Craig Emerson has been the Member for Rankin since 1998.
 
After the 2007 federal election he was appointed the Minister for Small Business, Independent Contractors and the Service Economy and Minister Assisting the Finance Minister on Deregulation in the Rudd Government.

Adding to his responsibilities Prime Minister Kevin Rudd appointed Craig as Minister for Competition and Consumer Affairs in June 2009.
 
Craig holds a Bachelor of Economics (Honours) Degree from the University of Sydney, a Master of Economics Degree from the University of Sydney and a PhD in Economics from The Australian National University.
 
He has been a Post-Doctoral Fellow at The Australian National University and has 17 publications to his name, including a book setting out a vision and plan for Australia's future.  Since becoming a parliamentarian Craig has had more than 70 opinion pieces published in national newspapers.
 
Professionally, he has been Secretary of a Queensland Government Department, CEO of a Queensland Statutory Authority, Assistant Secretary in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and Economic Analyst at the United Nations. 
 
Craig was a senior policy adviser to former Prime Minister Bob Hawke, former Premier Wayne Goss and earlier to Finance Minister Peter Walsh.

Apart from almost a lifetime of public service he has successfully run his own small business in a partnership.
 
Craig's other interests include Rugby Union and Rugby League and he still plays a few games for the Parliamentary Rugby Union Team.