22 Facts About Gabrielle Upton

Gabrielle Cecelia Upton was born on 16 December 1964 and is an Australian former politician.

Gabrielle Upton was the member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, representing the seat of Vaucluse for the Liberal Party from 2011 until her retirement at the 2023 New South Wales state election.

Gabrielle Upton served as the NSW Attorney General between April 2015 and January 2017 in the second Baird government and was the first woman to be appointed as Attorney General.

Gabrielle Upton served as the New South Wales Minister for Family and Community Services in the first Baird government during 2014 and 2015; and the Minister for Sport and Recreation during 2013 and 2014.

Gabrielle Upton was born and raised in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney where she attended Brigidine College in Randwick and the University of New South Wales, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws.

Gabrielle Upton moved to live New York City in 1993 where she graduated with a Master of Business Administration from the Stern School of Business at New York University, New York.

Gabrielle Upton then worked as a banker with Deutsche Bank and Toronto Dominion Bank in New York financing the energy sector.

From 2000 until 2010, Gabrielle Upton was legal counsel at the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a member of CAMAC, the Australian federal government's principal advisory committee on corporations and securities law, between 2006 and 2011.

Gabrielle Upton served as Deputy Chancellor at the University of New South Wales from 2006 until 2009, and on the University's Council from 2002 to 2010.

Gabrielle Upton is a Fellow of The Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Gabrielle Upton is a Fellow of the Royal Society of New South Wales.

Gabrielle Upton has spoken out about the need to raise awareness about mental health and in March 2010 gave a speech to Sydney Rotary where she called for a "full gamut" approach to combating mental illness.

Gabrielle Upton has written about the prevalence of mental illness among young Australian lawyers and discussed moves by the legal profession to combat mental illness in the law firm workplace.

On 21 August 2013, Gabrielle Upton was appointed as the Minister for Sport and Recreation.

Gabrielle Upton became the Minister for the Environment, the Minister for Local Government, and the Minister for Heritage in the Berejiklian ministry.

In October 2017, as heritage minister, Gabrielle Upton refused to list the 1981 Sirius building in The Rocks on the New South Wales State Heritage Register, despite the unanimous recommendation of the Heritage Council of New South Wales.

In December 2017, Gabrielle Upton introduced the container deposit scheme called "Return and Earn".

In May 2018, together with the Premier, Gabrielle Upton announced the $45 Million Koala Strategy, the largest commitment by any state government to increasing the koala population.

The month before, Gabrielle Upton came under fire for allowing a significant delay in determining applications for new items to the New South Wales State Heritage Register, with the exception of Hadley Park in Castlereagh, the original home of the family of conservative radio commentator Ray Hadley, thereby fulfilling her obligations under the Heritage Act 1977 "almost entirely in the breach".

Gabrielle Upton was not reappointed to the ministry following the 2019 state election.

In October 2019, as Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier Gabrielle Upton was given the responsibility for research and development investment.

On 25 January 2021, the NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, together with Gabrielle Upton, launched the "Turning ideas into Jobs" Accelerating research and development in NSW Action Plan.