Giulia Jones (born 1980) is an Australian politician. She was a member of the
Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly for the Australian Capital Territory (known in short as the ACT Legislative Assembly) is the unicameral legislature of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). It sits in the Legislative Assembly Building on Civic Sq ...
representing the electorate of
Murrumbidgee for the
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left.
__TOC__ Active liberal parties
This is a li ...
from
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
until her resignation in 2022.
Jones was the deputy leader of the
Liberal Party in the ACT from October 2020 to January 2022.
Background
Jones was born in
Hobart
Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...
, Tasmania to a mother of Italian descent
and from a
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
family.
[ Jones often notes that her first name Giulia is spelt with a "G". Jones studied political science and history and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts 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 ...
. She married army officer Major Bernard Jones, and moved to Canberra
Canberra ( )
is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...
in late 2005 after twelve months in . She ran a small business, worked in the public service, and as a political staffer for Sophie Mirabella
Sophie Mirabella (née Panopoulos; born 27 October 1968) is an Australian lawyer and former politician who currently serves as a Commissioner on the Fair Work Commission since 24 May 2021. She was previously a Liberal Party member of the Austra ...
and Tony Abbott
Anthony John Abbott (; born 4 November 1957) is a former Australian politician who served as the 28th prime minister of Australia from 2013 to 2015. He held office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia.
Abbott was born in Londo ...
. Jones is a mother of six children.
Prior to her election to the ACT Legislative Assembly, she had sought election on three occasions: pre-selection for a Tasmanian Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
seat in 2007; was a Liberal candidate for a Molonglo at the 2008 election; and at the 2010 federal election for the federal seat of Canberra
Canberra ( )
is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...
. Following a 2018 reshuffling of the Liberal Party in the ACT's leadership, Jones was the Liberal spokeswoman for police and emergency services, corrections and women.
Career
Jones was elected to the Legislative Assembly in 2012 representing the electorate of Molonglo. Since November 2012 she has held a large number of shadow ministries and severed on several committees.
On 24 May 2022, Jones announced she would resign from the Legislative Assembly in the next week. She formally resigned to the Speaker on 2 June, and Ed Cocks was elected in a countback on 20 June. Shortly after her resignation, Painaustralia announced that Jones had been appointed as their CEO.
Controversy
In 2020, Jones had her driver's license
A driver's license is a legal authorization, or the official document confirming such an authorization, for a specific individual to operate one or more types of motorized vehicles—such as motorcycles, cars, trucks, or buses—on a public ...
suspended for three months for various speeding offences while she was serving in the ACT Legislative Assembly as the Liberal opposition's spokeswoman for police and emergency services. Shane Rattenbury
Shane Stephen Rattenbury (born 25 August 1971), is the Attorney-General of the ACT and former Speaker of the ACT Legislative Assembly, and a member of the multi-member district unicameral Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly repr ...
, the Capital Territory's Road Safety Minister, responded by saying Jones had a "blatant disregard for road safety" and called for her resignation. Jones subsequently stated: "After three months of getting around on my bicycle, it's given me some additional perspective and I'm looking forward to starting a-fresh".
This was not the first recorded driving incident by Jones. In early 2020, a local Canberra resident posted on the well known Canberra community Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
forum "Canberra Drivers" a video of Jones' branded vehicle failing to give way at an intersection, narrowly missing a nearby vehicle.
See also
* 2012 Australian Capital Territory general election
Elections to the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly occurred on Saturday, 20 October 2012. The 11-year incumbent Labor Party, led by Chief Minister Katy Gallagher, won a fourth term over the main opposition Liberal Party, led by ...
*
References
External links
*
1980 births
Living people
Members of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly
Liberal Party of Australia members of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly
University of Tasmania alumni
Australian politicians of Italian descent
Politicians from Hobart
21st-century Australian politicians
21st-century Australian women politicians
Women members of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly
Women deputy opposition leaders
{{Canberra-stub