 He was born in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England, came to Australia as a child and was educated at Urrbrae Agricultural High School in South Australia.Campbell is married to Michele (née Lelievre), a French woman who met him first in 1972 on a sheep station in the Nullabor.Campbell worked in a range of occupations before entering federal parliament in October 1980 as the Labor member for Kalgoorlie.