Bernie Ripoll - Member for Oxley

Parliament House

Tel:

(02) 6277 4934

Fax:

(02) 6277 8584

Email:

Email Bernie

Oxley Electorate Office

179 Brisbane Road
Goodna, QLD, 4300

Toll Free:

1800 640 839

Tel:

(07) 3818 3900

Fax:

(07) 3818 1181

Postal Address:

PO Box 555
Goodna, QLD, 4300

Web:

http://www.bernieripoll.com.au/

Biography

Bernie was born in France in 1966 and moved to Australia with his family in 1971.

His family settled in the Inala area with Bernie attending local schools in both Ipswich and Brisbane.

Prior to being elected into the Australian House of Representatives, Bernie joined the RAAF directly from school and then went onto complete an electrical trade qualification through J&P Richardson at Wacol.

Following this, Bernie completed his tertiary education through the Queensland University of Technology, obtaining a Bachelor of Business majoring in communication.

After his time at university, Bernie began fighting for workers rights as a union organiser with the State Public Services Federation of Queensland.

It was not until the age of 32 and at the 1998 federal election that Bernie negotiated his biggest hurdle by winning back the seat of Oxley for the Labor party after its shocking loss to Pauline Hanson in 1996. The loss of Oxley was the first time the ALP had relinquished its hold on the seat since winning it back in 1961.

When Bernie’s not with his wife Margy and their three children, he likes to keep fit by cycling and running. Bernie still likes to train regularly and continues to ride with the ubiquitous café latte biking groups in Brisbane, Ipswich and Canberra. But his true passion is the annual Mall2Mall charity bike ride from Brisbane to Ipswich for which he fulfils the role of founder, patron and organiser.

Electorate Profile

State: Queensland

Name Derivation: Named after John Oxley 1783-1828, noted explorer and surveyor.

Area and Location Description: Oxley covers an area of approximately 217 sq km from Acacia Ridge and Parkinson in the east to Riverview and part of Redbank Plains in the west, and from Corinda and Sinnamon Park in the north to Springfield Lakes in the south.

Products/Industries of the Area: Railway workshops, coal mining, dairying, beef cattle, horse studs and farming with some industrial, light industrial and commercial activities.

First Proclaimed/Election: 1900/1901 (The original Oxley was renamed Griffith in 1934. This division of Oxley was proclaimed in 1949.)

Demographic Rating: Outer Metropolitan

Members:

• RIPOLL, B (ALP) 1998-
• HANSON, P (IND) 1996-1998
• SCOTT, L J (ALP) 1988-1996
• HAYDEN, B G (ALP) 1961-1988
• CAMERON, D A (LP) 1949-1961