| Stephen Jones MP, BA, LLB |
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| Member of the Australian Parliament for Throsby |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 21 August 2010 |
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| Preceded by | Jennie George |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 26 June 1965 Wollongong, NSW, Australia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Political party | Australian Labor Party |
| Alma mater | University of Wollongong |
| Occupation | Member of Parliament |
| Profession | Lawyer and union organiser |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Website | stephenjones.org.au |
Stephen Patrick Jones (born 29 June 1965) is an Australian politician representing the Labor Party. He was elected to represent the federal seat of Throsby, New South Wales in 2010.
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Stephen Jones was one of five children (siblings are Maree, Luke, Adam and Amanda) who grew up in Wollongong, New South Wales. His father, Mark, was a teacher at TAFE and his mother, Margaret, worked as a School Assistant.[1]
Stephen attended St Brigid’s Primary School, Gwynneville, before attending Edmund Rice College in Wollongong, where he was School Captain and graduated as Dux.
Stephen completed a Bachelor of Arts (History and Politics) at the University of Wollongong, and then completed a Bachelor of Laws at Macquarie University.
Stephen joined the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) in 1993 working in various roles, including the NSW Branch Secretary and Secretary of the Communications Division. He was seconded to the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) in 2004, working on securing compensation for asbestos disease victims of James Hardie. He was elected as National Secretary of the CPSU in 2005.
Prior to working as a union official, Stephen spent many years as a youth advocate in Campbelltown, NSW. His work was primarily with children who had developmental disabilities and later with adults who had suffered spinal cord injury.[2]
Following the resignation of Jennie George as Member for Throsby, Stepehen Jones gained preselection for the seat. Jones was endorsed as Labor candidate following the intervention of the Labor Party national executive. As a result, local Labor branches were stripped of their entitlement to endorse a local candidate.[3][4] He successfully gained the seat at the 2010 federal election.[5]
Stephen is currently a member of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Economics,[6] and the Standing Committee on Infrastructure and Communications.[7]
On 15 November 2010, in response to a motion concerning same-sex marriage moved by Adam Bandt MP, Federal Member for Melbourne (Australian Greens) in the House of Representative, Stephen moved, as an amendment:
This amendment was successful and was the version subsequently endorsed by the House of Representatives,[9] the first such motion adopted in the lower house on same-sex marriage.
Following changes to the ALP platform, he has announced he will introduce a Private Members Bill in support of Marriage Equality when parliament resumes in 2012
| Parliament of Australia | ||
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| Preceded by Jennie George |
Member for Throsby 2010–present |
Incumbent |
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