Gregory Michael Piper (born 31 August 1957 in
Coffs Harbour, New South Wales
Coffs Harbour is a city on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, north of Sydney, and south of Brisbane. It is one of the largest urban centres on the North Coast, with a population of 78,759 as per 2021 census. The Gumbaynggir ...
), an Australian politician, is the
independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independe ...
member of the
New South Wales Legislative Assembly
The New South Wales Legislative Assembly is the lower of the two houses of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The upper house is the New South Wales Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament House ...
representing
Lake Macquarie
The City of Lake Macquarie is a local government area in Greater Newcastle and part of the Hunter Region in New South Wales, Australia. It was proclaimed a city from 7 September 1984. The area is situated adjacent to the city of Newcastle and i ...
since 2007. Piper also served as Mayor of
City of Lake Macquarie
The City of Lake Macquarie is a local government area in Greater Newcastle and part of the Hunter Region in New South Wales, Australia. It was proclaimed a city from 7 September 1984. The area is situated adjacent to the city of Newcastle and ...
between 2004 and 2012, prior to the enactment of the preventing dual membership of
state parliament and
local council.
Early years and background
Piper grew up in the Lake Macquarie suburb of
Kahibah
Kahibah is a suburb of the City of Lake Macquarie, Greater Newcastle in New South Wales, Australia, located from Newcastle's central business district.
Kahibah is the closest suburb to Glenrock Lagoon, and is drained by Flaggy and Little Fl ...
. He has three children and five grandchildren. In his teenage years, he attended St Pius X high school in Adamstown. When Piper finished school, he worked in Steelworks for a year. When he didn't see a future there, he took a nursing job at Morisset Hospital, where he worked for 26 years. He now lives on the Morisset Peninsula in
Mirrabooka, near the Westlakes suburb of