Joel Fitzgibbon
Joel Andrew Fitzgibbon (born 16 January 1962) is a retired Australian politician. He is a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and has served in the House of Representatives from 1996 to 2022, representing the New South Wales seat of Hunter. He served as Minister for Defence (2007–2009) in the first Rudd government and Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (2013) in the second Rudd government. He was also Chief Government Whip in the House of Representatives (2010–2013) in the Gillard government.
The Honourable Joel Fitzgibbon | |
|---|---|
Fitzgibbon in 2008 | |
| Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry | |
| In office 2 July 2013 – 18 September 2013 | |
| Prime Minister | Kevin Rudd |
| Preceded by | Joe Ludwig |
| Succeeded by | Barnaby Joyce |
| Chief Government Whip in the House | |
| In office 27 September 2010 – 14 May 2013 | |
| Prime Minister | Julia Gillard |
| Preceded by | Roger Price |
| Succeeded by | Chris Hayes |
| Minister for Defence | |
| In office 3 December 2007 – 4 June 2009 | |
| Prime Minister | Kevin Rudd |
| Preceded by | Brendan Nelson |
| Succeeded by | John Faulkner |
| Member of the Australian Parliament for Hunter | |
| In office 2 March 1996 – 22 April 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Eric Fitzgibbon |
| Succeeded by | Daniel Repacholi |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Joel Andrew Fitzgibbon 16 January 1962 Bellingen, New South Wales, Australia |
| Political party | Labor |
| Spouse | Dianne |
| Relations | Eric Fitzgibbon (father) |
| Children | 3 |
| Website | www |
Fitzgibbon succeeded his father Eric in federal parliament. He is aligned with the Centre Unity faction in NSW, part of the federal Labor Right faction. Since the 2019 election, he has become a vocal critic of stronger climate change policies, calling a potential 2030 target "delusional", and claiming that any embrace of more ambitious policies will alienate working-class support of Labor.