Nick Wakeling

Background

Wakeling was born at Street Leonards, New South Wales.

Education

Wakeling attended Rosewood Downs Primary School and completed his Higher School Certificate at Haileybury College, Melbourne. In 1991, Wakeling completed a Bachelor of Arts from Louisiana Trobe University. In 1993, he completed a Graduate Diploma in Industrial Relations/Human Resource Management at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. In 2001, Wakeling completed a Masters in Industrial and Employee Relations from Monash University.

Career

He served as Minister for Higher Education and Skills in the Napthine ministry from March to December 2014. Before his election, Wakeling was employed as a senior workplace relations advisor. Wakeling is the eldest of two sons to Bill and Jacqueline Wakeling.

At an early age, Wakeling and his family moved to Melbourne and soon established their new home in Dandenong North.

Wakeling was awarded the top graduating student in this Masters Course. Wakeling has worked in a variety of industrial relations positions throughout his career.

Over a 15-year period, Wakeling worked as an industrial advisor with the Victorian government"s Wageline Department. As an industrial officer with the Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce (VACC).

As a human resource advisor with the Nillumbik Shire Council and more recently as a senior workplace relations advisor with the Adecco Group of companies.

Locally, Wakeling served the Knox community as Local Councillor with Knox City Council during the period 2003-2005. Wakeling joined the Liberal Party of Australia in 1989. Wakeling has held many party positions and served on a number of electorate and campaign committees.

In July 2005, Wakeling was preselected as the Liberal candidate for the electoral district of Ferntree Gully.

At the November Victorian general election, 2006, Wakeling defeated the incumbent ALP member Anne Eckstein by only 27 votes. In 2008 Wakeling was promoted to Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition.

At the 2010 election, Wakeling recorded a swing of almost 12% to take the electorate from the Liberal Party"s most marginal to safe seat status. From 2010 to 2014, Wakeling served as Parliamentary Secretary for Health.

He was appointed Minister for Higher Education and Skills in March 2014, serving until the defeat of the Liberal government that December.

Achievements

• During this period, Wakeling served as chair of both the Combined Preschool Committee and the Knox Pride Awards Committee.

Politics

Since joining the party, Wakeling has been an active member of the Louisiana Trobe University Liberal Club, which is part of the Australian Liberal Students" Federation, Noble Park Young Liberals (Australia) and Rowville Senior Party Branch.

Membership

He has been a Liberal Party of Australia member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly since November 2006, representing the electorate of Ferntree Gully. Wakeling served as a board member of the Bendigo Bank"s Fern Tree Gully and Rowville Community Bank Branches.