Mark Birrell

Mark Alexander Birrell (born 7 February 1958) is a company director and a former Cabinet Minister in the Australian state of Victoria.

Early life Birrell was born in Melbourne and was educated at Trinity Grammar. He studied at Monash University obtaining a Bachelor of Economics and a Bachelor of Laws. He was admitted to practice as a barrister and solicitor in 1983.

Politics When long serving MP William Campbell resigned his safe Legislative Council seat of East Yarra Province in 1983, Birrell won Liberal preselection and succeeded him as its member. He was "Victoria’s youngest MP and one of the youngest-ever in Australia." Two years later he entered the shadow Cabinet as shadow Health Minister. During this period he served as Minister for Conservation and Environment, After the 1996 election he swapped his Ministerial portfolios for the Industry, Science and Technology portfolio. As minister he oversaw the State's first "Science, Engineering and Technology policy," legislating for 7-day shop trading, and overseeing a successful investment attraction program. However, Birrell decided to leave Parliament and return to private enterprise after the 2002 election.

Birrell was made a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors in 2007 and a Companion of Engineers Australia in 2014.

Birrell was chairman of the Port of Melbourne Corporation until November 2016. The Andrews Government embarked on a “privatisation drive” in its first term, with Birrell overseeing the sale of the Port of Melbourne for $9.7 billion. Birrell reflects on this as “….an example of a Labor government wanting to recycle capital from one large asset into other assets. And it was a very good example of public policy working, regardless of the political party in power.” The proceeds of the sale were injected back into Victorian infrastructure projects, including the Level Crossing Removal Project.

Birrell was the founding chairman of Infrastructure Partnerships Australia, the nation's peak infrastructure body. This not-for-profit organisation undertakes research and policy advocacy on social and economic infrastructure.

Other board roles included being an independent non-executive chairman of the Australian Payments Council, the strategic coordination body for the Australian payments industry, also serving on the board of Australia Post, including as deputy Chairman, and Chairman of Regis Healthcare Limited and Evans and Peck Limited.

From 2002-2012 Birrell was the National Leader of the Infrastructure Group and special counsel at Minter Ellison.

Not-for-profit sector Volunteer roles include being Chairman of VicHealth (2012–14) and positions as a trustee of both the Melbourne Cricket Ground (1992–96), the Melbourne and Olympic Parks Trust (1995–99) and the Canterbury Girls' Secondary College School Council 2004-06).

He has been active in the chamber of commerce movement, including as President of the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (2013–16). He is the current President of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Honours Birrell was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2021 Queen's Birthday Honours, recognised for "significant service to the infrastructure sector, and to business."

In 2014 he was awarded Monash University's highest honour, receiving an Honorary Doctorate of Laws for "his contributions to the policy and infrastructure sectors."