Graham Jacobs

Who is Graham Jacobs?

Graham Gibson Jacobs has been a Liberal member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly since 2008.

First elected to the seat of Roe at the 2005 election, he has been the member for Eyre since the 2008 election following the abolition of his former seat.

Jacobs was born in Benalla, Victoria. His family moved to Western Australia in 1955 and settled on a farm at Lort River west of Esperance. Educated at Esperance Primary School then Esperance Senior High School, Jacobs attended the University of Western Australia from 1969 to 1975 and was awarded his Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery.

Jacobs is married to Kathryn and they have five children; Jesse, Daniel, Aubrey, Lucy and Julian. He is a physician by profession.

Jacobs had contested Roe in 1989 but it was not until the sitting Nationals member Ross Ainsworth left in 2005 that Jacobs again contested the seat and beat new Nationals candidate Jane McMeikan with a massive swing of 27%.

Jacobs was the Minister for Water and Minister for Mental Health from 23 September 2008 to 14 December 2010. Prior to that, he was the Opposition spokesperson for Drug Abuse Strategy from 2005 to 2008, the Shadow Minister for Environment & Climate Change and the Shadow Minister for Goldfields-Esperance in 2008. He also served as the opposition whip from 2005 to 2006 and again in 2008.