Benjamin Cameron Franklin (born 1972/1973) is an Australian politician. He served as a member of the

New South Wales Legislative Council The New South Wales Legislative Council, often referred to as the upper house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of the Australian state of New South Wales. The other is the Legislative Assembly. Both sit at Parliament House in t ...

from March 2015 until March 2019, representing the National Party. He resigned in 2019 to contest the Legislative Assembly seat of Ballina, but was defeated by the incumbent Greens MP

Tamara Smith Tamara Francine Smith, an Australian politician, is a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Ballina for the Greens since 2015. Smith is the first non-conservative to represent the Ballina area in 88 years. Novelist ...

. He was subsequently appointed in May 2019 to fill the casual vacancy caused by his own resignation. Franklin has served as the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, the Minister for the Arts, and the Minister for Regional Youth in the

Perrottet ministry The Second Perrottet ministry or Second Perrottet–Toole ministry is the 99th ministry of the Government of New South Wales, and is led by Dominic Perrottet, the state's 46th Premier. The Liberal–National coalition ministry was formed on 21 ...

since December 2021. Prior to his election, Franklin served as the State Director of the Nationals between 2008 and 2015.

Early life

The child of two school teachers, Franklin grew up in and Coal Point before being awarded an academic scholarship to study at Cranbrook School in Sydney. Franklin's great, great uncle was

Banjo Paterson Andrew Barton "Banjo" Paterson, (17 February 18645 February 1941) was an Australian bush poet, journalist and author. He wrote many ballads and poems about Australian life, focusing particularly on the rural and outback areas, including the ...

. Franklin studied a BA at the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

and resided at St Paul's College during his studies. He is a former member of 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 ...

and President of the NSW Young Liberals (2001-2002).

Career

Franklin was the Communications Director for UNICEF Australia before being appointed State Director of the Nationals in 2008, where he served until his election to the NSW Legislative Council in March 2015. Preselected to the leading position on the Nationals ticket while a resident of in Sydney's lower north shore, Franklin vowed to move to the

NSW North Coast New South Wales North Coast or NSW North Coast, an interim Australian bioregion, is located in New South Wales,

on his election. He currently lives in

Byron Bay Byron Bay (Minjungbal: ''Cavvanbah)'' is a beachside town located in the far-northeastern corner of the state of New South Wales, Australia on Bundjalung Country. It is located north of Sydney and south of Brisbane. Cape Byron, a headla ...

. In January 2017, Franklin was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Renewable Energy and Northern NSW. In December 2021, Franklin was appointed as the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, the Minister for the Arts, and the Minister for Regional Youth. Following Stuart Ayres' resignation, Franklin assumed the portfolio of

Minister for Tourism The Minister of Tourism is the head of the governmental department that specializes in tourism, recreation and/or culture. The position exists in many different countries under several names: *Ministry of Tourism and Environment (Albania) * Mini ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Franklin, Ben 1970s births Living people Members of the New South Wales Legislative Council National Party of Australia members of the Parliament of New South Wales People educated at Cranbrook School, Sydney 21st-century Australian politicians