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John George Ajaka (born 13 January 1956), is a former Australian politician who served as a New South Wales Minister in the O'Farrell and Baird governments. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council from 2007 to 2021, representing the Liberal Party. He was the first Liberal Party Lebanese Australian member of an Australian parliament.

Ajaka served as the Minister for Ageing and Minister for Disability Services from August 2013 to January 2017. He was also appointed as Minister for the Illawarra from 2013 to 2015 in the O'Farrell and first Baird ministries.

Following the 2015 election, Ajaka was appointed Minister for Multiculturalism in the second Baird government. He was not appointed to the Berejikilian Ministry in 2017, instead being appointed as President of the New South Wales Legislative Council until March 2021.

Background and early years

Ajaka was born in Bulli, New South Wales, to migrant parents from Lebanon. He was schooled at St Joseph's Primary School and Marist College Kogarah where he served in the Army Cadets, graduating as the second-highest-ranking officer in his group, and served briefly in the Australian Army Reserve. He subsequently studied law and opened his own practice in Rockdale. He was later elected as a City of Rockdale councillor, serving in that role until his election to parliament.

State political career

Ajaka was elected to the Legislative Council at the 2007 state election. He made his inaugural speech to the Legislative Council on 9 May 2007, in which he called for greater acceptance of migrants within Australian society and declared his intention to oppose racial prejudice and injustice in his role as an MP. He also strongly criticised the police practice of referring to the ethnic backgrounds of criminals, contravening his own party's policy on the matter.

Ajaka was appointed as the Minister for the Illawarra and the Minister for Disability Services on 2 August 2013; and became of member of the O'Farrell cabinet. Due to the resignation of Barry O'Farrell as Premier, and the subsequent ministerial reshuffle by Mike Baird, the new Liberal Leader, in April 2014 in addition to his existing responsibilities as a minister, Ajaka was appointed as the Minister for Ageing.

Following the 2015 state election, Ajaka was appointed as the Minister for Ageing, the Minister for Disability Services and the Minister for Multiculturalism, and the Leader of the Liberal Party in the Legislative Council in the new second Baird government.

In February 2017, he was elected by the Legislative Council to be the President of the New South Wales Legislative Council. He was re-elected during the opening of the 57th Parliament on 7 May 2019. In February 2021, he announced his intention to retire from the NSW Parliament which took effect on 31 March 2021. He resigned as President of the Legislative Council on 24 March 2021.

Liverpool City Council

John Ajaka was appointed as the CEO of Liverpool City Council in December 2022. The council voted to terminate Mr Ajaka's employment at the Council meeting on the 29 May 2024. An investigation from the Office of Local Government identified "areas of concern" and concluded that Ajaka had been "denied procedural fairness".

References

1. ^ "Upper House Welcome". St George and Sutherland Shire Leader. 27 March 2007.
2. ^ "Mr John George AJAKA". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
3. ^ Hasham, Nicole (3 April 2015). "Premier Mike Baird's new NSW cabinet sworn in: Gladys Berejiklian and Gabrielle Upton first female Treasurer and Attorney-General". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
4. Nicholls, Sean (1 August 2013). "Greg Pearce sacked over conflict of interest". smh.com.au. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
5. ^ Nicholls, Sean (22 April 2014). "Mike Baird's cabinet reshuffle a preparation for next election". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
6. Pearlman, Jonathan (5 June 2007). "Ethnic labelling creates division, says new Liberal". Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
7. John Ajaka Solicitor FindLaw
8. "Legislative Council". ABC Elections: New South Wales 2007. Australia: ABC News. Retrieved 24 June 2007.
9. "Inaugural Speech of the Honourable John Ajaka" (PDF). Hansard. Parliament of New South Wales. 29 May 2007.
10. Pearlman, Jonathon (4 December 2005). "Ethnic labelling creates division, says new Liberal". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
11. Clennell, Andrew (1 August 2013). "Premier Barry O'Farrell sacks finance minister Greg Pearce". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
12. "Rockdale's John Ajaka named new Minister for Illawarra to replace sacked Greg Pearce". ABC News. Australia. 1 August 2013. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
13. "Barry O'Farrell quits as NSW Premier over memory fail". The Australian. 16 April 2014. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
14. "Mike Baird's NSW cabinet". The Sydney Morning Herald. 22 April 2014. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
15. NSW upper house president John Ajaka to resign Sydney Morning Herald 5 February 2021
16. "The President". Archived from the original on 30 March 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
17. "Liverpool City Council appoints new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)". City of Liverpool. Liverpool City Council. 8 December 2022. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
18. "Liverpool CEO's Contract Termination Sparks Response". Mirage News. Mirage News. 3 June 2024. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
19. Mackay, Melissa (18 July 2024). "Western Sydney council given seven days to prove it should not be suspended after report". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 23 September 2024.

v t e (Keneally←)   O'Farrell and Baird ministries   (Berejiklian→)
2011–2014 arrangement 2014–2015 arrangement 2015–2017 arrangement
Barry O'Farrell (Premier) Mike Baird (Premier) Andrew Stoner (Deputy) Troy Grant (Deputy) John Barilaro (Deputy) John Ajaka Graham Annesley Stuart Ayres Gladys Berejiklian Niall Blair Andrew Constance Victor Dominello David Elliott Mike Gallacher Duncan Gay Pru Goward Chris Hartcher Brad Hazzard Katrina Hodgkinson Kevin Humphries Matthew Mason-Cox Don Page Robyn Parker Greg Pearce Dominic Perrottet Adrian Piccoli Anthony Roberts Jai Rowell Jillian Skinner Greg Smith Mark Speakman George Souris Rob Stokes Paul Toole Gabrielle Upton Leslie Williams

• 1956 births
• Australian people of Lebanese descent
• Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of New South Wales
• Presidents of the New South Wales Legislative Council
• Members of the New South Wales Legislative Council
• Living people
• 21st-century Australian politicians
• People educated at Marist College Kogarah