Matt Thistlethwaite | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2025 | |
| Assistant Minister for Immigration | |
| Assumed office 29 July 2024 | |
| Prime Minister | Anthony Albanese |
| Minister | Tony Burke |
| Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade | |
| Assumed office 13 May 2025 | |
| Prime Minister | Anthony Albanese |
| Assistant Minister for Defence Assistant Minister for Veterans' Affairs Assistant Minister for the Republic | |
| In office 1 June 2022 – 29 July 2024 | |
| Minister | Richard Marles(Minister for Defence) Matt Keogh(Minister for Veterans' Affairs) Mark Dreyfus(Attorney General) |
| Preceded by | Andrew Hastie(as Assistant Minister for Defence) Amanda Stoker (as Assistant Minister to the Attorney-General) |
| Succeeded by | Peter Khalil(as Assistant Minister for Defence) Patrick Gorman (as Assistant Minister to the Attorney-General) |
| Member of theAustralian Parliament forKingsford Smith | |
| Assumed office 7 September 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Peter Garrett |
| Senator forNew South Wales | |
| In office 1 July 2011 – 9 August 2013 | |
| Succeeded by | Sam Dastyari |
| General Secretary of theNew South Wales Labor Party | |
| In office 1 October 2008 – 17 July 2010 | |
| Leader | Morris Iemma Nathan Rees Kristina Keneally |
| Preceded by | Karl Bitar |
| Succeeded by | Sam Dastyari |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Matthew James Thistlethwaite (1972-09-06)6 September 1972 (age 53) Maroubra, New South Wales, Australia |
| Citizenship | Australia |
| Political party | Labor |
| Spouse | Rachel |
| Children | 4 |
| Residence(s) | Matraville, New South Wales, Australia |
| Education | Marist College Pagewood |
| Alma mater | University of New South Wales |
| Occupation | Legal advisor (Mallesons Stephen Jaques) Union organiser (Australian Workers' Union) |
| Profession | Trade unionist solicitor politician |
| Website | mattthistlethwaite |
Matthew James Thistlethwaite (born 6 September 1972) is an Australian politician. He has been anAustralian Labor Party member of theAustralian House of Representatives since 2013, representing the electorate ofKingsford Smith. Since 29 July 2024, Thistlethwaite has served as theAssistant Minister for Immigration in theministry ofAnthony Albanese.[1] He has also served as theAssistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade since May 2025.[2]
Thistlethwaite is a senior figure in theLabor Right faction and stands as the current convenor of the NSW branch.[3] Before joining Parliament, he was the general secretary of the New South Wales branch of the Australian Labor Party. He served as a member of theAustralian Senate from 2011 to 2013.
From 1 June 2022 to 29 July 2024, Thistlethwaite served as Assistant Minister for Defence, Veterans' Affairs and the Republic.[1]
Thistlethwaite was born inSydney on 6 September 1972.[4] He grew up in the suburb ofMaroubra[5] in a Catholic family.[6] His father was a Qantas steward.[6] He is the eldest of three siblings.[6]
He graduated from theUniversity of New South Wales with a Bachelor of Economics, and also holds diplomas in law and legal practice from theUniversity of Technology Sydney.[4] He was the first member of his family to attend university.[5]
In 1995, Thistlethwaite began working at theAustralian Workers Union as an industrial officer. In 2001 he was elected as a state vice-president of the union. He joined the ALP at the age of 22 and was president of NSW Young Labor from 1997 to 1998.[4]
Thistlethwaite was involved in the Australian republic referendum in 1999, and was the campaign manager for the Australian Republican Movement in his electorate of Kingsford Smith.[6]
From 2001 to 2008 he was Chair of the Australian Labor Party Law Reform Committee.[1] From 2004 to 2008 he was Charity of the Australian Labor Party Review Tribunal.[1]
In 2004, Thistlethwaite was elected Deputy Secretary ofUnions NSW.[4][1] In this role he represented workers in public sector enterprise agreement negotiations and in the NSW Industrial Relations Commission. He was a co-ordinator of theYour Rights at Work campaign in New South Wales against the Howard Government'sWorkChoices laws.
