{{Short description|Australian politician (born 1972)}} {{Distinguish|Nicolas Champion}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}} {{Use Australian English|date=September 2011}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = The Honourable | name = Nick Champion | honorific_suffix = MP | image = Nick Champion MHA.jpg | caption = Official portrait, 2022 | office4 = Minister for Trade and Investment | term_start4 = 24 March 2022 | term_end4 = 15 April 2024 | premier4 = Peter Malinauskas | predecessor4 = Stephen Patterson | successor4 = Joe Szakacs | office2 = Minister for Housing and Urban Development | term_start2 = 24 March 2022 | term_end2 = | premier2 = Peter Malinauskas | predecessor2 = ''Position established'' | successor2 = | office3 = Minister for Planning | term_start3 = 24 March 2022 | term_end3 = | premier3 = Peter Malinauskas | predecessor3 = Josh Teague | successor3 = | constituency_AM5 = Taylor | assembly5 = South Australian House of | term_start5 = 19 March 2022 | term_end5 = | predecessor5 = Jon Gee <!--| successor5 = --> {{Collapsed infobox section begin|Federal parliament|titlestyle=background-color:#eee}} | constituency_MP6 = Spence | parliament6 = Australian | term_start6 = 18 May 2019 | term_end6 = 22 February 2022<ref name="bio"/> | predecessor6 = ''New seat'' | successor6 = Matt Burnell | constituency_MP7 = Wakefield | parliament7 = Australian | term_start7 = 24 November 2007 | term_end7 = 18 May 2019 | predecessor7 = David Fawcett | successor7 = ''Seat abolished''{{Collapsed infobox section end}} | birth_name = Nicholas David Champion | birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1972|2|27}} | birth_place = Elizabeth, South Australia, Australia | death_date = | death_place = | party = Australian Labor Party (SA) | relations = | spouse = Fiona Webber | alma_mater = University of South Australia | occupation = Union official | profession = | signature = | website = | footnotes = }} '''Nicholas David Champion''' (born 27 February 1972) is an Australian politician. He is a member of the South Australian Labor Party and has served in the South Australian House of Assembly since the 2022 South Australian state election, representing the seat of Taylor. He has served as the Minister for Trade and Investment, Minister for Housing and Urban Development and Minister for Planning in the Malinauskas ministry since March 2022.<ref name="SA parl">{{Cite SA-parl|pid=6889|name=Hon Nicholas David (Nick) Champion|former=|access-date=10 November 2022}}</ref>
Champion previously served in federal parliament as a Labor Party member in the House of Representatives from 2007 to 2022, first representing the Division of Wakefield until its abolition in 2019, before transferring to the new Division of Spence.
==Early life== Champion was born in Elizabeth in South Australia. He spent his early years in the rural town of Kapunda and completed his secondary education at Kapunda High School while working part-time as a fruit picker. He also previously worked as a cleaner, salesman and trolley collector. He completed an Arts degree and a Graduate Diploma in Communication at the University of South Australia.<ref name=alp>{{cite web |url=http://www.alp.org.au/nick_champion |title=Nick Champion |publisher=ALP |access-date=26 February 2022}}</ref>
Champion became a union official at the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA) in 1994, serving as an organiser, training officer and occupational health and safety officer.<ref name=alp/> He is aligned with the Labor Right.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,26068078-2682,00.html |title=Wakefield MP's push to remove 'pokies trickery' |newspaper=The Advertiser |date=13 September 2009 |url-status=deviated |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090914235725/http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,26068078-2682,00.html |archive-date=2009-09-14}}</ref>
Champion served as South Australian State President of the Australian Labor Party from 2005 to 2006 and was a ministerial adviser to state Labor Minister Michael Wright.<ref name="bio">{{cite Au Parliament |mpid=HW9 |name=Mr Nick Champion MP |access-date=2022-08-20}}</ref>
==Federal parliament== [[Image:2010 0119 Tour Down Under Murray Street Gawler (9) (19332572883).jpg|right|thumb|Labor MPs Champion, Mike Rann, Kevin Rudd and Tony Piccolo in Gawler for the Tour Down Under in 2010.]] Champion won the seat of Wakefield at the 2007 election, defeating incumbent Liberal Party of Australia member David Fawcett with a 56.6 percent two-party vote.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/11/24/2100281.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071125044811/http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/11/24/2100281.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=25 November 2007 |title=Big swings against Coalition across SA |date=24 November 2007 |accessdate=25 November 2007 |work=ABC News }}</ref> He was the third Labor member to ever win the seat. Champion made it a safe Labor seat on paper at the 2010 election with a 62 percent two-party vote, and became the first Labor member to be re-elected to Wakefield. The South Australian federal redistribution in 2011 had the greatest impact on Wakefield where the Labor margin declined by 1.5 points. Champion retained Wakefield at the 2013 election on a 53.4 percent two-party vote even as Labor lost government, marking the first time the non-Labor parties won government at an election without winning Wakefield. Champion increased his margin at the 2016 election with a 61 percent two-party vote, again making Wakefield a safe Labor seat on paper.
