Michael Costa (politician)

The Honourable Michael Costa MLC
Member of Legislative Council of New South Wales
In office 6 September 2001 – 23 September 2008
Preceded by	Johno Johnson
Succeeded by	John Robertson
Treasurer of New South Wales
In office 17 February 2006 – 5 September 2008
Premier	Morris Iemma
Preceded by	Michael Egan
Succeeded by	Eric Roozendaal
New South Wales Minister for Police
In office 21 November 2001 – 2 April 2003
Premier	Bob Carr
Preceded by	Paul Whelan
Succeeded by	John Watkins
Personal details
Born	15 July 1956 Newcastle, New South Wales
Nationality	Australia
Political party	Australian Labor Party
Spouse(s)	Helen (div.) Deborah
Children	2 (m), 2 (f)
Occupation	Union official
Website	NSW Parliamentary Library

Michael Costa (born 15 July 1956) is a former Australian Labor politician. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council from 2001 until 2008, and Treasurer of New South Wales from 2006 to 2008 and held other ministerial portfolios in the governments of premiers Bob Carr and Morris Iemma.

Costa was born in Newcastle to Greek Cypriot migrants who came to Australia in the 1950s. In 1979, Costa began work as a rigger at the Garden Island naval dockyard. It was there where he was first involved with the Australian labour movement becoming a Delegate for the Federated Ironworkers' Association (now Australian Workers' Union). During this period he also studied at night at the University of Sydney.

In 1983, Costa joined the NSW Railways and started work as a trainee engineman, but never progressed to a driver, and became active in the Australian Federated Union of Locomotive Enginemen (AFULE). At the time the AFULE had a militant leadership who began a series of strikes over differences with the Australian Railways Union, whereby brake vans were removed from goods trains, and the guards were given locomotive jobs. Preferential treatment of the guards was seen by many as a reward for not striking over the loss of their jobs in brake vans. This led to Costa running against the incumbent leadership of the union in the AFULE's elections which Costa won convincingly. In 1989, Costa was elected as an organiser with the Labor Council of New South Wales. In 1998, he was elected as Secretary of the Labor Council. He was the first Secretary to be of a non-English speaking background.

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