Jamie Briggs

The Honourable
Jamie Briggs
MP
Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development
Incumbent
Assumed office
18 September 2013
Prime Minister Tony Abbott
Preceded by Sharon Bird (as Minister for Regional Development) ;
Catherine King (as Minister for Road Safety)
Member of the Australian Parliament
for Mayo
Incumbent
Assumed office
6 September 2008
Preceded by Alexander Downer
Personal details
Born 9 June 1977
Kyneton, Victoria
Nationality Australian
Political party Liberal Party of Australia
Occupation Politician
Website jamiebriggs.com.au

Jamie Edward Briggs (born 9 June 1977) is an Australian politician. He has been the Liberal Party of Australia member for the Division of Mayo since the 2008 Mayo by-election. Briggs has been the Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development in the Abbott Government since 18 September 2013.[1]

Background

Briggs grew up in the River Murray town of Mildura, where his father was a local bank teller and his mother volunteered in the canteen at the Sacred Heart Catholic primary school.[2] He attended St Joseph's College where he excelled in cricket before moving to Adelaide to pursue his dreams of playing for Australia. Briggs became a member of the Liberal Party in 1999 and was on the Liberal Party State Council from 2000 to 2002. Briggs was an employment relations adviser for Business SA from 2000 to 2002. In 2002, he started working for the then South Australian Treasurer, Rob Lucas before moving to Canberra in 2003 to work for Kevin Andrews in the Howard Government. From 2004 to 2007 he was a senior advisor for WorkChoices to Prime Minister John Howard.[3][4]

Political career

Briggs was pre-selected as the Liberal candidate for the 2008 Mayo by-election to replace former Liberal leader and minister Alexander Downer and won the seat with a two-candidate margin of 3.03 points against the Greens, a reduction from the 2007 election two-party-preferred margin of 7.06 points. Briggs increased his margin to 7.35 points at the 2010 election and 12.51 points at the 2013 election.

After the 2010 election Briggs was given the position of chair of the Coalition's Scrutiny of Government Committee as part of the Tony Abbott-led opposition.[5] In September 2012, Briggs was appointed to the Opposition frontbench as the Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Supporting Families.[6] As part of his role as the Chairman of the Coalition's Scrutiny of Government Committee, Briggs ghosted The Little Book of Big Labor Waste alongside the Leader of the Opposition, Tony Abbott, and the Shadow Treasurer, Joe Hockey on 13 May 2013.[7] Briggs has also pursued the Gillard Government over a Freedom of Information decision to refuse access to Greens policy costings.[8]

References

  1. ↑ "Tony Abbott's cabinet and outer ministry". The Sydney Morning Herald. AAP. 16 September 2013. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
  2. ↑ "About Jamie: Biography". JamieBriggs.com.au. Jamie Briggs.
  3. ↑ "The Hon Jamie Briggs MP". Senators and Members. Parliament of Australia.
  4. ↑ "Mayo pick revives WorkChoices". ABC News (Australia). 21 July 2008.
  5. ↑ "A strong and stable team for Australia's future" (Press release). Liberal Party of Australia. 14 September 2010.
  6. ↑ Abbott, Tony (19 September 2012). "Appointments to the Coalition team" (Press release). Liberal Party of Australia. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  7. ↑ "Tony Abbott launches The Little Book of Big Labor Waste on Federal Budget eve". news.com.au. 13 May 2013. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  8. ↑ Franklin, Matthew (26 July 2012). "Labor buries Greens costings as Joel Fitzgibbon opposes Treasury secrecy". The Australian. Retrieved 19 September 2013.

External links

Parliament of Australia
Preceded by
Alexander Downer		 Member for Mayo
2008 – present 		Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by
Catherine King
as Minister for Road Safety		 Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development
2013 – present 		Incumbent
Preceded by
Sharon Bird
as Minister for Regional Development