Albert Paul Jacob (born 16 March 1980) is an Australian politician. He is the current mayor of the
City of Joondalup
The City of Joondalup is a Local government areas of Western Australia, local government area in Perth, Western Australia. Its central business district is located in the suburb Joondalup, and it includes the town centres of Hillarys, Western A ...
. He was the member for the
Western Australian Legislative Assembly
The Western Australian Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of Western Australia, an Australian state. The Parliament sits in Parliament House, Perth, Parliament House in the Western Australian capi ...
seat of
Ocean Reef from 2008 to 2017, and the
Minister for the
Environment and
Heritage
Heritage may refer to:
History and society
* A heritage asset A heritage asset is an item which has value because of its contribution to a nation's society, knowledge and/or culture. Such items are usually physical assets, but some countries also ...
in
Colin Barnett
Colin James Barnett (born 15 July 1950) is an Australian former politician who was the 29th Premier of Western Australia. He concurrently served as the state's Treasurer at several points during his tenure and had previously held various other ...
's government.
He had previously served as the
Parliamentary Secretary for Community Services; Seniors and Volunteering and Youth, from June 2012 to March 2013. His seat was abolished prior to the
2017 state election and he was defeated contesting
Burns Beach.
Early life
Jacob was born in
Subiaco, Western Australia
Subiaco (known colloquially as Subi) is an inner-Western suburbs (Perth), western suburb of Perth, the capital of Western Australia. It is approximately west of Perth's central business district, in the City of Subiaco local government area. H ...
on 16 March 1980. He grew up in
Wanneroo
Wanneroo is a northern suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the City of Wanneroo.
Geography
As it is on the Swan Coastal Plain, the Wanneroo wetlands stretch parallel to the coastline and to the north and south of the suburb.
Ed ...
, and was educated at Kingsway Christian College. He was a horticulturist before studying at the
University of Western Australia
University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Crawley, Western Australia, Crawley, a suburb in the City of Perth local government area. UW ...
and graduating with a Bachelor of Environmental Design, and a Masters in Architecture.
Jacob has always lived in the northern suburbs of Perth.
Politics
Jacob's career in
state parliament began on 6 September 2008 when he was elected the inaugural member for the Western Australian state seat of
Ocean Reef. Prior to that he had served almost three years on the
Joondalup City Council in the North Central Ward.
He was appointed Environment and Heritage Minister in March 2013, following the re-election of the Liberal-National coalition government. Then aged 33, his appointment saw him become one of the youngest ministers ever appointed in
Western Australia
Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...
.
Jacob's other committee and community activities include having been the inaugural chair of both the Tamala Park Coastal Reserve Community Advisory Committee and the
Mitchell Freeway
The Mitchell Freeway is a controlled-access highway, freeway in the northern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia, linking Perth (suburb), central Perth with the city of Joondalup. It is the northern section of List of road routes in Western ...
Extension Community Reference Group, as well as serving as a local Justice of the Peace. He was the inaugural deputy chair of the Ocean Reef Marina Committee, and was also the deputy chair of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Community Development and Justice for four years.
Environment and heritage
In June 2013, Jacob oversaw creation of the
Department of Parks and Wildlife
The Department of Parks and Wildlife (DPaW) was the department of the Government of Western Australia responsible for managing lands described in the ''Conservation and Land Management Act 1984'' and implementing the state's conservation and en ...
along with the Department of Environment Regulation, replacing the
Department of Environment and Conservation.
He also introduced an $81.5 million Kimberley Science and Conservation Strategy to provide for long-term conservation of the
Kimberley region
The Kimberley is the northernmost of the nine regions of Western Australia. It is bordered on the west by the Indian Ocean, on the north by the Timor Sea, on the south by the Great Sandy Desert, Great Sandy and Tanami Desert, Tanami deserts in t ...
, particularly the protection of the region's unique animals, plants and marine environment.
He also oversaw the $21-million Parks for People initiative, proposing to create 450 new camp and caravan sites in 16 of the state's national parks.
Immediately following the defeat of the Barnett Government in
March 2017, those departments and projects were merged into the
Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA).
As Heritage Minister, Jacob established a Heritage Revolving Fund to provide seed money for refurbishment of government-owned heritage buildings. Proceeds from the sale of these properties would fund future projects.
Local government
Jacob was elected Mayor of the
City of Joondalup
The City of Joondalup is a Local government areas of Western Australia, local government area in Perth, Western Australia. Its central business district is located in the suburb Joondalup, and it includes the town centres of Hillarys, Western A ...
in October 2017, succeeding
Troy Pickard. He was re-elected in October 2021. His term expires in October 2025. Jacob believes that voting in
local government
Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state.
Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of a higher-level political or administrative unit, such a ...
elections should be compulsory.
Senate speculation
In November 2020, it was reported that religious conservatives in the WA Liberal Party had wanted to remove WA Liberal senator,
Dean Smith
Dean Edwards Smith (February 28, 1931 – February 7, 2015) was an American men's college basketball Coach (basketball), head coach. Called a "coaching legend" by the Basketball Hall of Fame, he coached for 36 years at the University of North C ...
, from the party's ticket for the next
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
election, in favour of Albert Jacob. These claims were later shown to be unfounded.
Controversy
As the WA Environment Minister, Albert Jacob supported clearing natural bushland for the controversial Roe 8 road project
WA environment minister 'comfortable' with bulldozing bushland for Roe 8 In April 2024, Jacob apologized to council members for breaching conduct by using profanity and slamming a desk during a CEO Performance Review Committee.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jacob, Albert
1980 births
Living people
Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Western Australia
Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly
Politicians from Perth, Western Australia
21st-century Australian politicians
Mayors of places in Western Australia
City of Joondalup