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Andrew James Giles (born 31 July 1973) is an Australian politician. He has been a Labor member of the Australian House of Representatives since September 2013, representing the Division of Scullin, Victoria. He is currently the Minister for Skills and Training in the Albanese ministry. Giles joined the ALP when he was eighteen, and – prior to his election to Parliament – worked as a principal lawyer at Slater and Gordon in Melbourne, practising in employment law. Andrew Giles MP | Australian Labor Party Giles previously served as Shadow Assistant Minister for Schools between 2016 and 2019, and Shadow Minister for Multicultural Affairs and Shadow Minister for Cities and Urban Infrastructure from 2019 to 2022. Giles also previously served as one of the two federal parliamentary convenors of the Labor Left faction, along with Pat Conroy.
Following the 2022 federal election, Giles was appointed as Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs in the Albanese ministry. As Immigration Minister, Giles issued "Ministerial Direction 99" in early 2023 to the Department of Home Affairs and Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT), which tightened the criteria for deporting non-citizen residents by focusing on their community ties and duration of time spent in Australia. This policy change had come in response to the New Zealand Government's objection to the large number of New Zealand criminals being deported from Australia despite their limited connection to New Zealand. While Direction 99 had listed family violence, forced marriage, violent or sexual crimes, human trafficking, people smuggling and work exploitation as grounds for deportation, ABC News reported that the AAT and Home Affairs had ignored that part of the ruling and instead focused on deportees' ties to Australia.
Following criticism from the opposition Liberal Party that Direction 99 had allowed non-citizens convicted of serious crimes to remain in Australia, Giles and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced in late May 2024 that the Australian Government would issue a new ministerial directive to expel serious criminal offenders. On 7 June 2024, Giles issued Ministerial Direction 110 which prioritised community safety as a criterion for deporting non-citizens. Under the new criteria, Giles also cancelled the visas of 40 non-citizens, citing national interest.
In the 1990s, he played guitar in an indie rock band called Ether, along with James Cecil, who went on to play in bands such as Architecture in Helsinki.
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