Josh Frydenberg facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Josh Frydenberg
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Frydenberg in 2019
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| Treasurer of Australia | |
| In office 24 August 2018 – 23 May 2022 Serving with Scott Morrison (2021–2022)
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| Prime Minister | Scott Morrison |
| Preceded by | Scott Morrison |
| Succeeded by | Jim Chalmers |
| Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party | |
| In office 24 August 2018 – 30 May 2022 |
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| Leader | Scott Morrison |
| Preceded by | Julie Bishop |
| Succeeded by | Sussan Ley |
| Minister for the Environment and Energy | |
| In office 19 July 2016 – 24 August 2018 |
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| Prime Minister | Malcolm Turnbull |
| Preceded by | Greg Hunt |
| Succeeded by | Melissa Price (Environment) Angus Taylor (Energy) |
| Minister for Resources and Energy | |
| In office 21 September 2015 – 19 July 2016 |
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| Prime Minister | Malcolm Turnbull |
| Preceded by | Gary Gray |
| Succeeded by | Matt Canavan |
| Assistant Treasurer of Australia | |
| In office 23 December 2014 – 21 September 2015 |
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| Prime Minister | Tony Abbott Malcolm Turnbull |
| Preceded by | Arthur Sinodinos |
| Succeeded by | Kelly O'Dwyer |
| Member of the Australian Parliament for Kooyong |
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| In office 21 August 2010 – 21 May 2022 |
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| Preceded by | Petro Georgiou |
| Succeeded by | Monique Ryan |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Joshua Anthony Frydenberg
17 July 1971 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Spouse | Amie Saunders |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater |
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| Profession |
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Joshua Anthony Frydenberg (born 17 July 1971) is an Australian former politician. He was the Treasurer of Australia and the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party from 2018 to 2022. He also served as a member of parliament (MP) for the area of Kooyong from 2010 to 2022.
After finishing university, Frydenberg worked as an adviser for Prime Minister John Howard and Foreign Minister Alexander Downer. He also worked for a bank called Deutsche Bank. In 2010, he was elected to the Australian House of Representatives. He quickly became a minister, holding several important roles from 2013 to 2018. These included Minister for Resources and Minister for the Environment and Energy.
In August 2018, he became the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party. This happened after Scott Morrison became the new leader and Prime Minister. Morrison then chose Frydenberg to be the Treasurer.
At the 2022 federal election, Frydenberg lost his seat to Monique Ryan. He was the first Treasurer to lose his seat in an election since 1931. After leaving politics, he became a chairman at the Australian part of the investment bank Goldman Sachs.
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Early Life and Education
Frydenberg was born in Melbourne, Australia. His mother, Erika Strausz, is a psychologist and professor. His father, Harry, is a surgeon. His mother was born in Hungary in 1943. She came to Australia in 1950 as a child refugee after escaping the Holocaust. His great aunt, Mary Frydenberg, was also a victim of the Holocaust. She spent two years in the Auschwitz concentration camp.
His father is also Jewish. His grandparents moved to Australia from Poland in the 1930s. His grandfather owned a clothing store with two other Jewish families.
School and Tennis
Frydenberg went to Jewish schools, Bialik College and Mount Scopus Memorial College. He loved playing tennis when he was young. He even tried to convince his parents to let him leave high school to play tennis professionally, but they said no. He put a sign in his room that said, "The pain of discipline is far easier than the pain of regret."
After high school, he took a year off to play tennis full-time in Australia and Europe. He played against famous tennis players like Mark Philippoussis and Pat Rafter. He also represented Australia at two World University Games.
University Studies
Frydenberg earned degrees in economics and law from Monash University. He then worked at a large Australian law firm. He won scholarships to study at both Yale University and the University of Oxford. He chose Oxford and completed a Master of International Relations.
He also earned another master's degree from Harvard University. Frydenberg was one of several Liberal MPs who studied at top universities like Oxford, Cambridge, or Ivy League schools.
Early Career in Politics
In 1999, Frydenberg started working as an adviser for the Attorney-General. Then, he became an adviser to the Foreign Affairs Minister, a job he held until 2003. From 2003 to 2005, he was a policy adviser to Prime Minister John Howard. He focused on topics like national security and border protection. In 2005, he started working as a director at Deutsche Bank in Melbourne.
Becoming a Member of Parliament
In 2006, Frydenberg tried to become the Liberal Party candidate for the area of Kooyong. This was a safe Liberal seat in Melbourne. However, the current member, Petro Georgiou, won the nomination.
After Georgiou announced he would retire in 2010, Frydenberg tried again for Kooyong. He had support from former Prime Minister John Howard. Frydenberg won the Liberal Party nomination this time.
Time as a Member of Parliament
At the 2010 election, Frydenberg won the seat of Kooyong. He was only the fifth person to represent this seat in 88 years. This seat was once held by Australia's longest-serving Prime Minister, Robert Menzies.
Frydenberg was the first Jewish Liberal elected to the House of Representatives. In his first speech, he spoke about his Jewish grandparents and great aunt who came to Australia as refugees. He also talked about the importance of migrants in his community.
Roles in Government
In 2013, Frydenberg was re-elected. He became a Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister. In December 2014, he became the Assistant Treasurer.
When Malcolm Turnbull became Prime Minister in September 2015, Frydenberg was appointed Minister for Resources, Energy and Northern Australia. In 2016, after the government was re-elected, he became the Minister for the Environment and Energy.
Frydenberg also changed his view on same-sex marriage in 2015 and publicly supported it.
Citizenship Questions
After the 2016 election, some members of parliament faced questions about their citizenship. This was because the Australian Constitution says MPs cannot have dual citizenship.
Questions were raised about Frydenberg's eligibility. His mother and her family came to Australia as refugees from Hungary and were stateless. However, Hungary later offered citizenship to descendants, which might have applied to Frydenberg.
The Federal Court ruled in March 2020 that Frydenberg was eligible to be in parliament. The court found that his maternal family had lost their Hungarian citizenship when they left Hungary.
Becoming Treasurer
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In August 2018, there were changes in the leadership of the Liberal Party. Scott Morrison became the new leader and Prime Minister. Julie Bishop stepped down as Deputy Leader. Frydenberg was then elected as the new Deputy Leader.
Prime Minister Morrison announced that Frydenberg would become the new Treasurer. As Treasurer, Frydenberg was in charge of Australia's money and economy. He delivered his first federal budget in April 2019.
At the 2019 federal election, he kept his seat of Kooyong, but with fewer votes than before. He faced a strong challenge from a Greens candidate.
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In the lead-up to the 2022 election, Frydenberg's seat of Kooyong faced a big challenge from an independent candidate, Monique Ryan. On 21 May, Frydenberg lost his seat to Ryan. This was the first time the Liberal Party had not held the seat of Kooyong since it began in 1901.
Life After Politics
In July 2022, Frydenberg joined the investment bank Goldman Sachs. He became a senior adviser for the Asia Pacific region. In September 2023, he was appointed chairman of Goldman Sachs' operations in Australia and New Zealand. This decision meant he would not try to run for the Kooyong seat again in 2025.
In May 2024, Frydenberg explored the rise of antisemitism in a Sky News Australia documentary called Never Again: The Fight Against Antisemitism.
Personal Life
Frydenberg is married and has two children.
He is a big fan of the Carlton Football Club (an Australian rules football team). He was the club's number-one ticket holder in 2021 and 2022. In 2019, he was also the Melbourne Storm (a rugby league team) number-one ticket holder.
See also
- List of Jewish members of Australian parliaments
