Nick Champion

Member for Wakefield

About Nick

First elected in 2007, Nick is the member for the federal seat of Wakefield. At the 2010 election he became the first Labor member in history to be re-elected to the federal seat of Wakefield.

Nick grew up in Kapunda in South Australia’s mid-north. He completed Year 12 at Kapunda High School and worked as a fruit picker and station hand every summer during his high school and university studies.

After completing a Bachelor of Arts at the Salisbury campus of the University of South Australia, he worked as a cleaner, salesman and trolley collector.

In 1994 he joined the Shop Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association and was later employed as an official. While employed at the union, Nick was an organiser, training officer and occupational health & safety officer.

He was the President of the South Australian branch of the ALP in 2005-6 and he has completed a Graduate Diploma in Communication from the University of South Australia.

In October 2010 Nick was elected Caucus Secretary of the Federal Parliamentary Labor Party.

Contact Nick

Parliament House Office
PO Box 6022
House of Representatives - Parliament House
Canberra
ACT
2600
(02) 6277 4451
(02) 6277 8511

Wakefield Electorate Office
Shop 89, 600 Main North Road
PO Box 288
Smithfield
SA
5114
(08) 8284 2422
(08) 8284 2433

Electorate Profile

Wakefield

State:

Name Derivation:

Named after Edward Gibbon Wakefield 1796-1862, whose theories of colonisation had a great impact on the formation of settlements in Western Australia and South Australia.

Area and Location Description:

Wakefield covers an area of approximately 6 155 sq km from Salisbury in the northern suburbs of Adelaide to Clare in the Clare Valley, 135 km north of Adelaide. The main suburbs include Elizabeth, Salisbury (part), Craigmore and Munno Para. The towns of Virginia, Gawler, Port Wakefield (part), Balaklava, Clare, Kapunda, Riverton, Mallala, Freeling and Tarlee are also included in this division.

Products/Industries of the Area:

The main industries hosted by the northern suburbs of Adelaide include clothing, defence, the Edinburgh RAAF Base, automotive and automotive component manufacturing. General Motors Holden are the major employer of the area and produce Holden cars for Australia and many overseas markets. The rural and agricultural industries include cereal crops, sheep, cattle, market gardens and viticulture (including the renowned Clare Valley wine region). McLeod's Daughters is filmed in and around the towns of Gawler and Freeling.