John Cobb (Australian politician)
| The Honourable John Cobb | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Australian Parliament for Calare | |
|
In office 24 November 2007 – 9 May 2016 | |
| Preceded by | Peter Andren |
| Succeeded by | Andrew Gee |
| Member of the Australian Parliament for Parkes | |
|
In office 10 November 2001 – 24 November 2007 | |
| Preceded by | Tony Lawler |
| Succeeded by | Mark Coulton |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
11 February 1950 Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Political party | The Nationals |
| Spouse(s) |
Gai (divorced) Lisa Syme (m. 2014) |
| Children | 7 |
| Website |
www |
John Kenneth Cobb (born 11 February 1950), Australian politician, was a National Party member of the Australian House of Representatives from November 2001 representing the Division of Parkes, and the Division of Calare from 2007 to 2016 when he retired.[1]
Early life and education
Cobb was born in Bathurst, son of Lee and Mary Cobb,[2] and was raised on the family property near Mount Hope, New South Wales.[3]
Career
Pre-political career
From the 1980s until his candidacy for Federal Parliament, Cobb was active in, and spent three years as president of the New South Wales Farmers Association, a lobby group representing farmers and rural and regional communities.[4] He also continued to farm the family property.
Political career
Cobb was elected to the House of Representatives from the Division of Parkes, a safe National Party seat, at the 2001 federal election.
In July 2005, Cobb was appointed to the ministry as Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs, but soon after was reshuffled to the community services portfolio.
After Parkes was dramatically altered in a redistribution, Cobb ran for the neighbouring seat of Calare at the 2007 election after the popular independent member Peter Andren retired. The Liberal-National Party Coalition lost the election, however Cobb won Calare handily. He was chosen by new Opposition leader Brendan Nelson to be a member of the shadow ministry, as the spokesperson on regional development and water security.[5] He was re-elected at the 2010 election and in September 2010 was appointed Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Food Security by Opposition leader, Tony Abbott.[6]
Following the 2013 federal election, Cobb nominated as deputy leader of the National Party, but was defeated by Barnaby Joyce, the newly elected member of New England. Cobb was not appointed to the Abbott Ministry.[7]
On 27 February 2016, Cobb announced that he was retiring from politics and would not re-contest the Division of Calare in the 2016 Australian federal election.[1]
Personal life
Cobb in married and has seven daughters. He is not related to one of his predecessors as the member for Parkes, Michael Cobb.[2][8]
References
- 1 2
- 1 2 Cobb, John (14 February 2002). "House of Representatives Debates" (PDF). Hansard. Parliament of Australia. p. 213.
- ↑ "Biography". The Honourable John Cobb MP: Your Member for Parkes. Retrieved January 2008. Check date values in:
|access-date=(help) - ↑ New South Wales Farmers Federation, Who We Are and What We Do, retrieved January 2008.
- ↑ Parliament of Australia, Shadow Ministry, 6 December 2007, retrieved January 2008
- ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 17 September 2010. Retrieved 2011-05-20.
- ↑ Colley, Clare (16 September 2013). "Cobb overlooked for ministry". Western Advocate. Retrieved 28 September 2013.
- ↑ Schubert, Misha (21 October 2006). "Cobb denies disability comment". The Age.
External links
- Parliament of Australia, Hon. John Cobb MP, official Parliament website biography, retrieved January 2008
- Search or browse Hansard for John_Cobb at OpenAustralia.org
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Peter McGauran |
Minister for Citizenship & Multicultural Affairs 2005–2006 |
Succeeded by Amanda Vanstone as Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs |
| Preceded by Kay Patterson as Minister for Family and Community Services |
Minister for Community Services 2006–2007 |
Succeeded by Nigel Scullion |
| Parliament of Australia | ||
| Preceded by Tony Lawler |
Member for Parkes 2001–2007 |
Succeeded by Mark Coulton |
| Preceded by Peter Andren |
Member for Calare 2007–2016 |
Succeeded by Andrew Gee |