Fellow of Senate

The Hon John J Aquilina MP

BA DipEd Syd, FACE,
Fellow of Senate, 2003 - 2004, 2005 - 2007, 2007 -

The Hon John Aquilina MP has served as a Fellow of Senate of the University of Sydney, firstly from 27 May 2003 to 31 December 2004 in the capacity of a Fellow elected by and from the NSW Legislative Council and then, after changes to the University of Sydney Act 1989, as a Fellow appointed by the Minister for Education and Training on the nomination of Senate from 4 April 2005 to 2 March 2007, and from 6 August 2007. His current term will conclude on 4 March 2011.

Mr Aquilina is currently a member of Senate's Advisory Committee for Honorary Awards, Finance and Infrastructure Committee and Remuneration and Benefits Committee. He was a member of the Selection Committee for a new Vice-Chancellor to replace Professor Gavin Brown on his retirement.

He is the Member for Riverstone in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly and Parliamentary Secretary Assisting the Premier (Leader of the House). He entered the New South Wales Parliament in 1981 and sat on the frontbench from 1986 to 2003.

He was Speaker of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 2003 to 2007, and has held the Ministerial portfolios of Natural Resources, Youth and Community Services, Education and Training, Land and Water Conservation and Fair Trading. He has also held the Assistant Ministerial portfolios of Ethnic Affairs and Youth Affairs,

His extensive community activities have ranged from being Mayor of Blacktown and a Member of the Ethnic Affairs Commission before entering Parliament to his current commitments as an Ambassador of the Sydney Youth Orchestra, a Trustee of Sydney Grammar School and a Board Member of the State Records Authority.

Mr Aquilina graduated from Sydney University and is now an Honorary Associate in the University’s Graduate School of Management. He was a high school History and English teacher for ten years before entering Parliament, and is a Fellow of the Australian College of Educators.