Champion served as a shadow parliamentary secretary (shadow assistant minister from 2016) in Bill Shorten's shadow ministry from 2014 to 2019.<ref name="bio"/>
In August 2019, he called for the nationalisation of Port Darwin following its lease to a Chinese-owned company.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/labor-mp-calls-for-port-darwin-to-be-nationalised/news-story/e656c9380c1f96c3b7e10c3b1acbe6de |title=Labor MP calls for Port Darwin to be nationalised |newspaper=The Australian |date=5 August 2019|access-date=12 May 2020 |first=Richard |last=Ferguson}}</ref>
==State parliament== In 2020, Champion was rumoured to be considering a switch to state parliament, initially through the electoral district of Light in the South Australian House of Assembly, following the release of draft new boundaries that would have left the seat vacant.<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=InDaily |url=https://indaily.com.au/news/politics/2020/09/07/labors-election-push-wortley-bows-out-federal-mp-considering-state-switch/ |title=Labor's election push: Wortley bows out, Federal MP 'considering state switch' |first=Tom |last=Richardson |date=7 September 2020 |access-date=28 January 2021}}</ref> That plan was thwarted by the final report of the Electoral Districts Boundaries Commission, however Champion was again the topic of speculation in January 2021, this time for the safe seat of Taylor.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://indaily.com.au/news/2021/01/27/by-gee-champion-set-to-seek-swap-to-state-politics/ |newspaper=InDaily |title=By Gee, Champion set to seek swap to state politics |first=Tom |last=Richardson |date=27 January 2021 |access-date=28 January 2021}}</ref> Both state electorates are covered by Champion's larger federal division of Spence.
On 13 February 2021, Champion was pre-selected for the House of Assembly seat of Taylor for the 2022 South Australian election.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.pollbludger.net/2021/02/14/comings-and-goings/|title=Comings and goings|date=14 February 2021|last=Bowe|first=William|newspaper=Poll Bludger|access-date=14 February 2021}}</ref> On 22 February 2022, he resigned his federal seat of Spence to contest the state election a month later.<ref name="bio"/> A by-election in his seat of Spence was not held due to the pending federal election.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Hansard/Hansard_Display?bid=chamber/hansardr/25719/&sid=0007|title=Hansard - House of Representatives 29/03/2022 Parliament of Australia|work=aph.gov.au|date=29 March 2022}}</ref> Taylor was a comfortably safe Labor seat, and Champion easily retained the seat. He was immediately promoted to Cabinet, serving as the Minister for Trade and Investment, Minister for Housing and Urban Development and Minister for Planning in the Malinauskas ministry.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-24/independent-former-minister-joins-new-south-australian-cabinet/100935424|title=New South Australian cabinet sworn in, with independent Geoff Brock making surprise comeback|publisher=ABC News|date=24 March 2022}}</ref>
==Personal life== Champion is married to Fiona Webber, a former ABC journalist and Chief of Staff to a Federal Labor Minister.<ref>{{cite news |title=State pays up on baby death |newspaper=The Advertiser |date=11 June 2010 |quote=Treasurer Kevin Foley's spokeswoman Fiona Webber said |publisher=News Limited |url=https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/state-pays-up-on-baby-death/news-story/25ac76fd45fcd00506c3f581b79a152a |access-date=28 January 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Off the Record: The home of SA political gossip |work=The Advertiser |date=7 May 2016 |quote=Champion and wife Fiona Webber are expecting their first child |publisher=News Limited |url=https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/opinion/off-the-record-the-home-of-sa-political-gossip/news-story/67582830260948b7f302f56825693f0a |access-date=28 January 2021}}</ref> They were married in Gibraltar after he proposed in the week of the 2013 election.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/lifestyle/sa-weekend/spouses-of-parliament/news-story/929223b4c98758b98c679985cf819dc1 |title=Spouses of Parliament: Families of Labor's Nick Champion and Amanda Rishworth and Liberal Senator Simon Birmingham reveal all |first=Michael |last=McGuire |date=25 June 2016 |newspaper=The Advertiser |access-date=28 January 2021}}</ref> Their first child was born just over a month after the 2016 election.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bunyippress.com.au/nicks-baby-joy/ |title=Nick's baby joy |date=10 August 2016 |newspaper=The Bunyip |accessdate=23 September 2017}}</ref> Nick Champion lives outside of the electoral district of Taylor. He is a resident of North Adelaide.
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{OpenAustralia}} *[https://theyvoteforyou.org.au/people/representatives/wakefield/nick_champion Summary of parliamentary voting for Nick Champion MP on TheyVoteForYou.org.au]
{{S-start}} {{s-par|au}} {{s-bef|before=David Fawcett}} {{s-ttl|title={{nowrap|Member for Wakefield}}|years=2007–2019}} {{s-non|reason=Abolished}} {{s-new|seat}} {{s-ttl|title=Member for Spence | years=2019–2022}} {{s-aft|after=Matt Burnell}} {{s-par|au-sa-la}} {{s-bef|before=Jon Gee}} {{s-ttl|title=Member for Taylor|years=2022–present}} {{s-inc}} {{s-off}} {{s-bef|before=Stephen Patterson}} {{s-ttl|title=Minister for Trade and Investment|years=2022–present}} {{s-inc|rows=3}} {{s-new}} {{s-ttl|title=Minister for Housing and Urban Development|years=2022–present}} {{s-bef|before=Josh Teague|as=Minister for Planning and Local Government}} {{s-ttl|title=Minister for Planning|years=2022–present}} {{S-end}}
{{Cabinet of South Australia}} {{SACurrentMHAs}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Champion, Nick}} Category:Australian people of Cornish descent Category:Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Australia Category:Labor Right politicians Category:Living people Category:Members of the Australian House of Representatives Category:Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Wakefield Category:University of South Australia alumni Category:1972 births Category:Australian trade unionists Category:Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Spence Category:Australian MPs 2007–2010 Category:Australian MPs 2010–2013 Category:Australian MPs 2013–2016 Category:Australian MPs 2016–2019 Category:Australian MPs 2019–2022