Member for Hunter
Joel is the Federal Member for Hunter. He was born in Bellingen, NSW, in 1962. Joel attended Maitland Marist Brothers and St Patrick’s Primary, Cessnock. In addition to his trade qualifications he holds a Graduate Certificate in Business Administration from the University of Newcastle.
Joel was first elected to the House of Representatives in March of 1996 to represent the Hunter electorate in New South Wales. He served as Minister for Defence in the Labor Government between December 2007 and June 2009.
Joel was first elected to the House of Representatives in March of 1996 to represent the Hunter electorate in New South Wales. He served as Minister for Defence in the Labor Government between December 2007 and June 2009.
After leaving high school Joel trained as an auto-electrician and ran his own business for more than ten years. Between 1987 and 1995 he served on Cessnock City Council and was Deputy Mayor of the City between 1989 and 1990.
A former player himself, Joel's favourite sport is Rugby League and he is the Patron of both the Newcastle Knights and his former club, Cessnock. Joel lives with his wife Dianne and their children in Cessnock NSW.