Joe Tripodi

Joseph Guerino Tripodi (born 25 November 1967) is a former Australian politician.

Tripodi was born in 1967 and raised in Fairfield, a suburb in south-western Sydney, the eldest of four children to Italian migrants Angelo and Iolanda, receiving his early years of education at Westfields High School, West Fairfield.

He graduated with a Bachelor of Economics (Hons) from the University of Sydney and became an economist with the Reserve Bank of Australia from 1989 to 1991.

At age 16, Tripodi joined the Labor Party and served as State Secretary of NSW Young Labor, later becoming an official with the NSW Labor Council from 1993 to 1995.

He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing the electorate of Fairfield for the Labor Party between 1995 and 2011.

He was Minister for Finance, Infrastructure, Regulatory Reform, Ports and Waterways under former Premier Nathan Rees.

In 1995, Tripodi was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, representing the western Sydney electorate of Fairfield for Labor.

Prior to entering the ministry Tripodi was the Chairman of the Legislative Assembly Public Accounts Committee.

In 1996, it was reported that he paid almost $7,000 in cash to the ALP head office to fund a "branch stack".

In October 2000, he was accused of sexually assaulting an Australian Democrats staffer at a New South Wales Parliament House function the month before.

The complainant made an initial statement to the NSW Police, but withdrew it the following day.

It was later alleged that one of the police officers who investigated the original complaint was a member of Tripodi's branch of the ALP.

In 2001, the manager of a committee chaired by Tripodi took out an apprehended violence order (AVO) against the MP after he publicly opposed a development application by her husband for a tavern opposite a primary school in Tripodi's electorate.

The AVO was withdrawn shortly afterward.

Tripodi was also accused of branch stacking.

He was the Minister for Housing from February to August 2005, when he became Minister for Roads.

In September 2005, he was chased and grabbed on the floor of the Assembly by National Party member Andrew Fraser, apparently in relation to a road funding issue.

He and Obeid have been held responsible for ending the hopes of loyal Terrigal Carl Scully of becoming NSW Premier in 2005 following the resignation of Bob Carr.

Tripodi and Obeid reportedly walked into Scully's office and informed him that they had decided to support then Health Minister Morris Iemma instead.

This has since been described as "one of the greatest acts of bastardry of all time".

In 2005 Tripodi was named as a witness in the Orange Grove affair involving allegations of unlawful rejection of a development application for a proposed retail outlet in southwest Sydney.

He was subsequently cleared of wrongdoing by the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption.

In February 2006, he became Minister for Energy, Minister for Ports and Waterways and Minister Assisting the Treasurer on Business and Economic Regulatory Reform.

He was a controversial figure during his time in politics, known as a factional boss, within the NSW Labor Right whose Terrigals sub-faction has twice dumped the sitting Labor Premier during 2007 and 2009.

In April 2007, he became Minister for Small Business, Regulatory Reform, Ports and Waterways.

In 2007, former premier Bob Carr was critical of Tripodi's performance as waterways minister with regard to his management of harbour development.

Iemma went on to become Premier and win the 2007 NSW elections; however, in 2008 Tripodi and Obeid withdrew their support for Iemma, forcing Iemma to resign from the NSW Premiership.

Coalition campaign advertising ahead of the 2007 election identified Tripodi—along with Treasurer Michael Costa and Planning Minister Frank Sartor—as one of the government's least popular.

On 8 September 2008 Iemma's successor Nathan Rees promoted Tripodi to the Finance and Infrastructure portfolios, in addition to his previous responsibilities of Ports and Waterways, and Regulatory Reform.

In 2009, it was reported that Tripodi had proposed electricity industry reform in NSW that would result in the three state-owned retailers being sold off to private enterprise and the sale of long-term "gentrader" contracts.

Along with Eddie Obeid, Tripodi was seen as a factional leader of a sub-faction known informally as "the Terrigals".

On 15 November 2009 Rees dumped Tripodi from the front bench for allegedly plotting to install former Health Minister John Della Bosca as Premier; Rees used new special powers granted to him at the NSW Labor Party State Conference the day before, which gave him authority to choose who serves on the Labor front bench instead of the State Parliamentary Labor Party.

Soon afterwards, Tripodi enacted revenge on Rees by organising a petition calling for a special caucus meeting to enable a leadership challenge.

This resulted in Rees on 3 December 2009 stating that "Should I not be Premier by the end of this day, let there be no doubt in the community's mind, no doubt, that any challenger will be a puppet of Eddie Obeid and Joe Tripodi".

Rees that day subsequently lost the leadership and Premiership to Kristina Keneally.

His career from early on until its end, was marked by a series of public allegations about impropriety and corruption.

On 11 November 2010, he announced his decision to not contest the 2011 state election.

Tripodi had his membership of the Labor Party terminated in June 2014 after the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) found that Tripodi acted in corrupt conduct by deliberately failing to disclose to his Cabinet colleagues his awareness of the Obeid family's financial interests in Circular Quay leases.

In 2016 ICAC made a second finding of corruption against Tripodi for leaking confidential Treasury information to benefit Nathan Tinkler's business interests, and recommended charges.

In 2017 ICAC made a third finding of corruption against Tripodi for using his ministerial position to try to award a government water contract to benefit the Obeid family.