Hon. Michael Danby

Michael DanbyThe Hon. Michael Danby is senior member of the Australian Labor Party. Currently the Parliamentary Secretary to the Opposition Leader, Michael Danby was previously Parliamentary Secretary for the Arts, Chairperson of the Australian Parliament’s Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence, and Trade, as well as the Joint Standing Committee on Migration.

Mr. Danby takes a keen interest in Middle East Affairs. He is a senior member of the Australia-Israel Parliamentary Friendship Group, and is an International Patron of the Henry Jackson Society. He supports Australia’s (bipartisan) position of support for a two state-solution to the Israel/Palestine conflict.

Mr. Danby is also a member of the Steering Committee of an international network called the World Movement for Democracy. ‘WMD’ is a network of activists, practitioners, scholars, policy makers, and funders who work to advance democracy. The objectives of the network are to: ‘Strengthen democracy where it is weak – Defend democracy where it is longstanding – & Support efforts of pro-democracy groups in non-democratic countries.

Hon. Danby on NGO Monitor: ‘NGOs claiming a humanitarian focus are political entities whose words carry weight in the international arena. As such, their true goals, motivations, objectivity, and sources of funding should be scrutinised. Just as politicians are held accountable for their views, so should other political entities, such as NGOs.’