Richard Marles

In March 2006, Marles nominated for Labor preselection against the sitting member for Corio, Gavan O'Connor, as part of a challenge to several sitting members organised by the right-wing Labor Unity faction of the party. In the local ballot Marles polled 57% of the vote, and his endorsement was then confirmed by the party's public office selection committee.[2][3]

Marles was elected member for Corio on 24 November 2007 in the election that returned the Labor Party to office under the leadership of Kevin Rudd. From February 2008 to June 2009 he was chair of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs.

In June 2009 Marles was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Innovation and Industry. He retained his seat in the 2010 election and was sworn in as Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs in the First Gillard Ministry on 14 September 2010.[4] In July 2011, Marles became the first Australian member of parliament to visit Wallis and Futuna.[5] Marles arrived in Wallis and Futuna to attend a ceremony with King Kapiliele Faupala in Mata-Utu marking the 50th anniversary of the islands' status as a French Overseas collectivity.[5] Marles had previously visited New Caledonia in October 2010 and French Polynesia in March 2011.[5]

Marles in 2012

In the ministerial reshuffle of 2 March 2012, Marles was given the additional role of Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs.[6] On 21 March 2013 he resigned these roles after expressing support for Kevin Rudd to challenge Julia Gillard for the leadership; a challenge that did not eventuate.[7]

In June 2013, he was appointed the Minister for Trade and a member of the Cabinet,[8] succeeding Craig Emerson, who resigned following the June 2013 leadership spill that saw Kevin Rudd defeat Julia Gillard for leadership of the Labor Party.

After the ALP's defeat at the 2013 federal election, Marles was appointed Shadow Minister for Immigration and Border Protection under opposition leader Bill Shorten.[9] In February 2016, he began co-hosting the weekly television program Pyne & Marles on Sky News Live with Liberal MP Christopher Pyne.[10] Marles had his portfolio changed after the 2016 election, becoming Shadow Minister for Defence.[9] He has been cited as holding pro-U.S. views and as a "somewhat of a hawk".[1][11]

In May 2019, after Labor lost the 2019 federal election, it was reported that Marles would stand for the deputy leadership of the party, and would likely be elected unopposed following Clare O'Neil's decision not to run.[12] He was formally endorsed as deputy to Anthony Albanese on 30 May, and selected the portfolio of Defence in the shadow cabinet.[13][14]

Following a shadow cabinet reshuffle in January 2021, Marles was placed in charge of a new "super portfolio" relating to recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic,[15] encompassing a "broad brief across national reconstruction, jobs, skills, small business and science".[16]

Marles supports the turning back of asylum seekers who arrive in Australia by boat, while also supporting a Pacific Solution for the resettlement of refugees.[17]

Marles was supportive of an Australian War Memorial commemorating Operation Sovereign Borders navy personnel who undertook activities to stop asylum seekers coming to Australia by boat. This position was slammed by several Labor Left MPs as well as the Greens.[18]

Marles is critical of the governments handling of the future submarine program, saying that the project has “profoundly compromised Australia’s National security”. Marles otherwise supports the bipartisan consensus on national defence matters.[19]