Sam Birrell

Samuel Birrell (born 5 April 1975)^[1] is a member of the Australian House of Representatives representing the division of Nicholls in northern Victoria for the National Party since the 2022 Australian federal election.

Sam Birrell MP
Member of the Australian Parliament for Nicholls
Incumbent
Assumed office 21 May 2022
Preceded by	Damian Drum
Personal details
Born	(1975-04-05) 5 April 1975 (age 50) Shepparton, Victoria, Australia
Political party	National
Alma mater	University of Melbourne La Trobe University
Occupation	Agronomist

Early life

Birrell grew up on a property on Victoria's Goulburn River between the towns of Murchison and Toolamba. His father was a lawyer and his mother was a schoolteacher. He attended Shepparton High School for two years then completed his secondary education as a boarder at Assumption College, Kilmore. After leaving high school, Birrell worked on a farm in Ardmona for two years before completing a degree in agricultural science at the University of Melbourne's Dookie campus.^[2] He later completed an MBA at La Trobe University's Shepparton campus in 2017.^[3]

Career

After graduating university, Birrell worked as an agronomist for a rural supplies business, specialising in pest identification and soil and leaf analysis. He later worked for irrigation supplier Netafim.^[2]

Birrell was appointed CEO of the Committee for Greater Shepparton in 2016. He resigned the position in 2021 to run for parliament.^[4]

Politics

In January 2022, Birrell won Nationals preselection for the seat of Nicholls at the 2022 federal election, following the retirement of incumbent Nationals MP Damian Drum.^[5] He retained Nicholls for the Nationals on a substantially reduced primary vote, with significant swings to the Liberal candidate Steve Brooks and independent candidate Rob Priestly.^[6]

Political views

Birrell supported a Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA) for the Goulburn Valley.^[7] In 2021 he appeared before a parliamentary inquiry into skilled migration, advocating for "an immediate global recruitment campaign to attract migrants with in-demand skills" to help fill job shortages in regional areas.^[8]