Ken Wyatt was born at Roelands Mission farm, near Bunbury south of Perth in Western Australia, a former home for young Indigenous children removed from their families. His mother, Mona Abdullah, was one of the Stolen Generations of Aboriginal children removed from their parents and relocated to Roelands, where she met her husband Don.
Wyatt is the Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care since September 2015. Wyatt"s father"s heritage is Yamatji and Irish ancestry. His mother"s family heritage is Wongi and Noongar ancestry.
Prior to entering Parliament, Wyatt served as senior public servant in the fields of Aboriginal health and education.
He has held positions as Director of the Washington Office of Aboriginal Health as well as a similar post with NSW Health. He was also previously Director of Aboriginal Education with the Washington Department of Education.
Wyatt stood for the Liberal Party in the seat of Hasluck in the 2010 election, defeating Labor incumbent Sharryn Jackson. Mal Brough is of Aboriginal descent but does not identify himself as such.
On 28 September 2010, Wyatt attended the opening of the 43rd Australian Parliament to take up his seat as member for Hasluck.
He wore a traditional Booka – a kangaroo skin coat with feathers from a red tailed black cockatoo, signifying a leadership role in Noongar culture. The cloak had been presented to him by Noongar elders. He made his maiden speech to the Parliament on 29 September and received a standing ovation from both the government and opposition benches as well as from the public galleries.
On 20 September 2015, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced that Wyatt would become Australia"s assistant health minister, making him the first Indigenous frontbencher in federal parliament.
He was not sworn in with other ministers on 21 September as he was overseas, with his ceremony taking place on 30 September. On 18 February 2016 Wyatt"s responsibilities were expanded to include aged care in addition to health following a rearrangement in the ministry.
Cedric"s son, Ben Wyatt, is Western Australia"s current shadow treasurer for the Labor Party.
He is of Aboriginal Australian (Noongar, Yamatji and Wongi), Indian, English and Irish descent, and is the first Aboriginal member of the House of Representatives, as well as the first indigenous federal minister (if Mal Brough is excluded).
