Newly elected Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has named Senator Christopher Evans as the country’s new Minister for Immigration, succeeding former minister Kevin Andrews.

Elected to Federal Parliament in 1993, Evans became the Chair of the Joint Native Title Committee and was appointed as Opposition Whip in the Senate after the 1996 election.

His past positions within government include Shadow Minister for Family Services and the Aged, Shadow Minister for Defence, and Shadow Minister for Defence Procurement, Science and Personnel.

He was elected as Federal Labour Leader in 2004, also becoming Shadow Minister fro Social Security in the same year. In 2005 he was appointed Shadow Minister for Indigenous Affairs and Shadow Minister for Family and Community Services. He became Shadow Minister for National Development in 2006, before being appointed Immigration Minister on 3 December 2007.