Keith_Pitt

Keith Pitt

Keith Pitt

Australian politician

Keith John Pitt (born 31 August 1969) is an Australian politician. He is a member of the National Party and has represented the Division of Hinkler in Queensland since the 2013 federal election. He was a member of cabinet in the Morrison government as Minister for Resources and Water and also served as an assistant minister in the Turnbull government. He was an electrical engineer and businessman before entering politics.

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Early life

Pitt was born in Bundaberg, Queensland.[1] He grew up in Woongarra and attended Kepnock State High School before taking up an electrical apprenticeship.[2][3] He went on to the Queensland University of Technology, graduating with the degree of Bachelor of Engineering.[1]

Pitt worked as an electrical fitter mechanic before joining Bundaberg Sugar as an electrical engineer. He later served as the company's group safety co-ordinator.[1] In 2002, he established the Australian Safety and Training Alliance, a workplace health and safety training provider.[4] He and his wife also purchased two sugarcane farms, one bought in 1998 and one in 2004, but they were sold to concentrate on the training business.[3]

Parliamentary career

In December 2012, Pitt won the Liberal National Party of Queensland's preselection ballot for the Division of Hinkler, following the retirement of incumbent MP Paul Neville.[5] He had been a member of the LNP for only six months prior to his selection, and stated that his victory in the ballot was a surprise.[6] He retained Hinkler for the party at the 2013 federal election and like Neville sits with the Nationals in federal parliament. He was re-elected at the 2016 and 2019 federal elections.[1]

Pitt served as the Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister between February and July 2016, following a rearrangement in the First Turnbull Ministry.[7][8] With the reelection of the Turnbull government in 2016, Pitt served as the Assistant Minister for Trade, Investment and Tourism between July 2016 and December 2017 in the Second Turnbull Ministry.[9] He returned as Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister from 5 March to 28 August 2018.[10]

In February 2020, following the resignation of Matt Canavan, Pitt was reappointed to the ministry as Minister for Resources, Water and Northern Australia in the Second Morrison Ministry.[1][11] He reportedly supported Michael McCormack against Barnaby Joyce in the preceding Nationals leadership spill.[12] He contested the party's vacant deputy leadership against David Littleproud and David Gillespie, with Littleproud emerging victorious.[13]

Political views

In December 2017, Pitt was one of only four members of the House of Representatives to vote against the Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Act 2017, which legalised same-sex marriage in Australia.[14]

Described as "one of the government's most outspoken advocates for nuclear power", Pitt quit as assistant minister in August 2018 to demonstrate his opposition to the government commitment to the Paris Agreement on emission reductions. He has been described as "one of the key drivers" behind a 2019 parliamentary inquiry into nuclear power which "recommended the government consider adding the energy technology to its future energy mix".[4]

In a May 2021 interview with Sky News Australia presenter, Tom Connell, Pitt declined to admit that batteries could provide dispatchable power to back up electricity generated by a wind farm.[15]

Personal life

Pitt has three children with his wife Allison.[3]

Notes

  1. Minister for Resources, Water and Northern Australia until 2 July 2021.[1]

References

  1. [1]
    "Mr Keith Pitt MP". Senators and Members of the Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  2. [2]
    "Maiden speech". Hansard. Parliament of Australia. 14 November 2013. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  3. [3]
    "The Hon Keith Pitt MP: Minister for Resources, Water and Northern Australia". Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  4. [4]
    "Nuclear, Paris and a return to cabinet: Who is Keith Pitt?". The Australian. 6 February 2020. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  5. [5]
    "Businessman wins preselection for Hinkler". Sunshine Coast Daily. 2 December 2012. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  6. [6]
    "Hinkler LNP candidate 'will unite' electorate". Queensland Times. 8 January 2013. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  7. [7]
    Massola, James (13 February 2016). "Cabinet reshuffle: Malcolm Turnbull announces new frontbench as Mal Brough resigns". The Age. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
  8. [8]
    "Ministerial Swearing-in Ceremony". Events. Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia. 18 February 2016. Archived from the original on 1 March 2016. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  9. [9]
    Anderson, Stephanie (20 July 2016). "Election 2016: Malcolm Turnbull unveils ministry with Christopher Pyne, Greg Hunt on the move". ABC News. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  10. [10]
    Turnbull, Malcolm (1 March 2018). "Changes to the Ministry" (Press release). Government of Australia. Archived from the original on 5 March 2018. Retrieved 6 March 2018. The Hon Keith Pitt MP returns to the Ministry as Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister.
  11. [11]
    Barbour, Lucy (6 February 2020). "David Littleproud returns to agriculture as Nationals change jobs in Scott Morrison's new-look frontbench". ABC. Canberra. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  12. [12]
    Coorey, Philip (6 February 2020). "Industry urges Pitt to keep his foot on the gas". The Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 11 July 2020. Mr Pitt, who declined requests for comment yesterday, was one of several supporters of Nationals leader Michael McCormack to be rewarded with a promotion in the ministerial reshuffle following Barnaby Joyce's unsuccessful leadership coup on Tuesday.
  13. [13]
    Tillett, Andrew (4 February 2020). "Littleproud wins after playing it smart". The Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  14. [14]
    "House of Representatives Hansard THURSDAY, 7 DECEMBER 2017". Retrieved 8 December 2017.
  15. [15]
    "'Clarke and Dawe': Keith Pitt refuses to say a battery can back up a windfarm". YouTube. 10 May 2021. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
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