20 Facts About John Aquilina

In 1956, aged 6 years, John Aquilina migrated from Malta to Australia with his parents and younger brother.

John Aquilina commenced teaching at Oaklands Central School as a high school teacher, before returning to Sydney.

Whilst at university in 1970, John Aquilina joined the Blacktown Branch of the Australian Labor Party.

In 1977, John Aquilina was elected as an alderman to Blacktown City Council representing the Labor Party up until 1983; and went on to become Mayor of the Council between 1977 and 1981.

John Aquilina married Anne Michelle Sutcliffe in 1977, and together they had two sons and one daughter.

In that same year, following the retirement of Wran and Unsworth becoming Premier, John Aquilina was appointed Minister for Youth and Community Services and Assistant Minister for Ethnic Affairs.

John Aquilina held these portfolios up until the 1988 state election when Labor lost government to the Greiner-Murray Liberal-National coalition.

In opposition, John Aquilina held the shadow portfolios of Education and Training, Youth and Ethnic Affairs.

John Aquilina decided to contest Amery's old seat of Riverstone; and Pam Allan contest John Aquilina's old seat of Blacktown.

John Aquilina was successful at the 1991 state election and has subsequently defended the seat at the 1995,1999,2003 and 2007 elections.

John Aquilina stood aside in favour of independent Member for Northern Tablelands Richard Torbay.

On 25 October 2010, John Aquilina announced that he would not be contesting the next state election.

In 1982 John Aquilina wrote in the Daily Mirror that it was his electorate's and his personal view that homosexuality should not be decriminalised in New South Wales and he would vote against it in any case, contrary to the position of his party.

Nevertheless, on May 22,1984, John Aquilina voted along party lines for the Neville Wran private member's bill that decriminalised same-sex relationships.

On 10 April 2001 John Aquilina raised the issue in parliament of a foiled plot by a high school student to replicate the Columbine High School Massacre.

John Aquilina alleged that the student's diary contained plans to kill fellow students and teachers.

John Aquilina's staff embellished the story, telling reporters the student had access to a gun.

John Aquilina was later the subject of an Independent Commission Against Corruption investigation that explored possible false statements to the media and political interference in police procedures.

However, John Aquilina relinquished the Education and Training portfolio in late 2001 and was shifted to the Ministries of Land and Water Conservation, and Fair Trading.

On 28 February 2008, John Aquilina made a private members statement, reaffirming the Labor Party's commitment to build a railbridge overpass at the current level crossing at Garfield Road East, Riverstone.