Chris Bowen was elected to the Federal Parliament as Member for Prospect in October 2004.

Chris was educated at Smithfield Public School and St Johns Park High School. He has a Bachelor of Economics degree from the University of Sydney. He won the Australian Transport Officers Federation Prize for the best industrial relations student at the University.

He joined the Labor Party in 1988 and has held many honorary positions in the party.

He was elected to Fairfield Council in 1995 and has been Chairman of the City Outcomes Committee, the Fairfield Town Centre Management Committee and the Community, Recreation and Development Committee.

Chris was elected Mayor of Fairfield for 1998 and 1999, and became President of the Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils from 2000 to 2002.

Immediately before being elected to Parliament, Chris was Chief of Staff to Hon. Carl Scully, NSW Minister for Roads, Housing and Leader of the House.

Since being in Parliament, was elected as Deputy Chair of the House of Reps Standing Committee on Economics, Finance and Public Administration.

He was also a member of the Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services.

In December 2006, Chris was appointed to the Federal Labor Party's frontbench as the Shadow Assistant Treasurer and Shadow Minister for Revenue & Competition Policy.

Following the historic election of the Rudd Labor Government, Chris was appointed to the new Ministry. On Monday the 3rd of December 2007, Chris was sworn in by the Governor General as the Assistant Treasurer, Minister for Competition Policy and Consumer Affairs for the Rudd Labor Government.