Rob Stokes

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Australian politician (born 1971)

title: "Rob Stokes" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["members-of-the-new-south-wales-legislative-assembly", "liberal-party-of-australia-members-of-the-parliament-of-new-south-wales", "1975-births", "living-people", "politicians-from-sydney", "macquarie-university-alumni", "macquarie-law-school-alumni", "21st-century-australian-politicians", "people-educated-at-sydney-church-of-england-grammar-school", "ministers-for-education-(new-south-wales)", "ministers-for-the-environment-(new-south-wales)"] description: "Australian politician (born 1971)" topic_path: "law" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rob_Stokes" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Australian politician (born 1971) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox officeholder"]

Field	Value
honorific-prefix	The Honourable
name	Rob Stokes
image	MP Rob Stokes 2014 (cropped).jpg
image_size	180px
caption	Stokes in 2014
office	Minister for Infrastructure
premier	Dominic Perrottet
term_start	21 December 2021
term_end	25 March 2023
predecessor	himself (as Minister for Planning and Public Spaces)
successor	Anoulack Chanthivong
office1	Minister for Cities
premier1	Dominic Perrottet
term_start1	21 December 2021
term_end1	25 March 2023
predecessor1	himself (as Minister for Planning and Public Spaces)
successor1	Anthony Roberts
office2	Minister for Active Transport
premier2	Dominic Perrottet
term_start2	21 December 2021
term_end2	25 March 2023
predecessor2	himself (as Minister for Transport and Roads)
successor2	David Elliott
office3	Minister for Planning and Public Spaces
premier3	Gladys Berejiklian
Dominic Perrottet
term_start3	2 April 2019
term_end3	21 December 2021
predecessor3	Anthony Roberts
(as Minister for Planning)
successor3
office4	Minister for Transport and Roads
premier4	Dominic Perrottet
term_start4	6 October 2021
term_end4	21 December 2021
predecessor4	Andrew Constance
successor4
office5	Minister for Education
premier5	Gladys Berejiklian
term_start5	30 January 2017
term_end5	23 March 2019
predecessor5	Adrian Piccoli
successor5	Sarah Mitchell (as Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning)
office6	Minister for Planning
premier6	Mike Baird
term_start6	2 April 2015
term_end6	30 January 2017
predecessor6	Pru Goward
successor6	Anthony Roberts
office7	Minister for the Environment
premier7	Mike Baird
term_start7	23 April 2014
term_end7	2 April 2015
predecessor7	Robyn Parker
successor7	Mark Speakman
office8	Minister for Heritage
term_start8	23 April 2014
term_end8	2 April 2015
premier8	Mike Baird
predecessor8	Robyn Parker
successor8	Mark Speakman
office9	Assistant Minister for Planning
term_start9	23 April 2014
term_end9	2 April 2015
premier9	Mike Baird
predecessor9	new title
successor9	Mark Speakman
office10	Minister for the Central Coast
term_start10	6 May 2014
term_end10	2 April 2015
premier10	Mike Baird
predecessor10	Mike Gallacher
successor10	Scot MacDonald
constituency_MP11	Pittwater
parliament11	New South Wales
term_start11	24 March 2007
term_end11	25 March 2023
predecessor11	Alex McTaggart
successor11	Rory Amon
birth_name	Robert Gordon Stokes
birth_date
party	Liberal Party
alma_mater	Macquarie University
occupation	Planner
::

| birth_name = Robert Gordon Stokes | birth_date = | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = | party = Liberal Party | alma_mater = Macquarie University | residence = | occupation = Planner | signature = | website = | footnotes = Robert Gordon Stokes (born 17 January 1971) is an Australian former politician. Stokes served as the New South Wales Minister for Infrastructure, the Minister for Cities, and the Minister for Active Transport in the Perrottet ministry between 21 December 2021 and 25 March 2023. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Pittwater for the Liberal Party between 2007 and 2023.

Stokes has previously served as the Minister for Infrastructure in the second Berejiklian ministry between April 2019 and December 2021; and temporarily served as the Minister for Transport and Roads in the Perrottet ministry between October and December 2021. He has also previously served as the Minister for Education from January 2017 until March 2019 in the First Berejiklian ministry; the Minister for the Environment, the Minister for Heritage, the Assistant Minister for Planning, and the Minister for the Central Coast during 2014 and 2015 in the first Baird government; and the Minister for Planning from April 2015 until January 2017 in the second Baird government.

Background and early career

Stokes grew up in Mona Vale. He attended fee-paying Sydney Church of England Grammar School (Shore) and obtained his Higher School Certificate in 1991. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts, a Bachelor of Laws, a Master of Laws and a PhD at Macquarie University; a Diploma of Biblical Studies, and a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice.

Stokes was an associate with the law firm David Begg & Associates in Martin Place, Sydney. He also worked in a number of other legal firms including one at Mona Vale. He subsequently became a lecturer in the Division of Law at Macquarie University. He became a member of the Young Lawyers Association of New South Wales and was a member of both the Environmental Law and CLE Committees. He became a presidential nominee in 2004 and was elected to Executive Council at the 2004 Annual Assembly.

