{{Short description|Australian politician}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2014}} {{Use Australian English|date=October 2014}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = The Honourable Dr | name = Geoff Lee | honorific_suffix = | image = NSW Winter Skills Program (cropped).jpg | image_size = 140px | alt = | caption = | office = Minister for Corrections | premier = Dominic Perrottet | term_start = 21 December 2021 | term_end = 28 March 2023 | predecessor = Anthony Roberts<br>{{small|(as Minister for Counter Terrorism and Corrections)}} | successor = Anoulack Chanthivong | office1 = Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education | premier1 = Gladys Berejiklian<br>Dominic Perrottet | term_start1 = 2 April 2019 | term_end1 = 21 December 2021 | predecessor1 = John Barilaro<br>{{small|(as Minister for Skills)}} | successor1 = Alister Henskens<br>{{small|(as Minister for Skills and Training)}} | office2 = Minister for Sport, Multiculturalism, Seniors and Veterans | premier2 = Gladys Berejiklian | term_start2 = 3 March 2021 | term_end2 = 27 May 2021 | predecessor2 = John Sidoti | successor2 = Natalie Ward | constituency_AM9 = Parramatta | assembly9 = New South Wales Legislative | term_start9 = 26 March 2011 | term_end9 = 25 March 2023 | predecessor9 = Tanya Gadiel | successor9 = Donna Davis | birth_date = {{birth based on age as of date|43|2011|4|5}}<ref name="ABC">{{cite news|url=http://abc.net.au/elections/nsw/2011/guide/parr.htm|author=Green, Antony|author-link=Antony Green|title=Parramatta|work=NSW Votes 2011 |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|date=5 April 2011|access-date= 9 April 2011 }}</ref> | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = | resting_place = | resting_place_coordinates = | birth_name = Geoffrey Lee | party = Liberal | spouse = | relations = | children = | alma_mater = {{unbulleted list|Macquarie Graduate School of Management|Macquarie University|University of Western Sydney – Hawkesbury}} | occupation = Politician, academic and former horticulturalist | profession = | cabinet = | committees = | signature = | signature_alt = | website = }}
'''Geoffrey Lee''' (born {{circa|1967}}<ref name="ABC"/>) is a former Australian politician. He was the Minister for Corrections in the second Perrottet ministry between December 2021 and March 2023.<ref name="Gazette 2021-12-21">{{Gazette NSW |title=Parliament, Ministerial, Courts and Police |issue=662 |date=21 December 2021 |url=https://gazette.legislation.nsw.gov.au/so/download.w3p?id=Gazette_2021_2021-662.pdf}}</ref> He has previously served as the Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education in the second Berejiklian and Perrottet ministries between April 2019 and December 2021.<ref>{{Gazette NSW |title=Government Notices |issue=30 |page=1088-1090 |date=2 April 2019 |url=https://gazette.legislation.nsw.gov.au/so/download.w3p?id=Gazette_2019_2019-30.pdf |access-date=3 April 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{cite press release|url=https://www.nsw.gov.au/news-and-events/news/premier-announces-new-cabinet/|title=Premier announces new Cabinet|publisher=Premier of New South Wales|date=31 March 2019|access-date=3 April 2019|archive-date=10 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200310145752/https://www.nsw.gov.au/news-and-events/news/premier-announces-new-cabinet/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Han, Sophie |url=https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/berejiklian-s-new-massive-cabinet-sworn-in-amid-peals-of-laughter-20190402-p519wj.html |title=Berejiklian's new massive cabinet sworn in amid peals of laughter |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=2 April 2019 |access-date=3 April 2019 }}</ref> Lee was also a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Parramatta for the Liberal Party since 2011 until his retirement in 2023.<ref name=nswpl>{{cite NSW Parliament |id=71 |name=Dr (Geoff) Geoffrey Lee, BAppSc(Hort), MBA, DBA MP |access-date=4 April 2019}}</ref>
==Early years and background== Geoff Lee was born in 1967 and has an Anglo-Celtic Australian and Chinese Australian background. He attained a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in horticulture from the University of Western Sydney – Hawkesbury and was managing director of Hambledon Garden Centre, a garden centre and landscaping business in Parramatta from 1992 until 2001.<ref name=nswpl/><ref name="Lib-GLee">{{cite web|url=http://www.nsw.liberal.org.au/nsw-candidates/geoff-lee.html|title=Geoff Lee|work=Liberal for Parramatta|publisher=Liberal Party of Australia (NSW)|year=2011|access-date=9 April 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110316214350/http://www.nsw.liberal.org.au/nsw-candidates/geoff-lee.html|archive-date=16 March 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> He completed his Master of Business Administration from Macquarie University's School of Business Administration in 2001 and commenced teaching part-time at Liverpool TAFE. From 2004 to 2006, Lee was a lecturer in business at the University of Western Sydney (UWS)<ref name="Lib-GLee"/> and, during this time, completed a Doctor of Business Administration degree at the Macquarie Graduate School of Management.<ref name=nswpl/> In 2007, he was appointed Associate Dean (Engagement) at Western Sydney University.<ref name=nswpl/><ref name="SMH">{{cite news|url= http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/libs-announce-parramatta-candidate-20101107-17j2d.html|agency=AAP|title=Libs announce Parramatta candidate|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|publisher=Fairfax Media|date=7 November 2010|access-date=9 April 2011 }}</ref><ref name="PA-2010-11-12">{{cite news|url=http://parramatta-advertiser.whereilive.com.au/news/story/liberal-candidate-for-parramatta/|author=Bartok, Di|title=Liberal candidate for Parramatta is Geoffrey Lee|work=Parramatta Advertiser|publisher=News Limited|date=12 November 2010|access-date=9 April 2011}}</ref>
==Political career== At the 2011 state election, Lee was elected as member for Parramatta, traditionally a strong Labor seat. Going into the election, Labor held Parramatta with a majority of 13.1 percent, which would have normally made it a safe Labor seat. However, as a measure of the size of the massive Coalition wave that swept New South Wales that year, Lee picked up a swing of 25.8 percent, large enough to turn Parramatta into a safe Liberal seat. He later said that could not have won—and certainly not with as large a swing—without winning over dozens of people who had never voted for a Liberal before.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/cynical-heartland-voices-its-disgust/story-fn59niix-1226029041946|author= Madden, James|title=Cynical heartland voices its disgust|work=The Australian|publisher=News Limited|date=28 March 2011|access-date=9 April 2011 }}</ref> He was re-elected in 2015 and 2019, becoming the first non-Labor member since the 1950 state election to have held the seat for more than one term.
