Keith John Pitt (born 31 August 1969) is an Australian politician. He is a member of the National Party and has represented the

Division of Hinkler The Division of Hinkler is an Australian Electoral Division in Queensland. Geography Since 1984, federal electoral division boundaries in Australia have been determined at redistributions by a redistribution committee appointed by the Australi ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

since the 2013 federal election. He was a member of

cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filing ...

in the

Morrison Government The Morrison government was the federal executive government of Australia, led by Prime Minister Scott Morrison of the Liberal Party of Australia, between 2018 and 2022. The Morrison government commenced on 24 August 2018, when it was sworn ...

as Minister for Resources and

Water Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as a ...

and also served as an assistant minister in the Turnbull Government. He was an electrical engineer and businessman before entering politics.

Early life

Pitt was born in

Bundaberg Bundaberg is a city in the Bundaberg Region, Queensland, Australia, and is the tenth largest city in the state. Bundaberg's regional area has a population of 70,921, and is a major centre of the Wide Bay–Burnett geographical region. The Bun ...

. He grew up in Woongarra and attended Kepnock State High School before taking up an electrical apprenticeship. He went on to the

Queensland University of Technology Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is a public research university located in the urban coastal city of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. QUT is located on two campuses in the Brisbane area viz. Gardens Point and Kelvin Grove. The univ ...

, graduating with the degree of

Bachelor of Engineering A Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) or a Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE) is an academic undergraduate degree awarded to a student after three to five years of studying engineering at an accredited college or university. In the UK, a Bache ...

. Pitt worked as an electrical fitter mechanic before joining

Bundaberg Sugar Bundaberg Sugar is a company involved in all aspects of sugar manufacture, including growing and milling the sugarcane and refining and marketing the sugar. It operates principally in the Bundaberg Region, Queensland, Australia. As at 2014, th ...

as an electrical engineer. He later served as the company's group safety co-ordinator. In 2002, he established the Australian Safety and Training Alliance, a workplace health and safety training provider. He and his wife also purchased two sugarcane farms, one bought in 1998 and one in 2004, but they were sold to concentrate on the training business.

Parliamentary career

In December 2012, Pitt won the

Liberal National Party of Queensland The Liberal National Party of Queensland (LNP) is a major political party in Queensland, Australia. It was formed in 2008 by a merger of the Queensland divisions of the Liberal Party and the National Party. At a federal level and in most other ...

preselection Preselection is the process by which a candidate is selected, usually by a political party, to contest an election for political office. It is also referred to as candidate selection. It is a fundamental function of political parties. The presele ...

ballot for the

, following the retirement of incumbent MP

Paul Neville Paul Neville may refer to: * Paul Neville (politician) (1940–2019), Australian politician *Paul Neville (musician), British industrial metal guitarist *Paul Neville (actor) Paul Neville may refer to: *Paul Neville (politician) (1940–2019), Aus ...

. He had been a member of the LNP for only six months prior to his selection, and stated that his victory in the ballot was a surprise. He retained Hinkler for the party at the 2013 federal election and like Neville sits with the Nationals in federal parliament. He was re-elected at the

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

and 2019 federal elections. Pitt served as the Assistant Minister to the

Deputy Prime Minister A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, ...

between February and July 2016, following a rearrangement in the

First Turnbull Ministry The first Turnbull ministry (Liberal–National Coalition) was the 69th ministry of the Government of Australia, led by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. It succeeded the Abbott ministry after a leadership spill that took place on 14 September ...

. With the reelection of the Turnbull Government in

, Pitt served as the Assistant Minister for Trade, Investment and Tourism between July 2016 and December 2017 in the Second Turnbull Ministry. He returned as Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister from 5 March to 28 August 2018. In February 2020, following the resignation of

Matt Canavan Matthew James Canavan (born 17 December 1980) is an Australian politician. He was elected to the Australian Senate representing the state of Queensland at the 2013 federal election for the term beginning 1 July 2014. He won re-election at the ...

, Pitt was reappointed to the ministry as Minister for Resources, Water and Northern Australia in the Second Morrison Ministry. He reportedly supported Michael McCormack against

Barnaby Joyce Barnaby Thomas Gerard Joyce (born 17 April 1967) is an Australian politician who served as the 17th deputy prime minister of Australia under Malcolm Turnbull from 2016 to 2018 and under Scott Morrison from 2021 to 2022. He was the leader of the ...

in the preceding Nationals leadership spill. He contested the party's vacant deputy leadership against

David Littleproud David Kelly Littleproud (born 4 September 1976) is an Australian politician who has been the leader of the National Party since May 2022. He has represented the Queensland seat of Maranoa since the 2016 federal election and was a cabinet mini ...

and

David Gillespie David "Cement" Gillespie (born 22 March 1964) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played as a and forward in the 1980s and 1990s. Gillespie played for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, Western Suburbs Magpies, ...

, with Littleproud emerging victorious.

Political views

In December 2017, Pitt was one of only four members of the House of Representatives to vote against the

Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Act 2017 The ''Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Act 2017'' (Cth) is an Act of the Parliament of Australia, which legalises same-sex marriage in Australia by amending the '' Marriage Act 1961'' to allow marriage between two persons o ...

, which legalised same-sex marriage in Australia. Described as "one of the government’s most outspoken advocates for nuclear power", Pitt quit as assistant minister in August 2018 to demonstrate his opposition to the government commitment to the

Paris Agreement The Paris Agreement (french: Accord de Paris), often referred to as the Paris Accords or the Paris Climate Accords, is an international treaty on climate change. Adopted in 2015, the agreement covers climate change mitigation, Climate change a ...

on emission reductions. He has been described as "one of the key drivers" behind a 2019 parliamentary inquiry into nuclear power which "recommended the government consider adding the energy technology to its future

energy mix The energy mix is a group of different primary energy sources from which secondary energy for direct use - such as electricity - is produced. Energy mix refers to all direct uses of energy, such as transportation and housing, and should not be c ...

". In a May 2021 interview with

Sky News Australia Sky News Australia is an Australian news channel owned by News Corp Australia. Originally launched on 19 February 1996, it broadcasts rolling news coverage throughout the day, while its prime time lineup is dedicated to opinion-based programs f ...

presenter, Tom Connell, Pitt declined to admit that batteries could provide dispatchable power to back up electricity generated by a wind farm.

Personal life

Pitt has three children with his wife Allison.

Notes

References

, - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Pitt, Keith 1969 births Australian farmers Government ministers of Australia Liberal National Party of Queensland members of the Parliament of Australia Living people Members of the Australian House of Representatives Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Hinkler People from Bundaberg Queensland University of Technology alumni Turnbull Government 21st-century Australian politicians Australian electrical engineers Morrison Government