Thistlethwaite is a former director of theState Transit Authority of NSW and the NSW Manufacturing Council.[citation needed]
Before entering Parliament, Thistlethwaite worked as a senior consultant with law firmMallesons Stephen Jaques.[4][1]
Thistlethwaite sought to become the endorsed Labor candidate for the House of Representatives seat of Kingsford Smith in Sydney's eastern suburbs, for the2004 election. However, Peter Garrett was chosen by the then Labor leaderMark Latham.[7] Thistlethwaite worked as Garrett's campaign adviser.[6]
He was elected general secretary of NSW Labor from 2008 to 2010.[8] During his time as NSW ALP secretary Thistlethwaite backedFrank Sartor's unsuccessful candidacy to replace premierNathan Rees and Rees was instead replaced byKristina Keneally.[9]
He was endorsed for a seat in the Senate, representing New South Wales, at the2010 election. He was successful, and his term began on 1 July 2011.[4] On 18 July 2011 he gave his first speech in the Senate. Soon after his term began, Thistlethwaite was appointed to serve on five Parliamentary Committees. In August 2012, Thistlethwaite became Chair of the Senate Select Committee on Electricity Prices.[4] He served as Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs and Parliamentary Secretary for Multicultural Affairs in theGillard government from March to July 2013, and as Parliamentary Secretary for Infrastructure and Transport in theRudd government from July to September 2013.[10][11]
Following the announcement by Peter Garrett that he would not recontest the seat of Kingsford Smith at the next federal election, Thistlethwaite announced on 2 July 2013 that he would again seek Labor preselection;[12] and gained endorsement on 20 July 2013, defeating Tony Bowen, the mayor ofRandwick and son of former Kingsford Smith MPLionel Bowen.[13]
Thistlethwaite was elected as the member for Kingsford Smith at the election held on 7 September 2013. He was one of three people to move from the Senate to the House of Representatives at that election (the others were his ALP colleagueDavid Feeney in Batman and former Nationals Senate leaderBarnaby Joyce in New England).
From 18 October 2013 to 23 July 2016, Thistlethwaite served as Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Immigration.[1]
From 23 July 2016 to 2 June 2019 he served as Shadow Assistant Minister for Treasury.[1]
In 2017 theAustralian Labor Party announced a national vote on the republic during the first term of a future Labor government,[14] and appointed Matt Thistlethwaite as the first 'Shadow Assistant Minister for an Australian Head of State'.[15]
From 2 June 2019 to 28 January 2021 he served as Shadow Assistant Minister for Financial Services.[1]
In 2020, he was elected to replaceJoel Fitzgibbon as theLabor Right convenor within the ALP.The Australian reported that "by becoming the NSW factional boss, Thistlethwaite de facto takes the title of national Right convener".[16][3]
From 28 January 2021 to 23 May 2022 he served as Shadow Assistant Minister for Financial Services and Superannuation.[1]
On 1 June 2022, Thistlethwaite was appointedAssistant Minister for Defence,Assistant Minister for Veterans' Affairs, andAssistant Minister for the Republic in theAlbanese ministry. A freedom of information request revealed that as of October 2023, only two documents had been produced and one meeting held in relation to Thistlethwaite's portfolio as Assistant Minister for the Republic. Thistlethwaite had not delivered any speeches, press releases, or ministerial statements.[17]
On 29 July 2024, as part of the Albanese Government's first ministry reshuffle,[18] Thistlethwaite was madeAssistant Minister for Immigration.[1][18] The role of Assistant Minister for the Republic is no longer held by anyone in the Albanese Government.
After the re-election of the Labor government in the2025 Australian federal election, Thistlethwaite remained as Assistant Minister for Immigration, while also appointed asAssistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade.[19]
Thistlethwaite has ambitions of becoming a cabinet minister in the future.[6]
Thistlethwaite lives inMatraville with his wife Rachel, a nurse,[6] and their four daughters Amelie, Scarlett, and twins Eliza and Camilla.[20]
He has been an active surf lifesaver for over 30 years.[20] He was signed up as a member of the Maroubra surf club at the age of 13 by his father.[6] He has served as the president of theMaroubra Surf Life Saving Club for four years.[5]
Thistlethwaite met formerPremier of New South Wales and State Member forMaroubra,Bob Carr through the Maroubra Surf Life Saving Club.[6] He has described Carr as a mentor.[6]
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | General Secretary of theNew South Wales Labor Party 2008–2010 | Succeeded by |
| Parliament of Australia | ||
| Preceded by | Senator forNew South Wales 2011–2013 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member forKingsford Smith 2013–present | Incumbent |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Parliamentary Secretary forPacific Island Affairs 2013 | Vacant Title next held by Steven Cioboas Minister for International Development and the Pacific |
| Preceded by | Parliamentary Secretary forMulticultural Affairs 2013 | Vacant Title next held by Concetta Fierravanti-Wellsas Assistant Minister for Multicultural Affairs |
| Preceded by | Parliamentary Secretary forInfrastructure and Transport 2013 | Succeeded byas Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development |
| Preceded by | Assistant Minister for Defence 2022–2024 | Vacant |
| New title | Assistant Minister for Veterans' Affairs 2022–2024 | |
| Assistant Minister for the Republic 2022–2024 | ||
| Vacant | Assistant Minister for Immigration 2024–present | Incumbent |
Prime Minister:Anthony Albanese | ||
| Cabinet | .jpg) | |
| Outer Ministry | ||
| Assistant Ministers | ||
| Resigned | ||
Prime Minister:Anthony Albanese | ||
| Cabinet | | |
| Outer Ministry | ||
| Assistant Ministers | ||