Joe Tripodi was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing the electorate of Fairfield for the Labor Party between 1995 and 2011.
24 Facts About Joe Tripodi
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Joe Tripodi was Minister for Finance, Infrastructure, Regulatory Reform, Ports and Waterways under former Premier Nathan Rees.
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Joe Tripodi was a controversial figure during his time in politics, known as a factional boss, within the NSW Labor Right whose Terrigals sub-faction has twice dumped the sitting Labor Premier during 2007 and 2009.
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Tripodi had his membership of the Labor Party terminated in June 2014 after the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption found that Tripodi acted in corrupt conduct by deliberately failing to disclose to his Cabinet colleagues his awareness of the Obeid family's financial interests in Circular Quay leases.
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In 2016 ICAC made a second finding of corruption against Joe Tripodi for leaking confidential Treasury information to benefit Nathan Tinkler's business interests, and recommended charges.
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In 2017 ICAC made a third finding of corruption against Joe Tripodi for using his ministerial position to try to award a government water contract to benefit the Obeid family.
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Joe Tripodi was born in 1967 and raised in Fairfield, a suburb in south-western Sydney, the eldest of four children to Italian migrants Angelo and Iolanda, receiving his early years of education at Westfields High School, West Fairfield.
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Joe Tripodi graduated with a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Sydney and became an economist with the Reserve Bank of Australia from 1989 to 1991.
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At age 16, Joe Tripodi joined the Labor Party and served as State Secretary of NSW Young Labor, later becoming an official with the NSW Labor Council from 1993 to 1995.
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In 1995, Joe Tripodi was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, representing the western Sydney electorate of Fairfield for Labor.
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Joe Tripodi was the Minister for Housing from February to August 2005, when he became Minister for Roads.
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In 2009, it was reported that Joe Tripodi had proposed electricity industry reform in NSW that would result in the three state-owned retailers being sold off to private enterprise and the sale of long-term "gentrader" contracts.
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In 2001, the manager of a committee chaired by Joe Tripodi took out an apprehended violence order against the MP after he publicly opposed a development application by her husband for a tavern opposite a primary school in Joe Tripodi's electorate.
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In 2005 Joe Tripodi was named as a witness in the Orange Grove affair involving allegations of unlawful rejection of a development application for a proposed retail outlet in southwest Sydney.
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Joe Tripodi was cleared of wrongdoing by the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption.
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Independent MPs indicated that, in the event of a hung parliament, they would not support a minority Labor government in which Joe Tripodi remained a minister.
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Joe Tripodi was the 15th Labor MP to announce their retirement since the last state election in 2007.
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In 2009 it was reported that Joe Tripodi had approached senior Labor officials in 2008 to seek advice about possible endorsement in the federal seat of Fowler at the 2010 election.
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Joe Tripodi denied the media report, describing it as "completely false".
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On 6 November 2013, Joe Tripodi requested that his membership of the Labor Party be suspended until such time as the Commission released its findings.
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The Commission handed down its findings in June 2014, and found that Joe Tripodi engaged in corrupt conduct in 2007 by deliberately failing to disclose to his Cabinet colleagues his awareness of the Obeid family's financial interests in Circular Quay leases.
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In 2016 ICAC made a second finding of corruption against Joe Tripodi for leaking confidential Treasury information to benefit Nathan Tinkler's company Buildev, and recommended the Director of Public Prosecutions consider charging Joe Tripodi with misconduct in public office.
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In 2017 ICAC found Joe Tripodi engaged in "serious corrupt conduct" for using his ministerial position to try to award a lucrative government water contract which would have financially benefited the Obeid family, and again recommended charges of misconduct in public office.
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Joe Tripodi chose not to respond and Baird recommended to Governor David Hurley that the honorific be removed; which was authorised with effect from December 2014.