Scott Ryan (Australian politician)

Following the 2013 federal election that resulted in the formation of the Abbott Ministry, Ryan was appointed as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Education;[6] later expanded as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Education and Training.[7] Ryan served as the Minister for Vocational Education and Skills following a rearrangement in the First Turnbull Ministry, between February and July 2016.[8][9] Ryan was appointed the Special Minister for State in the first arrangement of the Second Turnbull ministry and gained additional responsibilities as the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Cabinet in a subsequent rearrangement.[10]

On 13 November 2017, Ryan was elected President of the Senate, winning by 53 votes to 11 for Senator Peter Whish-Wilson of the Greens. He resigned his ministerial posts to take up the position.[11] His predecessor Stephen Parry resigned from the Senate during the parliamentary eligibility crisis, after discovering he was a dual citizen of the United Kingdom.[11] Ryan is the first former government minister to become President of the Senate since Doug McClelland (1983–1987), and the first person to resign from the ministry to take up the position. He took office at the age of 44, surpassing Kerry Sibraa (who was 49) as the youngest person to assume the presidency.[12]

Following the 2019 election, Ryan was re-elected to the presidency on 2 July 2019.[13] In March 2020 he announced he would retire from federal parliament at the next federal election, citing his unwillingness to serve another six-year term and that "constant renewal is essential for every political party". He committed to remaining as president until the end of his Senate term in 2022.[14]