Joseph Michael Francis (born 11 December 1970) is a former Australian politician who was a

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

member of the Legislative Assembly of

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 ...

from 2008 to 2017, representing the seat of Jandakot. He was a minister in the Barnett government from March 2013 to March 2017, and was considered a front runner for the Liberal Party leadership until he lost his seat at the 2017 state election.

Early life

Francis was born in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, to Robyn Caroline Mitchell and Charles Henry Francis. He has one sister Janelle May Francis. His primary education was at Spiritus Sanctus Primary school at North Ryde NSW. He attended

Saint Ignatius' College, Riverview Saint Ignatius' College Riverview is an Australian independent single-sex primary and secondary Day school, day and Boarding school, boarding school for boys located in Riverview, New South Wales, Riverview, a small suburb on the Lane Cove Rive ...

, and after leaving school joined the

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the navy, naval branch of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (Australia), Chief of Navy (CN) Vice admiral (Australia), Vice Admiral Mark Hammond (admiral), Ma ...

. He served in the navy from 1989 to 1994, and subsequently worked as a political staffer for several years. Francis moved to Western Australia in 2000, operating a small business. He re-enlisted in the navy in 2002, and served as a navigator and warfare officer with the RAN Submarine Service, initially aboard HMAS ''Farncomb'' and later as an instructor at a training centre.

Politics

In 2008, Francis left the navy in order to run for parliament at the 2008 state election. He was elected to the newly created seat of Jandakot, which had been created with a notional majority for the Labor Party. In June 2012, Francis was appointed parliamentary secretary to the Minister for Finance, the Minister for Commerce, and the Minister for Small Business. After the 2013 state election, where he increased his majority in Jandakot, Francis was elevated to the ministry, becoming Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Corrective Services, and Minister for Veterans. In August 2013, he was also made Minister for Small Business. He relinquished that position to Sean L'Estrange in a reshuffle in March 2016, but was made Minister for Fisheries instead.Hon. Joseph (Joe) Michael Francis MLA
– Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 10 July 2016. After losing the seat of Jandakot at the 2017 state election, Francis was appointed general manager of Australian Transit Group. In 2019, he was appointed to the

Administrative Appeals Tribunal The Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) was an Australian tribunal that conducted independent merits review of administrative decisions made under Commonwealth laws of the Australian Government. The AAT reviewed decisions made by Australian G ...

Community

Francis was appointed (2017 - current) as WA Chair of the Duke of Edinburgh's International Award - Australia

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Francis, Joe 1970 births Living people Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Western Australia Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly People educated at Saint Ignatius' College, Riverview Politicians from Sydney Royal Australian Navy personnel Royal Australian Navy submariners 21st-century Australian politicians

Early life

Politics

Community

See also

References