Paul Fletcher (politician)

Paul William Fletcher (born 16 January 1965) is an Australian politician. He is a member of the Liberal Party and has been a member of the House of Representatives since 2009, representing the New South Wales seat of Bradfield. He held ministerial office in the Turnbull and Morrison governments from 2015 to 2022.

Fletcher was management consultant, lawyer and corporate executive before entering politics. He was first elected to parliament at the 2009 Bradfield by-election. He served as a parliamentary secretary in the Abbott government from 2013 to 2015, before being promoted to the ministry by Malcolm Turnbull. Fletcher subsequently served as Minister for Major Projects, Territories, and Local Government (2015–2016), Urban Infastructure and Cities (2016–2018), Families and Social Services (2018–2019), and Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts (2019–2022). He was appointed to cabinet in 2018 by Scott Morrison. After the Coalition's defeat at the 2022 election he was named Manager of Opposition Business in the House.

Early life
Fletcher was born in Devizes, Wiltshire, England, the son of Clive and Mary Fletcher. His father was a professor of computational engineering. He arrived in Australia with his family at the age of two, and held British citizenship until 2009 when he renounced it to stand for parliament.

Fletcher grew up in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, where he was the dux of Sydney Grammar School in 1982. He subsequently attended the University of Sydney, graduating with first-class honours in economics and laws. At university he co-wrote two plays, titled The Fax of Life and Annually Fixated. In 1993, Fletcher was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to go to Columbia University's Graduate School of Business in New York City, where he completed a Master of Business Administration degree.

Fletcher was one of seven Liberal MPs in the 46th Parliament of Australia who obtained degrees at an Oxbridge or Ivy League university, the others being Alan Tudge, Angus Taylor, Andrew Laming, Dave Sharma, Greg Hunt and Josh Frydenberg.

Professional career
In his early career, Fletcher worked as a management consultant, a corporate lawyer for Mallesons Stephen Jaques, and a corporate strategist for TNT Limited. From 1996 to 2000, he worked as chief of staff to Minister for Communications Richard Alston, a Liberal Party politician. Fletcher joined Optus in 2000 and worked as director of corporate and regulatory affairs until 2008. He was a staunch opponent of Telstra, accusing the latter company of being a monopoly.

After leaving Optus, Fletcher founded Fletchergroup Advisers, a strategy consultancy focusing on the communications industry. He also wrote a book entitled ''Wired Brown Land? Telstra's Battle for Broadband'' that was published in 2009, discussing Telstra's bid to operate the Australian Government's proposed National Broadband Network.

Political career
Fletcher joined the Young Liberals at the age of 16. In 2009, he won preselection from a field of 17 people to be the Liberal Party candidate at the 2009 Bradfield by-election, following the retirement of former Liberal leader Brendan Nelson. Bradfield, a seat located in the North Shore of Sydney, has been held continuously by the Liberal Party since its creation in 1949, and is one of the safest Liberal Party seats in Parliament. He was required to renounce his dual British citizenship before entering Parliament, as required by Section 44 of the Constitution of Australia. Fletcher had previously unsuccessfully sought Liberal Party pre-selection in the Division of Cook in 2007.

Under the Abbott government, Fletcher was the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Communications. In September 2015 Fletcher was appointed as the Minister for Major Projects, Territories, and Local Government in the Turnbull government. Fletcher has served as the Minister for Urban Infrastructure and Cities since July 2016.

Fletcher is a member of the Moderate/Modern Liberal faction of the Liberal Party.

In June 2022 he was appointed Manager of Opposition Business in the House. He also serves as Shadow Minister for Government Services and the Digital Economy, as well as Shadow Minister for Science and the Arts.

Personal life
Fletcher is married to jeweller Manuela Zappacosta and they have one son, and they live with her son from a previous marriage.