Political career

Stokes was a policy adviser to Liberal Opposition Leader John Brogden, the Member for Pittwater. When Brogden resigned in controversial circumstances, the 2005 by-election was won by independent candidate Alex McTaggart in what many described as a shock result. Pittwater had long been reckoned as a classic "blue ribbon" Liberal seat. Less than two years later, Stokes regained the seat for the Liberals at the 2007 general election. He won the seat with 50.3 per cent of the primary vote, just over the 50 per cent threshold required to win the seat outright, and 59.4 per cent of the vote on a two-party preferred basis.

After the election, Stokes established his electorate office in Mona Vale. Stokes paid tribute to Brogden in his inaugural speech to the NSW Parliament on 31 May 2007.

At the 2011 general election, Stokes was re-elected with a swing of 21.7 points, gaining 84.5 per cent of the two-party vote. Stokes' main competitor was the Greens Jonathan King. Following the election, Stokes was appointed as NSW Parliamentary Secretary for Renewable Energy in the O'Farrell government.

Owing to the resignation of Barry O'Farrell as Premier, and the subsequent ministerial reshuffle by Mike Baird, the new Liberal Leader, Stokes was appointed as Minister for the Environment, Minister for Heritage, and Assistant Minister for Planning and appointed as a member of cabinet. Two weeks later, following the resignation of Mike Gallacher, Stokes was appointed as Minister for the Central Coast. Gladys Berejiklian was elected as Liberal leader and sworn in as Premier. The first Berejiklian ministry was subsequently formed with Stokes sworn in as the Minister for Education with effect from 30 January 2017. Following the October 2021 resignation of Andrew Constance from the ministry, Stokes was sworn in as Minister for Transport and Roads, a position that he held, together with Planning and Public Spaces until December 2021. In the second rearrangement of the Perrottet ministry, Stokes was sworn in as Minister for Infrastructure, Minister for Cities, and Minister for Active Transport, with effect from December 2021.

After politics

In March 2024, Stokes was made an industry professor of environment and sustainability at Macquarie University.

In December 2024, Stokes was appointed to the board of Museums of History NSW.

References

Notes

References

(21 December 2021). "Parliament, Ministerial, Courts and Police".
(2 April 2019). "Government Notices".
(31 March 2019). "Premier announces new Cabinet". [[Premier of New South Wales]].
Han, Sophie. (2 April 2019). "Berejiklian's new massive cabinet sworn in amid peals of laughter". [[The Sydney Morning Herald]].
(30 January 2017). "Refreshed NSW cabinet sworn in". [[Sky News]].
Nicholls, Sean. (22 April 2014). "Mike Baird's cabinet reshuffle a preparation for next election". [[The Sydney Morning Herald]].
Hasham, Nicole. (6 May 2014). "Stuart Ayres shines on first day as Police Minister". [[The Age]].
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]].
(April 2018). "President's Report 2007". [[Shore School]].
{{cite NSW Parliament
(2006). "People power can make a difference". [[Macquarie University]].
(12 February 2007). "Robert Stokes Gets In!". Macquarie University.
"Rob Stokes". Rob Stokes.
"2005 Executive Councillors". Young Lawyers Association of New South Wales.
(29 August 2005). "NSW politician quits after slur". [[BBC News]].
(28 November 2005). "Pittwater Shock". [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]].
(28 November 2005). "Wipeout: party brawls begin". [[The Sydney Morning Herald]].
(22 March 2007). "Libs on warpath in Pittwater". [[The Sydney Morning Herald]].
(2 April 2007). "Pittwater". Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
(31 May 2007). "Inaugural Speeches".
(1 April 2011). "Pittwater". Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Nicholls, Sean. (22 April 2014). "Ministers axed in NSW shake-up". [[The Sydney Morning Herald]].
(16 April 2014). "Barry O'Farrell quits as NSW Premier over memory fail". [[The Australian]].
(22 April 2014). "Mike Baird's NSW cabinet". [[The Sydney Morning Herald]].
Jacques, Owen. (19 January 2017). "Baird resigns: NSW Premier to quit top job and Parliament". The Satellite.
(23 January 2017). "Swearing-In of The Honourable Gladys Berejiklian MP, the 45th Premier of New South Wales, and The Honourable John Barilaro MP, Deputy Premier". Governor of New South Wales.
"Ministers". Parliament of New South Wales.
(26 January 2017). "Premier Gladys Berejiklian plans major reshuffle for cabinet". The Daily Telegraph.
Sas, Nick. (31 March 2019). "Gladys Berejiklian says Liberal Party has no women problem as re-elected NSW Premier shuffles Cabinet". [[ABC News (Australia).
Faculty of Arts. (25 March 2024). "Macquarie appoints The Hon Rob Stokes".
[[Minister for the Arts (New South Wales). (10 December 2024). "New leadership at NSW Cultural Institutions". [[NSW Government]].

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