Born in Elizabeth and completing his schooling in Kapunda, Nick has always maintained close ties to the community he represents.

He studied a Bachelor of Arts at UniSA, continuing onto a Graduate Diploma in Communication. In the years between his studies and being elected to Parliament in 2007, Nick worked as a cleaner, salesman and trolley collector.

During this time, Nick joined the Shop Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association – later becoming an official. As a Union employee, Nick took on roles as an organiser, training officer and OH&S officer, always holding a strong affinity for people, teams and making a collective impact.

Nick was the President of the South Australian branch of the Australian Labor Party in 2005 and 2006 prior to entering Federal Parliament the next year. He has served as Shadow Assistant Minister for Manufacturing and Science as well as the Deputy Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade. In 2022 he resigned from Federal Parliament to contest the seat of Taylor at the 2022 State Election.