Hon Christopher (Chris) Martin Ellison was born in Bulawayo, Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and educated at Trinity College, Perth and the University of Western Australia where he gained a Law degree.
He spent two years as a lawyer with the Legal Aid Commission of Western Australia, where he completed his articled clerkship. Mr Ellison was a barrister, solicitor and partner in his own law firm, Williams Ellison, for 13 years from 1980 to 1993.
Mr Ellison is a former Liberal member of the Australian Senate and a Cabinet Minister in the Howard Government and in the Ministry for over 10 years from 1997 to 2007. He held a number of portfolios including Justice and Customs, and remains as Australia's longest serving Justice Minister. He represented Western Australia in the Senate from July 1993 to January 2009.
Mr Ellison is also a member of the WA Law Society and has a legal practicing certificate for over 30 years.
