Jamie Briggs
Minister for Road Safety) | |
---|---|
Succeeded by | Paul Fletcher |
Member of the Australian Parliament for Mayo | |
In office 6 September 2008 – 2 July 2016 | |
Preceded by | Alexander Downer |
Succeeded by | Rebekha Sharkie |
Personal details | |
Born | Kyneton, Victoria | 9 June 1977
Nationality | Australian |
Political party | Liberal Party of Australia |
Spouse | Estée[1] |
Children | Three[1] |
Occupation | Politician |
Jamie Edward Briggs (born 9 June 1977) is an Australian former politician, who represented the
Background
Briggs grew up in the River Murray town of
Political career
Briggs was pre-selected as the Liberal Party of Australia candidate for the 2008 Mayo by-election to replace former Liberal leader and minister Alexander Downer. In the absence of a Labor candidate, Briggs won the seat with a reduced 53.03 percent two-candidate vote against the Greens, in comparison to the 2007 election with a 57.1 percent two-party vote against Labor. The Liberal two-party vote was increased to 57.4 percent at the 2010 election and to 62.5 percent at the 2013 election.
After the 2010 election Briggs was given the position of chair of the Coalition's Scrutiny of Government Waste Committee as part of the opposition led by Tony Abbott.[6] In September 2012, Briggs was appointed to the Opposition frontbench as the Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Supporting Families.[7] As part of his role as the Chairman of the Coalition's Scrutiny of Government Committee, Briggs wrote The Little Book of Big Labor Waste with the Leader of the Opposition, Tony Abbott, and the Shadow Treasurer, Joe Hockey. It was published on 13 May 2013.[8] Briggs has also pursued the Gillard government over a Freedom of Information decision to refuse access to Greens policy costings.[9]
Ministry promotion and resignation
After the
Briggs was on crutches with an injured leg after a failed
On 20 September 2015, in the incoming
Following a late-night incident in a
Briggs' wife Estée, a former Liberal staffer, responded hours later on Facebook by posting a family picture of the two along with their three young children, and reportedly said the scandal was a "complete exaggeration and over-reaction".[1][17] With Turnbull becoming aware of the incident on 5 December,[12] questions were raised over the "unusually long time" between the complaint and the resignation, as well as the timing of the announcement during the holiday period.[14] Minutes after Briggs' press conference, Mal Brough also stood aside from the First Turnbull Ministry due to an investigation by the Australian Federal Police over the alleged copying of the diary of former speaker Peter Slipper. The two resignations led to a ministerial re-shuffle.[11]
Briggs announced that he intended to re-contest the Liberal seat of Mayo at the 2016 federal election and to return to the ministry one day.[15] Following the announcement of his resignation, despite claiming that he would not identify her, Briggs distributed a photograph of the complainant to some colleagues. The photograph later appeared in a national newspaper, along with sufficient detail to identify the woman.
In April 2016, Briggs supported calls from two state Liberal parliamentarians for seal culling in South Australia, after witnessing a "massacre" of dozens of fairy penguins on Kangaroo Island.[18]
2016 election
Briggs was beaten at the 2016 federal election by his former staffer
Personal life
Briggs is married to former Liberal staffer Estée Fiebiger and has three children. He lives in Aldgate, South Australia.[1][3]
References
- ^ a b c d Starick, Paul (30 December 2015). "Ousted federal minister Jamie Briggs' wife Estee posts Facebook picture standing by him and family". The Advertiser. Adelaide.
- ^ "Mayo - Australia Votes | Federal Election 2016 (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)". ABC News. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
- ^ a b "About Jamie: Biography". JamieBriggs.com.au. Jamie Briggs. Archived from the original on 29 November 2015. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
- ^ "The Hon Jamie Briggs MP". Senators and Members. Parliament of Australia.
- ^ "Mayo pick revives WorkChoices". ABC News. Australia. 21 July 2008.
- ^ "A strong and stable team for Australia's future" (Press release). Liberal Party of Australia. 14 September 2010. Archived from the original on 17 September 2010.
- ^ Abbott, Tony (19 September 2012). "Appointments to the Coalition team" (Press release). Liberal Party of Australia. Archived from the original on 27 February 2014. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
- ^ "Tony Abbott launches The Little Book of Big Labor Waste on Federal Budget eve". news.com.au. 13 May 2013. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
- ^ Franklin, Matthew (26 July 2012). "Labor buries Greens costings as Joel Fitzgibbon opposes Treasury secrecy". The Australian. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
- ^ a b c d Starick, Paul (29 December 2015). "South Australian Liberal Jamie Briggs quits as Cities and Built Environment Minister in Malcolm Turnbull Government". The Advertiser. Adelaide.
- ^ a b Keany, Francis (29 December 2015). "Mal Brough, Jamie Briggs stand down from front bench roles; reshuffle on the cards for PM Malcolm Turnbull". ABC News. Australia.
- ^ a b Meers, Daniel; Benson, Simon (30 December 2015). "Jamie Briggs and Mal Brough: Frontbench upheaval as Liberal ministers resign". news.com.au.
- ^ Knott, Matthew (30 December 2015). "Jamie Briggs, an ambitious MP who overstepped the mark". The Sydney Morning Herald.
- ^ The Australian Financial Review.
- ^ a b Bourke, Latika (29 December 2015). "Minister Jamie Briggs quits Malcolm Turnbull's government after 'incident' abroad". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 3 January 2016. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
- The Australian Financial Review.
- ^ Meers, Daniel (30 December 2015). "Jamie Briggs' wife Estee stands by her man: Says his forced resignation an 'over-reaction'". Daily Telegraph. Australia.
- ^ Williams, Tim (3 April 2016). "Federal MP Jamie Briggs joins call for seal cull after witnessing 'massacre' of fairy penguins". The Advertiser. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
- ^ "Brash, aggressive Jamie Briggs won't be missed". The Advertiser. Adelaide. 29 December 2015.