Morris Iemma (/ˈjɛmə/; born 21 July 1961) is a former Australian politician who was the 40th Premier of New South Wales.

Iemma led Labor to victory at the 2007 state election, albeit with a slightly reduced majority.

He resigned as premier in 2008, after losing the support of caucus, and left parliament shortly after, triggering a by-election.

[3][4] Iemma is a member of the dominant right-wing faction of the New South Wales branch of the Australian Labor Party.

He then worked as an adviser to Senator Graham Richardson who held the environment and social security portfolios in the Bob Hawke and Paul Keating federal governments.

He was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly[6] with the slogan "A local who listens," defeating the sitting member for Earlwoood, Phil White.

Deputy Premier and Treasurer Andrew Refshauge, and senior minister Craig Knowles, once considered a potential leader himself, both declared they would leave politics.

[9] Despite its relatively short term in office, the Iemma Government faced significant service delivery problems in transport, health care and future water supplies.

Sydney newspapers consistently asserted that Iemma's government was more interested in "spin" than policy development.

For example, in February 2006, while awaiting the start of a COAG media conference in Canberra, while chatting to Victorian Premier Steve Bracks and not realising cameras were operating, Iemma was recorded as saying: Nevertheless, in the months leading up to his first election as Labor leader, he maintained a comfortable lead in various opinion polls and was re-elected in the March 2007 election.

[13] In November 2007 the Iemma government lifted the ban on genetically modified canola production and started the process of privatising the state's electricity system.

[17] Iemma resigned from parliament on 19 September 2008, ending his 17-year political career,[18] and forcing a by-election in the seat of Lakemba,[19] won by Robert Furolo.

[22] In January 2013, there was speculation that Iemma was considering standing for the Division of Barton in the Australian House of Representatives for Labor at the 2013 federal election to replace former Attorney-General Robert McClelland who on that day announced that he would be retiring from parliament after 17 years.

[27][28][29] Both Obeid and Macdonald were found by ICAC to have acted in a corrupt manner regarding the issuing of mining licences and criminal charges were laid.