Joe McCracken (born 30 January 1988) is an Australian politician. He has been a member of the

Victorian Legislative Council The Victorian Legislative Council is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria, Australia, the lower house being the Victorian Legislative Assembly, Legislative Assembly. Both houses sit at Parliament House, Melbourne, Parliament ...

since November 2022, representing

Western Victoria Region Western Victoria Region is one of the eight electoral regions of Victoria, Australia, which elects five members to the Victorian Legislative Council (also referred to as the upper house) by proportional representation. The region was created in ...

. McCracken is a member of the

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 ...

. McCracken is openly gay.

Early life and education

McCracken was born in January 30th, 1988 and grew up in

Ballarat Ballarat ( ) () is a city in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 census, Ballarat had a population of 111,973, making it the third-largest urban inland city in Australia and the third-largest city in Victoria. Within mo ...

. He worked in the family run pub. He attended

St Patrick's College, Ballarat St Patrick's College, sometimes referred to as St Pat's, Paddy's or SPC, is an independent Catholic secondary day and boarding school for boys, located in central Ballarat, Victoria, Australia. The school was founded by the Congregation of Chr ...

Pre-Political Career

After gaining a Bachelor of Commerce & Bachelor of Management, McCracken worked as an accountant in Ballarat. He then completed a Diploma of Education before beginning teaching at Trinity College, Colac, in 2013.

Politics

McCracken served as a councillor for

Shire of Colac Otway The Shire of Colac Otway is a local government area in the Barwon South West region of Victoria, Australia, located in the south-western part of the state. It covers an area of and in June 2018 had a population of 21,503. It includes the towns ...

between 2016-2022, served as Mayor in 2017-18, and Deputy Mayor in 2018-2020. In November 2022 he was elected as last of the five members of the

of the

References

Living people Members of the Victorian Legislative Council Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Victoria 21st-century Australian politicians Year of birth missing (living people) LGBTQ legislators in Australia {{Australia-Liberal-politician-stub