Bernie Ripoll


Bernard Fernand Ripoll is a former Australian politician. He was a Labor member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1998 to 2016, representing the Division of Oxley, Queensland. In 2013, Ripoll was made Shadow Minister for Financial Services and Shadow Minister for Sport, on 15 September 2015 he resigned from the Shadow Cabinet position.

Early life

Ripoll was born in Pézenas, Hérault, France, and educated at the Queensland University of Technology. He was an aircraft electrician with the Royal Australian Air Force, an electrician and an organiser with the State Public Services Federation of Queensland before entering politics.

Political career

At the 1998 federal election, Ripoll sought to regain Oxley for Labor. The seat had been held by Pauline Hanson, who formed One Nation after winning the normally safe Labor seat of Oxley in 1996 as an independent. Prior to the election, Oxley was divided in half, with most of the old Oxley's more rural territory shifted to the new Division of Blair. Hanson opted to contest Blair, which contained most of her former base. Former Queensland Premier Wayne Goss had already been preselected as Labor candidate, but a brain tumour forced him to retire from politics, and Ripoll was named in his place.
Ripoll was appointed Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Infrastructure in October 2004.
On 2 March 2012, Ripoll was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer, and appointed as Parliamentary Secretary for Small Business from 25 March 2013.
In April 2015 Ripoll announced that he would not contest the next election, clearing the way for Milton Dick to pursue Labor party preselection. Dick was elected at the 2016 federal election.