James Griffin (Australian politician)

Summary

James Henry Griffin is an Australian politician. He is a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing the electoral district of Manly for the Liberal Party. Griffin was the New South Wales Minister for Environment and Heritage in the Second Perrottet ministry from December 2021[1] to March 2023.

James Griffin
Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
for Manly
Assumed office
8 April 2017
Preceded byMike Baird
Minister for Environment and Heritage
In office
21 December 2021 – 28 March 2023
PremierDominic Perrottet
Preceded byMatt Kean
(as Minister for Energy and Environment)
Succeeded byPenny Sharpe
Deputy Mayor of Manly
In office
5 October 2015 – 12 May 2016
MayorJean Hay
Preceded bySteve Pickering
Succeeded byCouncil abolished
In office
8 September 2012 – 12 May 2016
Personal details
BornManly, New South Wales, Australia
Political partyLiberal Party
Alma materUniversity of Notre Dame Australia
OccupationDirector KPMG Australia
Websitejamesgriffinmp.com

Griffin is the Shadow Minister for Energy and Climate Change and Shadow Minister for Digital Government.[2]

He had previously served as the NSW Parliamentary Secretary for Veterans,[3] the NSW Parliamentary Secretary for Health, and previously served as the NSW Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment.[4]

Griffin was elected on 8 April 2017 at the Manly state by-election held to replace the previous member, former Premier of New South Wales Mike Baird.

Background edit

Griffin went to school at St Mary's Cathedral College, and in 2006 was one of the first students to enrol at the Sydney campus of the University of Notre Dame Australia, from which he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 2008.[5]

Griffin was also involved in local government, serving a single term as a councillor on Manly Council, and as deputy mayor under Mayor Jean Hay from 2015 to 2016 when the council was amalgamated into the Northern Beaches Council. His mother, Cathy Griffin, was a major in the Australian Army, and also served one term as a councillor in Manly, albeit as a member of the NSW Greens.[6]

He is the son of Australian Army Officer Brigadier Michael Griffin AM (Ret) who was the Australian Commissioner for Law Enforcement Integrity.[7]

Griffin was appointed as an Adjunct Lecturer in the School of Business at the University of Notre Dame, Sydney. He has also served as a board member of the University of Sydney Innovation Hub. Griffin co-founded SR7, a digital risk consulting company, in 2009.[8] In February 2014, SR7 was acquired by professional service group KPMG, with Griffin joining the firm as a Director in the Risk Consulting Practice.[9]

Political career edit

Griffin was reported as a potential NSW Opposition Leader following the Coalition election loss in March 2023.[10]

Identified as a rising star[clarification needed] in the NSW Parliamentary Liberal Party,[11] Griffin was appointed a Member of the Legislation Review Committee in June 2017, and subsequently appointed Chair of the same committee in November 2017. The Legislation Review Committee reviews all Bills introduced into Parliament and reports on the impact of these Bills on personal rights and liberties.[12]

In September 2018 Griffin was elected Chairman of the NSW Parliamentary Committee on Environment and Planning.[13] The Committee tabled the Land Release and Housing Supply in NSW report in October 2018.[14]

As Environment Minister, Griffin implemented a number of historic reforms including the banning of problematic single use plastics and the largest ever acquisition of land for a New South Wales National Park.[15]

References edit

  1. ^ "Parliament, Ministerial, Courts and Police (662)" (PDF). Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. 21 December 2021.
  2. ^ "Shadow Ministry". www.parliament.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  3. ^ Department of Premier and Cabinet, Sydney. "Office for Veterans Affairs – Parliamentary Secretary for Veterans". veterans.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  4. ^ "Mr James Henry Griffin, BA MP". Members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  5. ^ "Uni student to deputy mayor in just 10 years". The Catholic Weekly. 12 May 2016. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
  6. ^ "Premier's departure lures would-be pollies into fight for Mike Baird's vacated Manly seat". Manly Daily. 20 January 2017. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
  7. ^ Nabb, Liz. "Meet Our Team". VCSNB. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
  8. ^ Moss, Dan (26 November 2013). "How SR7 grew by talking about social media risk while others were spruiking the benefits". SmartCompany. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
  9. ^ Kitney, Damon (1 February 2014). "KPMG buys social data expertise with SR7". The Australian.
  10. ^ "'It's a thankless job': Who should become the next Liberal Opposition Leader?". 2GB. 27 March 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  11. ^ "The Rising Political Stars You Should be Keeping an Eye On: Part I". Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  12. ^ "Legislation Review Committee". parliament.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
  13. ^ "Legislative Assembly Committee on Environment and Planning". parliament.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  14. ^ Legislative Assembly. Committee on Environment and Planning (October 2018). "Inquiry into land release and housing supply in NSW: final report" (PDF). Report no. 2/56. Parliament of New South Wales.
  15. ^ "'Globally significant wetlands' to be protected in NSW's largest-ever national park purchase". ABC News. 26 February 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2023.

 

Civic offices
Preceded by
Steve Pickering
Deputy Mayor of Manly
2015–2016
Council merged into
Northern Beaches Council
New South Wales Legislative Assembly
Preceded by Member for Manly
2017–present
Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded byas Minister for Energy and Environment Minister for Environment and Heritage
2021–2023
Succeeded by