Alister Henskens | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Minister for Skills and Training | |||||||||||||||||||||
In office 21 December 2021 –28 March 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Geoff Lee (Skills and Training) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Tim Crakanthorp | ||||||||||||||||||||
Minister for Science,Innovation and Technology | |||||||||||||||||||||
In office 21 December 2021 –28 March 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Brad Hazzard (Medical Research) Kevin Anderson (Better Regulation and Innovation) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Anoulack Chanthivong | ||||||||||||||||||||
Minister for Enterprise,Investment and Trade | |||||||||||||||||||||
In office 5 August 2022 –28 March 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Stuart Ayres | ||||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Anoulack Chanthivong | ||||||||||||||||||||
Minister for Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||
In office 5 August 2022 –28 March 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Stuart Ayres (Sport and Tourism) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Steve Kamper | ||||||||||||||||||||
Minister for Families,Communities and Disability Services | |||||||||||||||||||||
In office 27 May 2021 –21 December 2021 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Gareth Ward | ||||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Natasha Maclaren-Jones | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Newcastle,New South Wales,Australia | 30 December 1963||||||||||||||||||||
Political party | Liberal Party | ||||||||||||||||||||
Alister Andrew Henskens SC , MP (born 30 December 1963) is an Australian politician. Henskens has been a Liberal Party member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly since 2015,initially representing the electorate of Ku-ring-gai in Sydney's upper North Shore and then Wahroonga from 2023.
He served as the New South Wales Minister for Skills and Training,the Minister for Science,Innovation and Technology,and the Leader of the House in the Legislative Assembly in the second Perrottet ministry from December 2021 [1] and March 2023. He previously served as the Minister for Families,Communities and Disability Services between May and December 2021. [2]
He was born and raised in Newcastle. His father immigrated to Australia from the Netherlands in 1951 while his mother was schooled in Ku-ring-gai. [3] Henskens studied economics and law at the University of Sydney while residing at St Andrew's College,before receiving a master's degree in law from the University of Toronto on a Rotary Scholarship. He practised as a solicitor from 1987 to 1996 and as a barrister thereafter,becoming Senior Counsel in 2011. [4] He specialised in general commercial,insolvency,banking,defamation,building and construction law. He was a director of Basketball NSW from 1997 to 1998,and had a long involvement with local basketball organisations in Newcastle and Sydney.
He was Counsel Assisting the Equine Influenza Inquiry in 2008. [5] Henskens also represented former NSW State Member for Terrigal,Chris Hartcher at the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC)'s Operation Spicer inquiry in 2014. [6] [7]
He was elected to the Legislative Assembly at the 2015 state election,succeeding former Premier Barry O'Farrell in the safe Liberal seat of Ku-ring-gai. He had won a closely fought Liberal preselection,with other contenders including radio presenter Jason Morrison. [8] He was re-elected as the Member for Ku-ring-gai at the 2019 state election.
Henskens was until early 2017 the Chair of the Legislative Assembly Committee on Transport and Infrastructure,a member of the Legislation Review Committee and a member of the Committee on Investment,Industry and Regional Development. He was in 2015 the Chair of the Select Committee on the Regulation of Brothels and a member of the Joint Select Committee on Companion Animal Breeding Practices. [9] Henskens served as the Cabinet Secretary between 24 April 2019 and 27 May 2021,having previously served as the Parliamentary Secretary for Finance,Services and Property since 1 February 2017. Henskens was appointed to Cabinet in May 2021 as Minister for Families,Communities and Disability Services,and further promoted again on 21 December 2021 as Minister for Skills and Training,the Minister for Science,Innovation and Technology,and as Leader of the House in the Legislative Assembly,in the Perrottet ministry. [1]
Henskens and his wife have two children. [9] Henskens' niece is climate activist Violet Coco and Henskens had earlier voted in support of the anti‑protest legislation that was used to sentence Coco to 15 months imprisonment in December 2022. [10]
Nicholas Frank Hugo Greiner (;) is an Australian politician who served as the 37th Premier of New South Wales from 1988 to 1992. Greiner was Leader of the New South Wales Division of the Liberal Party from 1983 to 1992 and Leader of the Opposition from 1983 to 1988. Greiner had served as the Federal President of the Liberal Party of Australia from 2017 to 2020. He is the current Consul-General in the United States of America,New York.
The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) is an agency of the Government of New South Wales responsible for eliminating and investigating corrupt activities and enhancing the integrity of the state's public administration. The Commission was established in 1989,pursuant to the Independent Commission Against Corruption Act,1988 (NSW),modeled after the ICAC in Hong Kong.