Prior to the 2019 New South Wales state election in May, Lee served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier, Western Sydney and Multiculturalism from 1 Feb 2017 to 23 Mar 2019. Following the 2019 state election, Lee was appointed as the Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education in the second Berejiklian ministry, with effect from 2 April 2019.<ref name="ABC-2019-03-31">{{cite news |author=Sas, Nick |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-03-31/cabinet-reshuffle-after-nsw-election-from-berejiklian/10956776 |title=Gladys Berejiklian says Liberal Party has no women problem as re-elected NSW Premier shuffles Cabinet |work=ABC News |location=Australia |date=31 March 2019 |access-date=3 April 2019 }}</ref> Amid an Independent Commission Against Corruption investigation into former sports minister John Sidoti in September 2019, Lee was appointed Acting Minister for Sport, Multiculturalism, Seniors and Veterans until the preliminary investigation concluded.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-09-17|title=NSW Minister John Sidoti steps down pending ICAC probe into property deal|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-09-17/john-sidoti-steps-down-pending-icac-investigation/11520752|access-date=2021-05-07|website=www.abc.net.au|language=en-AU}}</ref> Sidoti later resigned from Cabinet in March 2021 and "Lee will continue to act in those portfolios until I determine a replacement in the near future," according the NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian.<ref>{{Cite web|title=NSW Liberal MP John Sidoti resigns from Cabinet after ICAC launches public inquiry |url=https://www.9news.com.au/national/john-sidoti-resigns-drummoyne-mp-icac-investigation/4b63f32a-f383-45f8-ba30-efc683cbbb9e |access-date=2021-05-07 |website=www.9news.com.au |date=3 March 2021 }}</ref> Following the October 2021 election of Dominic Perrottet as Leader of the NSW Liberal Party and his appointment as Premier, Perrottet reshuffled the ministry with effect from December 2021, where Lee was appointed as Minister for Corrections.<ref name="Gazette 2021-12-21"/>
In 2023, he was appointed professor at Western Sydney University's School of Business. Lee is non-executive director of the Community Migrant Resource Centre, chair of the Governing Council of the Sydney Polytechnic Institute, and non-executive director of AFEA.{{citation needed|date=May 2025}}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *[https://web.archive.org/web/20110316214350/http://www.nsw.liberal.org.au/nsw-candidates/geoff-lee.html Lee's campaign webpage] {{s-start}} {{s-par|au-nsw-la}} {{s-bef | before=Tanya Gadiel}} {{s-ttl | title=Member for Parramatta | years = 2011–2023}} {{s-aft | after= Donna Davis}} {{s-off}} {{s-bef|before=John Barilaro |as=Minister for Skills }} {{s-ttl|title=Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education |years=2019–2021 }} {{s-aft|after=Alister Henskens |as=Minister for Skills and Training }} {{s-bef|before=John Sidoti }} {{s-ttl|title=Minister for Sport, Multiculturalism, Seniors and Veterans |years=2021 }} {{s-aft|after=Natalie Ward }} {{s-bef|before=Anthony Roberts |as=Minister for Counter Terrorism and Corrections }} {{s-ttl|title=Minister for Corrections |years=2021–2023 }} {{s-aft|after=Anoulack Chanthivong}} {{s-end}} {{Berejiklian-Perrottet ministry}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Geoff}} Category:1960s births Category:Living people Category:Australian horticulturists Category:Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of New South Wales Category:Macquarie University alumni Category:Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly Category:People from Parramatta Category:Western Sydney University alumni Category:21st-century Australian politicians Category:Australian politicians of Chinese descent Category:Ministers for corrections (New South Wales) Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Academic staff of Western Sydney University