Dr Craig Emerson is an eminent economist, holding a PhD in economics from the Australian National University, with more than 35 years of experience in public policy, politics and public service. He was Senior Adviser to Prime Minister Bob Hawke from 1986 to 1990 and, after entering parliament in 1998, went on to serve as Minister for Trade and Competitiveness, Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Science and Research, and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on Asian Century Policy between 2010 and 2013.