Jamie Briggs facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jamie Briggs
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| Minister for Cities and the Built Environment | |
| In office 18 September 2013 – 29 December 2015 |
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| Prime Minister | Tony Abbott Malcolm Turnbull |
| Preceded by | Sharon Bird (as Minister for Regional Development and Minister for Road Safety) |
| Succeeded by | Paul Fletcher |
| Member of the Australian Parliament for Mayo |
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| In office 6 September 2008 – 2 July 2016 |
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| Preceded by | Alexander Downer |
| Succeeded by | Rebekha Sharkie |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 9 June 1977 Kyneton, Victoria |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Political party | Liberal Party of Australia |
| Spouse | Estée |
| Children | Three |
| Occupation | Politician, political advisor |
Jamie Edward Briggs (born 9 June 1977) is an Australian politician. He was a member of the Australian House of Representatives for the area of Mayo. He represented the Liberal Party of Australia from 2008 until 2016.
Briggs became a minister in the government after the 2013 election. He continued in a ministerial role when Malcolm Turnbull became Prime Minister. However, he later resigned from his position in late 2015. He then became a regular member of parliament, known as a backbencher. In the 2016 federal election, Briggs lost his seat to Rebekha Sharkie. Since 2024, Briggs has worked as a political advisor.
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Early Life and Career
Jamie Briggs grew up in Mildura, a town near the River Murray. His father worked at a local bank, and his mother volunteered at a primary school. Jamie went to St Joseph's College, where he was very good at cricket. He later moved to Adelaide to try and play cricket for Australia.
In 1999, Briggs joined the Liberal Party. From 2000 to 2002, he was part of the Liberal Party State Council. He also worked as an adviser for employment relations at Business SA during this time. In 2002, he started working for Rob Lucas, who was the Treasurer of South Australia. The next year, in 2003, he moved to Canberra. There, he worked for Kevin Andrews in the government led by John Howard. From 2004 to 2007, he was a senior advisor to Prime Minister John Howard.
Political Journey
Jamie Briggs was chosen by the Liberal Party of Australia to run for the seat of Mayo in a special election in 2008. This election was held to replace former Liberal leader Alexander Downer. Briggs won the seat, even though his winning margin was smaller than in the previous election.
After the 2010 election, Briggs became the leader of a committee for the Liberal Party. This committee looked into how the government was spending money. In September 2012, Briggs was given a role as a "Shadow Parliamentary Secretary." This meant he was part of the opposition team, helping to develop policies.
As part of his work, Briggs helped write a book called The Little Book of Big Labor Waste. He wrote it with Tony Abbott, who was the leader of the opposition, and Joe Hockey. The book was published in May 2013.
Becoming a Minister
After the 2013 election, the Abbott government came into power. Jamie Briggs, who was a strong supporter of Tony Abbott, was promoted. He became the Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development.
In September 2015, Tony Abbott was replaced as Prime Minister by Malcolm Turnbull. During a gathering in Abbott's office that night, Briggs injured his leg. He later said he hurt his leg while jogging the next morning.
On 20 September 2015, when the Turnbull government began, Briggs's role changed. He became the Minister for Cities and the Built Environment.
Resignation from Ministry
In November 2015, during an official trip to Hong Kong, an incident occurred involving Briggs. Following this, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull asked Briggs to think about his position. On 29 December 2015, Briggs resigned from his ministerial role. He explained that his behavior had not met the "particularly high standards required of ministers."
Briggs's wife, Estée, later posted a family picture on social media. She reportedly said the situation was "a complete exaggeration and over-reaction." Questions were raised about why it took a long time for the resignation to be announced.
Briggs stated that he planned to run again for the Mayo seat in the 2016 federal election. He also hoped to return to a ministerial role one day. After his resignation, a photograph of the person involved in the incident was shared and later appeared in a national newspaper.
In April 2016, Briggs supported calls to manage seal populations in South Australia. He had seen many fairy penguins on Kangaroo Island that had been harmed.
2016 Election Outcome
In the 2016 federal election, Jamie Briggs was defeated by Rebekha Sharkie. Sharkie had previously worked for Briggs and ran for the Nick Xenophon Team. Briggs lost a significant number of votes compared to the 2013 election. Sharkie won the seat after all the votes were counted.
In September 2024, Briggs was hired as a political advisor to the opposition leader, Peter Dutton. He worked in this role during the 2025 Australian federal election.
Family Life
Jamie Briggs is married to Estée Fiebiger, who also used to work for the Liberal Party. They have three children. The family lives in Aldgate, South Australia.
