Ben Franklin (Australian politician)

For other uses, see Ben Franklin (disambiguation).

The Honourable
Ben Franklin
MLC
President of the New South Wales Legislative Council
Incumbent
Assumed office
9 May 2023
Preceded byMatthew Mason-Cox
Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council
Incumbent
Assumed office
8 May 2019
In office
28 March 2015 – 1 March 2019
Minister for Aboriginal Affairs
In office
21 December 2021 – 28 March 2023
Preceded byDon Harwin
Succeeded byDavid Harris
Minister for the Arts
In office
21 December 2021 – 28 March 2023
Preceded byDon Harwin
Succeeded byJohn Graham
Minister for Regional Youth
In office
21 December 2021 – 28 March 2023
Preceded byBronnie Taylor
Succeeded byPosition abolished
Minister for Tourism
In office
5 August 2022 – 28 March 2023
Preceded byStuart Ayres
(Tourism and Sport)
Succeeded byJohn Graham
Personal details
Born1972 or 1973 (age 51–52)
Political partyThe Nationals
Other political
affiliations		Liberal (until c. 2008)
ResidenceByron Bay

Benjamin Cameron Franklin (born 1972/1973[1]) is an Australian politician. He served as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council from March 2015 until March 2019, representing the National Party.[2] He resigned in 2019 to contest the Legislative Assembly seat of Ballina, but was defeated by the incumbent Greens MP Tamara Smith.[3] He was subsequently appointed in May 2019 to fill the casual vacancy caused by his own resignation.[4] Franklin served as the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, the Minister for the Arts, and the Minister for Regional Youth in the second Perrottet ministry from December 2021[5] to March 2023.

Prior to his election, Franklin served as the State Director of the Nationals between 2008 and 2015.[6]

  1. ^ Wood, Alicia (7 April 2014). "Bushwhacked by a city boy: Liberal MP Ben Franklin will move to regional NSW". The Daily Telegraph. Australia. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  2. ^ "The Hon. (Ben) Benjamin Cameron Franklin, MLC". Members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
  3. ^ "Ballina: NSW State Election Results 2019". NSW Electoral Commission. Archived from the original on 25 September 2024. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
  4. ^ "Ben Franklin returns to the NSW upper house". Echonetdaily. 31 May 2019. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
  5. ^ "Parliament, Ministerial, Courts and Police (662)" (PDF). Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. 21 December 2021.
  6. ^ Patty, Anna (16 February 2014). "Politicians to battle it out for a spot in the upper house". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 29 March 2015.