John Ajaka
| The Honourable John Ajaka MLC | |
|---|---|
| Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 24 March 2007 | |
| Minister for the Illawarra | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 2 August 2013 | |
| Premier | Barry O'Farrell |
| Preceded by | Greg Pearce |
| Minister for Disability Services | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 2 August 2013 | |
| Premier | Barry O'Farrell |
| Preceded by | Andrew Constance |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 13 January 1956 Bulli, New South Wales, Australia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Political party | Liberal Party of Australia |
John George Ajaka (born 13 January 1956) is an Australian politician. He has been a Liberal Party of Australia member of the New South Wales Legislative Council since 2007. He is the first Liberal Lebanese Australian member of an Australian parliament.[1] Ajaka is the Minister for the Illawarra and the Minister for Disability Services since August 2013.[2]
Background and early years
Ajaka was born in Bulli, New South Wales, to migrant parents. He was schooled at St Joseph's Primary School and Marist College Kogarah where he served in the Army Cadets, graduating as the second-highest-ranking officer in his group, and served briefly in the Australian Army Reserve. He subsequently studied law and opened his own practice in Rockdale.[3] He was later elected as a City of Rockdale councillor, serving in that role until his election to parliament.[1]
Ajaka was elected to the Legislative Council at the 2007 state election.[4][5] He made his inaugural speech to the Legislative Council on 9 May 2007, in which he called for greater acceptance of migrants within Australian society and declared his intention to oppose racial prejudice and injustice in his role as an MP.[3] He also strongly criticised the police practice of referring to the ethnic backgrounds of criminals, contravening his own party's policy on the matter.[6]
Ajaka was appointed as the Minister for the Illawarra and the Minister for Disability Services on 2 August 2013; and became of member of the O'Farrell cabinet.[7][8]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Upper House Welcome". St George and Sutherland Shire Leader. 27 March 2007.
- ↑ Nicholls, Sean (1 August 2013). "Greg Pearce sacked over conflict of interest". smh.com.au. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Inaugural Speech of the Honourable John Ajaka" (PDF). Hansard. Parliament of New South Wales. 29 May 2007.
- ↑ "The Hon. John George Ajaka, MLC". Members. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 24 June 2007.
- ↑ "Legislative Council". ABC Elections: New South Wales 2007 (Australia: ABC News). Retrieved 24 June 2007.
- ↑ Pearlman, Jonathon (4 December 2005). "Ethnic labelling creates division, says new Liberal". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
- ↑ Clennell, Andrew (1 August 2013). "Premier Barry O'Farrell sacks finance minister Greg Pearce". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
- ↑ "Rockdale's John Ajaka named new Minister for Illawarra to replace sacked Greg Pearce". ABC News (Australia). 1 August 2013. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
External links
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Andrew Constance |
Minister for Disability Services 2013–present |
Incumbent |
| Preceded by Greg Pearce |
Minister for the Illawarra 2013–present |
Incumbent |
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