Jason grew up in Currimundi after his parents moved up from Sydney in 1973, the youngest of four sons his father was a cleaner and maintenance staff member at the Sunshine Coast Recreation Precinct on Currimundi Rd. While his mum worked equally as hard at home, she was, according to Jason, the best mum a boy could hope for.
Growing up as the youngest in a large single income family Jason knows the value of affordable housing and rental options and how vital it is for people of all ages to be able to access a comprehensive and well supported public health system. His upbringing also led him to develop a keen understanding of how important it is for every individual to be able to access a good full-time job, he has always believed that a job is the first and most import step in supporting not just a stable family unit but also a tight knit and happy community.
After graduating from Caloundra State High school and briefly helping with lighting and sound at the Caloundra Events Centre, at 18 Jason joined the regular army and after a brief stint in the Signals Corp (apparently, he can’t take morse code) he served in the 2/14th Light Horse Regiment.
After the military, Jason graduated from QUT with a degree in Secondary Education with a major in history. Like a lot of parents, the home-schooling period over Covid only served to increase his respect for teachers and educators all around Queensland.
After serving more than two decades as a custodial correctional officer in the state’s largest high security prison, Woodford Correctional Centre, Jason was elected to Parliament in 2020, the first time the region changed hands in more than a century.
After 21 years in corrective services Jason has a particular interest in public safety and supporting those front-line workers who keep our community safe.
Jason has always maintained that being an MP for the community that you grew up in is a rare privilege and one he feels honoured to hold. Having lived here for the best part of 50 years he is deeply invested in the people, places and institutions that make up our community and is dedicated to making sure our region grows in a way that sustains all that is best about Caloundra and the Sunshine Coast.
For Jason one of the real highlights of his job is the constant contact he has with our local schools and P&C’s. For Jason, access to a quality education is a great “leveller”, it provides an opportunity for children from all manner of backgrounds the chance to thrive and excel which is why he backs our local state schools in every way he can.