35 Facts About Concetta Fierravanti-Wells

Concetta Anna Fierravanti-Wells is an Australian politician who was a Senator for New South Wales from 2005 to 2022, representing the Liberal Party.

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells served as Minister for International Development and the Pacific in the Turnbull government from 2016 to 2018.

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells grew up in Port Kembla, New South Wales, and, prior to entering politics, worked as a lawyer and policy adviser.

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells is the daughter of Giuseppe and Antonia Fierravanti, both of whom were born in Calitri, Italy.

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells's father arrived in Australia in 1953 to work at the Port Kembla steelworks, and was joined by his future wife six years later.

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells acquired Italian citizenship by descent in 1985, but renounced it in 1994 prior to standing for parliamentary preselection.

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells spoke Italian as her first language, learning English at kindergarten.

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells grew up in Port Kembla, attending St Patrick's Catholic Primary School and St Mary, Star of the Sea College in Wollongong.

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells went on to study at the Australian National University, completing a Bachelor of Arts in political science in European languages in 1980 and a Bachelor of Laws in 1982.

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells served her articles of clerkship with the Canberra firm of Macphillamy, Cummins and Gibson.

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells joined the office of the Australian Government Solicitor in 1984, working for its ACT branch until 1986 and then joining its New South Wales branch.

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells was the acting principal legal officer at the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service in 1990.

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells re-joined the AGS in 1994 as a senior lawyer.

Outside of her professional career, Concetta Fierravanti-Wells was the Australian representative on the General Council of Italians Abroad from 1990 to 1998.

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells was made a knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic in 1998, the youngest Australian to receive the honour.

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells was one of the Coalition's nominees to the multicultural advisory committee for the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells served on the board of Chris Riley's charity Youth Off The Streets from 1999 to 2004, including as chairman from 2002.

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells was an unsuccessful candidate for Liberal preselection at the 1994 Warringah by-election, which saw future prime minister Tony Abbott elected to parliament.

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells was president of the party's Italian special branch from 1995 and elected to the state executive in 1996, serving as a delegate to state council from 1995 and to federal council from 2000.

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells defeated incumbent senator John Tierney for Liberal preselection prior to the 2004 federal election, winning by 57 votes to 51 with the support of powerbroker David Clarke.

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells's victory followed four previous attempts to gain preselection.

Normally Concetta Fierravanti-Wells would have taken her seat on 1 July 2005, however Tierney resigned in April prior to the expiration of his term.

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells was promoted to shadow minister for ageing when Tony Abbott replaced Turnbull as opposition leader in December 2009, adding the mental health portfolio following the 2010 election.

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells was appointed as Assistant Minister for Multicultural Affairs in September 2015, following Turnbull's victory over Abbott in a leadership spill.

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells supported ASIO director-general Duncan Lewis's request that Coalition MPs use more moderate language in reference to Islamic extremism, which was seen as controversial.

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells stated that it was a duty of government to support "the modern and moderate interpretation" of Islam.

On 13 February 2016, it was announced that Concetta Fierravanti-Wells would be appointed Minister for International Development and the Pacific following a rearrangement in the First Turnbull Ministry.

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells resigned from the ministry on 21 August 2018, following the Liberal Party leadership spill that day.

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells was a member of Australians for a Constitutional Monarchy and served on the committee of a Liberal Party publication, The Conservative.

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells is one of twelve senators who voted against what became the Marriage Amendment Act 2017.

In November 2021, Concetta Fierravanti-Wells was one of five Liberal-aligned senators who voted against the government in support of One Nation's COVID-19 Vaccination Status Bill 2021.

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells sought Liberal Party preselection for the 2022 Australian federal election to continue to represent New South Wales.

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells nominated for the winnable positions on the party's Senate ticket.

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells was defeated by both other senators in the ballot held at the state council meeting on 26 March 2022.

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells later clarified via Twitter and an open letter to party members that she did not nominate for the unwinnable positions, and so she would not appear on the Senate ticket and would not be a candidate at the election.