Mr. Thomson graduated from the local University of Melbourne, and studied in Japan at Keio University. He has served as a Member of the Australian Parliament, held a number of important positions, including Minister for Sport and Tourism, and Chairman of the Parliamentary Treaty Review Committee. As Minister for Sport and Tourism and Assistant to the Prime Minister, he led the preparations for the Sydney Olympics in 2000. Later, he studied law at Georgetown University in the United States and was admitted to the bar.
As an international lawyer, he has represented clients in trade-related legal matters in the United States, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and China.
Currently, he practices international law at his own firm in Fukuoka, Japan. He is fascinated by Kyushu’s history and culture, and in 2018 he published a book, Bridge to the Gods, which introduced Kyushu culture to Australia. He is known as a Japanophile, and often comments on Asia-related news on news programs. In addition to his native language, he speaks Japanese and Chinese fluently, and also speaks Arabic at a conversational level.
