Brian Neal Wightman (born 9 January 1976) is an Australian politician who served as Attorney-General of Tasmania from 2010 to 2014. Wightman is a first-generation Tasmanian of

Northern Irish Northern Irish people is a demonym for all people born in Northern Ireland or people who are entitled to reside in Northern Ireland without any restriction on their period of residence. Most Northern Irish people either identify as Northern ...

descent. His parents William and Mary migrated from Belfast, Northern Ireland, to Tasmania in 1971. He is married to Katie and they have two children, twins William and Beatrix, who were born on Christmas Eve, 2008. He was educated in

Launceston, Tasmania Launceston () or () is a city in the north of Tasmania, Australia, at the confluence of the North Esk and South Esk rivers where they become the Tamar River (kanamaluka). As of 2021, Launceston has a population of 87,645. Material was copied ...

and attended Trevallyn Primary School and Riverside High School before graduating from Launceston College in 1993. Wightman studied to become a teacher and obtained a Bachelor of Education in 1997 and a Master of Education in 2004, both from the

University of Tasmania The University of Tasmania (UTAS) is a public research university, primarily located in Tasmania, Australia. Founded in 1890, it is Australia's fourth oldest university. Christ College, one of the university's residential colleges, first pro ...

. Wightman is the former Principal of Winnaleah District High School and Branxholm Primary School and was a teacher at Port Dalrymple School in George Town for seven years before being elected in the electorate of Bass at the State election in 2010. Before embarking on his teaching career Wightman followed his father into the factory, working each summer holiday from age 15. His Father is a life-member of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union and completed 30 years of service at Amcor Fibre Containers. Wightman's first teaching appointment was to George Town at George Town Primary School in 1998. He also taught at Port Dalrymple School, also in George Town, and was principal of Winnaleah District High School and

Branxholm Branxholm is a scenic rural town on the banks of the Ringarooma River in north east Tasmania located 93 km north east of Launceston on the Tasman Highway. It is notable for its saw mill, hop fields and tourism. It has a sprawling street pa ...

Primary School.Green, Antony
The Candidates for Bass
''ABC Elections'', 12 March 2010. He is a strong supporter of the Labor Federal Government's Gonski reforms to education and is a member of the Australian Education Union. Wightman was first pre-selected as a

Labor Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

candidate for the state seat of Bass in the 2010 state election and secured election as the second Labor MP in a close contest with Scott McLean and Beaconsfield Mine collapse survivor Brant Webb. At the 2014 state election he held the following ministerial responsibilities; Attorney General, Minister for Justice, Minister for Environment, Parks and Heritage, and Minister for Education and Skills. Wightman was elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly in 2010 being the 5th candidate elected for the seat of Bass.Tasmanian Electoral Commission, Division of Bass - distribution of preferences (31 March 2010) http://www.electoral.tas.gov.au/pages/HouseOfAssembly/HoA2010/Results/Bass/BassDist.html Comparing the results between the 2010 and 2014 state elections Wightman managed to increase his 1st preference vote by more than 2000 votes, even though he lost his seat in 2014 the increased personal vote is significant given there was an 11.2% swing against the Labor party in Bass. After losing his seat at the 2014 Tasmanian State Election Wightman took up the position of Chief Executive of Cornerstone Youth Services which is a Launceston-based community health organisation which delivers services to people aged 12 to 25 in Tasmania's North and North-West. He later took up the position of Tasmanian Executive Director of the

Property Council of Australia The Property Council of Australia is an Australian national lobby group representing property developers and property owners. It was formed as the Building Owners and Managers’ Association of Australia (BOMA) 1966, incorporated in 1969, and assum ...

, commencing this role on 22 September 2014.Property Council of Australia (2 September 2014) http://www.propertyoz.com.au/Article/NewsDetail.aspx?p=16&id=9919

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wightman, Brian 1976 births Living people Members of the Tasmanian House of Assembly Australian people of Northern Ireland descent Australian schoolteachers Attorneys-General of Tasmania Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Tasmania 21st-century Australian politicians