Greek-Australian Politician Sworn In To New South Wales Parliament

Peter Poulos, a Greek-Australian Liberal Party politician, was sworn into office at the New South Wales (NSW) Parliament recently.

Poulos also joined the powerful Regulation Committee and the Public Accountability Committee of the NSW Parliament on Thursday.

Poulos in NSW Parliament

Back in April, Poulos was preselected as a new member of the NSW Legislative Council.

Poulos was deemed qualified for the job as he has served as a Rockdale Councilor for twelve years and as Deputy Mayor for one. He has been a member of the Liberal Party since 1993 and has also served as Urban Vice President in the past.

Over the course of his career, he has focused on helping his local community to fulfil services it needs, such as vital infrastructure improvements. In order to achieve these goals, he worked on ensuring an improved financial position that allowed the Council to deliver town center improvements, new and upgraded playgrounds and foreshore improvements.

Speaking to the Greek Herald, Poulos said: “The Berejiklian Government has been doing an outstanding job in leading our state through the challenges of pandemic recovery. I look forward to making a contribution to this important work in the Legislative Council and the Parliament’s committee system.

“The Government’s record of strong economic management and ongoing investment in our health and education systems, as well as our infrastructure, has placed us well to respond to community needs during these unprecedented times.”

Greek heritage

Poulos grew up in Bardwell Park, Sydney, the son of Greek migrants John and Maria Poulos. His parents owned a family-run small business. He went to Bexley North Public School and Sydney Technical High School, before studying at university.

He then went on to gain his Bachelor’s from the University of New South Wales in Accounting and Finance in 1998. He worked in the fields of banking and finance before deciding to get into politics.

Poulos cites his experiences as the son of family-run business owners as one of his inspirations for working for the Liberal Party, which claims to support small business owners.

He is married to Vicki Poulos, who is also involved in politics and serves as a local Councillor on the Bayside Council. They have three children together and the family still resides in Bardwell Park, Sydney.

The family attends the St. Stephanos Greek Orthodox Church in Hurlstone Park.

Poulos is the first Greek-Australian Liberal in the NSW Legislative Council since the late Hon. (Jim) James Samios in 2003.

He has been added to the 57th NSW Parliament, which means that his term ends on the  March 3, 2023.