Barry Robert O'Farrell is an Australian former politician who has been Australia's High Commissioner to India and non-resident Ambassador to Bhutan since May 2020. O'Farrell was the 43rd Premier of New South Wales and Minister for Western Sydney from 2011 to 2014. He was the Leader of the New South Wales Liberal Party from 2007 to 2014,and was a Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1995 to 2015,representing Northcott until 1999 and representing Ku-ring-gai on the Upper North Shore of Sydney from 1999 to 2015. He is currently President and Independent Board Chair of Diabetes Australia,Chair of the Wests Tigers Rugby League Football Club and CEO of Racing Australia Ltd.
Joseph Guerino Tripodi,a former Australian politician,was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing the electorate of Fairfield for the Labor Party between 1995 and 2011. He was Minister for Finance,Infrastructure,Regulatory Reform,Ports and Waterways under former Premier Nathan Rees. He was a controversial figure during his time in politics,known as a factional boss,within the NSW Labor Right whose Terrigals sub-faction has twice dumped the sitting Labor Premier during 2007 and 2010. On 11 November 2010,he announced his decision to not contest the 2011 state election. Tripodi had his membership of the Labor Party terminated in June 2014 after the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) found that Tripodi acted in corrupt conduct by deliberately failing to disclose to his Cabinet colleagues his awareness of the Obeid family's financial interests in Circular Quay leases. In 2016 ICAC made a second finding of corruption against Tripodi for leaking confidential Treasury information to benefit Nathan Tinkler's business interests,and recommended charges. In 2017 ICAC made a third finding of corruption against Tripodi for using his ministerial position to try to award a government water contract to benefit the Obeid family.
Ku-ring-gai was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. The electorate covers the suburbs and parts of the suburbs of Gordon,Hornsby,Killara,Lindfield,Normanhurst,North Turramurra,North Wahroonga,Pymble,South Turramurra,Thornleigh,Turramurra,Wahroonga,Waitara,Warrawee and West Pymble.
Edward Moses Obeid is a retired Australian politician,and convicted criminal,who served as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council between 1991 and 2011,representing the Labor Party. He was the Minister for Fisheries and the Minister for Mineral Resources from 1999–2003. Prior to the March 2015 expiry of his term in the Legislative Council,Obeid announced his decision to retire early on 10 May 2011,citing family reasons.
Anthony John Roberts is an Australian politician. He was the New South Wales Minister for Planning and the Minister for Homes in the Perrottet ministry from December 2021 until March 2023 when the Perrottet government was defeated at the 2023 New South Wales state election. Roberts is a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Lane Cove for the Liberal Party since 2003.
Christopher "Chris" Peter Hartcher is an Australian politician. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1988 to 2015,representing the electorates of Gosford (1988–2007) and Terrigal (2007–2015). He represented the Liberal Party for most of his career,serving as its deputy state leader from 2002 to 2003,and in the O'Farrell Ministry as Minister for Resources and Energy,Special Minister of State and Minister for the Central Coast. In 2013,he resigned to sit as an independent following his implication in an ongoing Independent Commission Against Corruption inquiry,and retired at the 2015 state election.
Bradley Ronald "Brad" Hazzard,an Australian politician,has been the New South Wales Minister for Health since January 2017 in the Berejiklian and Perrottet ministries. Until his retirement at the March 2023 state election,Hazzard was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Wakehurst for the Liberal Party since 1991.
Andrew Humpherson is a former Australian politician,elected as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for Davidson from 1992–2007. He has since pursued a career in public affairs overseeing the Government and Public Affairs Division of Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation and as Chief of Staff to the Energy and Resources Minister,Chris Hartcher from 2011 to 2014. He is currently a Director of Barton Deakin,a Liberal-aligned lobbying firm founded by his former parliamentary colleague,Peter Collins.
Michael Joseph Gallacher,an Australian politician,was the Minister for Police and Emergency Services and Vice-President of the Executive Council in the O'Farrell government and Baird government from 2011 to 2014;the Minister for the Central Coast from December 2013 to May 2014;and the Minister for Industrial Relations in the Baird government from April to May 2014. Gallacher has been a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council since 1996. He was the Minister for the Hunter between 2011 and 2014.
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Geoffrey Lee is a former Australian politician. He served as the Minister for Corrections in the second Perrottet ministry between December 2021 and March 2023. He has previously served as the Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education in the second Berejiklian and Perrottet ministries between April 2019 and December 2021. Lee was also a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Parramatta for the Liberal Party since 2011 until his retirement in 2023.
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