Anthony Roberts

Education

Roberts was educated at Saint Ignatius" College, Riverview and the University of Technology, Sydney.

Career

He is the former Minister for Fair Trading in the O"Farrell government and the former Minister for Resources and Energy and the Special Minister of State, between 2013 and 2015 in the first Baird government. In 1998, Roberts was deployed as part of the Australian Reserves to Bougainville as part of Operation Belorussian Isi. This operation required Australian forces to monitor a ceasefire on the island following years of civil unrest.

Roberts was elected to Lane Cove Council and served as a Councillor between 1995 and 2003, including a term serving as Deputy Mayor and two terms as Mayor, between 1999 and 2000 and between 2001 and 2002.

Political advisor

Between 1992 and 1996, Roberts was employed as an advisor to the Honorary Doctor Brian Pezzutti Member of Parliament, and between 1996 and 2003, Roberts was employed as an electorate officer to then Prime Minister, John Howard. In the book Jonestown: The Power and the Myth of Alan Jones, journalist Chris Masters claimed that Roberts was employed to act as a liaison between the office and Sydney radio broadcaster Alan Jones.

Australian online political magazine Crikey.com gave Roberts the title, "Minister for Alan Jones". Roberts left Howard"s office when he was elected as the Member for Lane Cove in 2003, following the retirement of Kerry Chikarovski.

Roberts was re-elected in 2007, increasing his margin from 3.2 per cent to 12.4 per central

Following the 2007 election, in May 2008 Roberts was appointed as Shadow Minister for Emergency Services and Juvenile Justice and in December 2008, was moved from these portfolios and was subsequently appointed Shadow Minister for the Arts, Citizenship and Volunteering. On 24 April 2010, Roberts was unanimously endorsed by the Liberal Party to contest the 2011 state election. Subsequent to the election, on 3 April 2011, Roberts was appointed Minister for Fair Trading.

Following the resignation of Chris Hartcher from cabinet 4 December 2013, Fair Trading Minister Anthony Roberts assumed his responsibilities as Minister for Resources and Energy and Special Minister of State.

Stuart Ayres was also appointed to succeed Roberts in his Fair Trading portfolio. Following the resignation of Barry O"Farrell as Premier, and the subsequent ministerial reshuffle by Mike Baird, the new Liberal Leader, in April 2014 Roberts had no change to his existing responsibilities as a minister.

Roberts was previously a director of the public relations firm Flagship Communications. After Roberts was elected to Parliament in 2003, Flagship Communications acted on behalf of owners of the Orange Grove site.

Former NSW Premier Bob Carr claimed in 2004 that, "there appeared to be a warm relationship between Gazcorp and Mr Roberts, evidenced by a stream of faxes and emails giving the Liberal Member of Parliament questions to ask of the Labor Party about the factory outlet".

On 14 September 2004, Roberts said in Parliament that he had ceased being a director of Flagship Communications prior to being elected to Parliament and had never received any payment from Flagship Communications.

Achievements

• He completed voluntary military service, achieving the rank of Captain in the Australian Army Reserve.

Politics

He was re-elected to Lane Cove with a swing of 13.4 points and won the seat with 77.3 per cent of the two-party vote.

Membership

Roberts is a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Lane Cove for the Liberal Party since 2003.