crippled economically.
While the world’s most developed economies stalled, Australia’s grew by 1.2%.
For his leadership and guidance, Wayne Swan was awarded the Finance minister of the Year Award in 2011 – a very prestigious award judged by leading European finance magazine Euromoney.
This week marks ten years since Wayne was named Treasurer of the Year and for the record – he still loves to surf.
Congratulations, Swanny.
