Joe Tripodi

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Joseph Guerino Tripodi (b. 25 November 1967) is an Australian politician, elected as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly. He is currently the Minister for Small Business, Regulatory Reform, Ports and Waterways. ^[1]

Contents 1 Early career 2 Political career 2.1 Ministerial Career 3 References

[edit] Early career

Tripodi was born in 1967 and raised in Fairfield, New South Wales, the eldest of four children to Italian migrants Angelo and Iolanda.^[2] He received a B.Ec (Hons) from the University of Sydney. He was an economist with the Reserve Bank of Australia from 1989 to 1991 and an official with the Labor Council from 1993 to 1995.^[1]

[edit] Political career

In 1995, Tripodi was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, representing the Sydney electorate of Fairfield for the ALP. In October 2000, the MP was accused of sexually assaulting an Australian Democrats staffer at a New South Wales Parliament House function the month before.^[3]

The Opposition accused the then speaker, Labor's John Murray, of initimidating the complainant after it emerged that she was not pressing charges. It later emerged that one of the police officers who investigated the original complaint was a member of Tripodi's branch of the ALP. However, a subsequent investigation found no evidence to support the Opposition claim, nor any evidence of inappropriate action by the police officer.^{[citation needed]}

In 2001, the manager of a committee chaired by Tripodi took out an apprehended violence order (AVO) against the MP after he publicly opposed a development application by her husband for a tavern opposite a primary school in Tripodi's electorate. ^[4] The AVO was withdrawn shortly afterward, and it was subsequently revealed that a number of similar AVO applications had been lodged against others who opposed her husband's business interests. ^[5]

Both incidents are periodically raised in parliament by the Opposition.

Tripodi has also been accused of engaging in branch stacking. In 1996, it was reported that he paid almost $7000 in cash to the ALP head office to fund a "branch stack" ^[6]

[edit] Ministerial Career

Prior to entering the ministry Tripodi was the Chairman of the Legislative Assembly Public Accounts Committee. He was the Minister for Housing from February to August 2005, when he became Minister for Roads. In September 2005, he was chased and grabbed on the floor of the Assembly by National Party member, Andrew Fraser, apparently in relation to a road funding issue.^[7] In February 2006, he became Minister for Energy, Minister for Ports and Waterways and Minister Assisting the Treasurer on Business and Economic Regulatory Reform. ^[1] In April 2007, he became Minister for Small Business, Regulatory Reform, Ports and Waterways. ^[1]

Tripodi was implicated in the Orange Grove affair, but subsequently cleared by the Independent Commission Against Corruption in 2005.^[8]

Coalition campaign advertising ahead of the 2007 election identified Tripodi—along with Treasurer Michael Costa and Planning Minister Frank Sartor—as one of the government's least popular. Independent MPs indicated that, in the event of a hung parliament, they would not support a minority Labor government in which Tripodi remained a minister.^[9] In 2007, former premier Bob Carr was critical of Tripodi's performance as waterways minister with regard to his management of harbour development. ^[10]

During an ICAC investigation into Wollongong City Council in 2008, it was revealed that a former Council officer against whom corruption allegations had been made was a personal friend of Tripodi's and had subsequently appointed to a senior position in a department in his portfolio.^{[11] [12]} Tripodi claimed the appointment had been "at arm's length" from him, and on March 3, 2008 the ICAC indicated there was no evidence that would sustain an investigation.^[13] This was criticised by Opposition Leader Barry O'Farrell who stated that the community would feel let down by the ICAC's decision.^[13]

[edit] References

Persondata
NAME	Tripodi, Joseph Guerino
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION	New South Wales politician
DATE OF BIRTH	31 January 1958
PLACE OF BIRTH
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH