Season 1 Episode 7: Dr Geoff Lee, State Politician and Member for Parramatta
Dr Geoff Lee is the Member for Parramatta. In March 2015, Dr Geoff Lee won the NSW seat of Parramatta for the second consecutive term. This is the first time in 60 years the seat has been held by a Liberal Party member for two consecutive terms.
However, Geoff wasn’t always a politician and says he fell into it accidentally. He’s now Member of the NSW Legislative Assembly, Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier, Western Sydney and Multiculturalism.
Dr Geoff Lee has both Australian and Chinese ancestry. His paternal grandfather originated from the providence of Zhongshan, Southern China and moved to Australia in the 1920s. His maternal ancestors are of English and Scottish descent arriving in Australia early in the 1800s.
Before entering politics, Geoff was the Associate Dean (Engagement) at the University of Western Sydney (UWS) from 2007 to 2011, a lecturer in business at UWS from 2004 to 2007 and a TAFE teacher from 2002 to 2003. At UWS, Geoff was Head of Program for post-graduate marketing and international business, a coordinator and lecturer for a range of postgraduate and undergraduate courses.
And before that, Geoff was the proprietor of Hambledon Garden Centre from 1992 to 2001. He’s a member of Parramatta Chamber of Commerce and is a champion of small business, saying that they are key drivers of innovation, economic growth and local jobs.
Geoff holds a Bachelor of Applied Science (Horticulture) from Hawkesbury Agricultural College, a Master of Business Administration and a Doctor of Business Administration from the Macquarie Graduate School of Management.
https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/members/Pages/member-details.aspx?pk=71