21 Facts About Nick Champion

Nicholas David Champion was born on 27 February 1972 and is an Australian politician.

Nick Champion is a member of the South Australian Labor Party and has served in the South Australian House of Assembly since the 2022 South Australian state election, representing the seat of Taylor.

Nick Champion has served as the Minister for Trade and Investment, Minister for Housing and Urban Development and Minister for Planning in the Malinauskas ministry since March 2022.

Nick Champion previously served in federal parliament as a Labor Party member in the House of Representatives from 2007 to 2022, first representing the Division of Wakefield until its abolition in 2019, before transferring to the new Division of Spence.

Nick Champion spent his early years in the rural town of Kapunda and completed his secondary education at Kapunda High School while working part-time as a fruit picker.

Nick Champion previously worked as a cleaner, salesman and trolley collector.

Nick Champion completed an Arts degree and a Graduate Diploma in Communication at the University of South Australia.

Nick Champion became a union official at the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association in 1994, serving as an organiser, training officer and occupational health and safety officer.

Nick Champion served as South Australian State President of the Australian Labor Party from 2005 to 2006 and was a ministerial adviser to state Labor Minister Michael Wright.

Nick Champion won the seat of Wakefield at the 2007 election, defeating incumbent Liberal Party of Australia member David Fawcett with a 56.6 percent two-party vote.

Nick Champion was the third Labor member to ever win the seat.

Nick Champion made it a safe Labor seat on paper at the 2010 election with a 62 percent two-party vote, and became the first Labor member to be re-elected to Wakefield.

Nick Champion retained Wakefield at the 2013 election on a 53.4 percent two-party vote even as Labor lost government, marking the first time the non-Labor parties won government at an election without winning Wakefield.

Nick Champion increased his margin at the 2016 election with a 61 percent two-party vote, again making Wakefield a safe Labor seat on paper.

Nick Champion served as a shadow parliamentary secretary in Bill Shorten's shadow ministry from 2014 to 2019.

In 2020, Nick Champion was rumoured to be considering a switch to state parliament, initially through the electoral district of Light in the South Australian House of Assembly, following the release of draft new boundaries that would have left the seat vacant.

That plan was thwarted by the final report of the Electoral Districts Boundaries Commission, however Nick Champion was again the topic of speculation in January 2021, this time for the safe seat of Taylor.

On 13 February 2021, Nick Champion was pre-selected for the House of Assembly seat of Taylor for the 2022 South Australian election.

Taylor was a comfortably safe Labor seat, and Nick Champion easily retained the seat.

Nick Champion was immediately promoted to Cabinet, serving as the Minister for Trade and Investment, Minister for Housing and Urban Development and Minister for Planning in the Malinauskas ministry.

Nick Champion is married to Fiona Webber, a former ABC journalist and Chief of Staff to a Federal Labor Minister.