Nick Wakeling

Nicholas (Nick) Wakeling (born 6 May 1971) is an Australian politician. He has been a Liberal Party of Australia member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly since November 2006, representing the electorate of Ferntree Gully. He served as Minister for Higher Education and Skills in the Napthine ministry from March to December 2014. Before his election, Wakeling was employed as a senior workplace relations advisor.

Wakeling was born at St Leonards, New South Wales. Wakeling is the eldest of two sons to Bill and Jacqueline Wakeling.

At an early age, Wakeling and his family moved to Melbourne and soon established their new home in Dandenong North. Wakeling attended Rosewood Downs Primary School and completed his HSC at Haileybury College, Melbourne.

In 1991, Wakeling completed a Bachelor of Arts from La Trobe University. In 1993, he completed a Graduate Diploma in Industrial Relations/Human Resource Management at RMIT. In 2001, Wakeling completed a Masters in Industrial and Employee Relations from Monash University. Wakeling was awarded the top graduating student in this Masters Course.

Wakeling has worked in a variety of industrial relations positions throughout his career. Over a 15-year period, Wakeling worked as an industrial advisor with the Victorian government's Wageline Department; as an industrial officer with the Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce (VACC); as a human resource advisor with the Nillumbik Shire Council and more recently as a senior workplace relations advisor with the Adecco Group of companies.

Wakeling has been active in a variety of charity and community organisations which has included assisting organisations such as the Royal Children Hospital's Good Friday Appeal, Berry Street Moomba Day activities, serving as a district chairman for the Salvation Army Red Shield Appeal as well as a range of other projects, including involvement in local treeplanting activities for over a decade.

Locally, Wakeling served the Knox community as Local Councillor with Knox City Council during the period 2003–05. During this period, Wakeling served as chair of both the Combined Preschool Committee and the Knox Pride Awards Committee. Wakeling served as a board member of the Bendigo Bank's Fern Tree Gully and Rowville Community Bank Branches.

Wakeling joined the Liberal Party of Australia in 1989. Since joining the party, Wakeling has been an active member of the La Trobe University Liberal Club, which is part of the Australian Liberal Students' Federation, Noble Park Young Liberals (Australia) and Rowville Senior Party Branch. Wakeling has held many party positions and served on a number of electorate and campaign committees.

In July 2005, Wakeling was preselected as the Liberal candidate for the electoral district of Ferntree Gully. At the November Victorian general election, 2006, Wakeling defeated the incumbent ALP member Anne Eckstein by only 27 votes.

In 2008 Wakeling was promoted to Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition.

At the 2010 election, Wakeling recorded a swing of almost 12% to take the electorate from the Liberal Party's most marginal to safe seat status.

From 2010 to 2014, Wakeling served as Parliamentary Secretary for Health. He was appointed Minister for Higher Education and Skills in March 2014, serving until the defeat of the Liberal government that December.