Topic: Martin Ferguson

Martin John Ferguson AM (born 12 December 1953), Australian politician, has been an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian House of Representatives since March 1996, representing the Division of Batman, Victoria. He was born in Sydney, the son of Jack Ferguson, who was Deputy Premier of New South Wales from 1976 to 1984. He is the brother of Laurie Ferguson, also a federal MP.

Ferguson was educated at St Patrick's College, Strathfield and then the University of Sydney. He was successively research officer, Assistant General Secretary and General Secretary of the Miscellaneous Workers' Union, a member of the executive of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) 1984–90. He was Vice-President of the ACTU 1985–90 and President of the ACTU 1990–96. He was a member of the Governing Body of the International Labour Organisation 1990–96. He was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 1996.

Ferguson won preselection unopposed for the seat of Batman in 1995 after a deal negotiated between the right-wing Labor Unity faction in Victoria and the ALP National Executive. At the local level the majority Greek membership, largely resulting from heavy branch stacking, was likely to support a candidate other than Ferguson, but no local candidate was likely to receive support from the fifty per cent vote in the preselection panel elected by the Victorian ALP State Conference. Both opposing candidates, Jenny Mikakos and Theo Theophanous, then members of competing Left factions, were forced to withdraw from a local preselection plebiscite in favour of Ferguson as a result of these negotiations.