Richard James Wilson (born 2 January 1966) is an Australian politician. He is a member of the
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left.
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and has represented the
Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
n seat of
O'Connor in the
House of Representatives
House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
since the
2013 federal election. He was a farmer before entering politics.
Early life
Wilson was born on 2 January 1966 in
Katanning, Western Australia
Katanning is a town located south-east of Perth, Western Australia on the Great Southern Highway. At the 2016 census, Katanning had a population of 3,687.
History
The name ''Katanning'' is derived from the native name for a camping place. T ...
.
He is the youngest of six children born to Mary and Archie Wilson, with his family having lived in the district since 1867. Wilson's father died when he was 14 and he was involved in the running of the family farm from a young age, eventually taking it over in partnership with his brother Allan.
He holds a
Bachelor of Business
A Bachelor of Business (BBus, BBus (Major)) is a three to four year undergraduate degree in the field of business offered by traditional and newer universities from the post-Dawkins era in Australia, New Zealand and Ireland. It is similar in form ...
in agriculture from
Curtin University.
[
Prior to entering politics, Wilson held office in the ]Pastoralists and Graziers Association of Western Australia
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The Pastoralists and Graziers Association of Western Australia (PGA), is a Perth-based lobby group acting in the interests of agricultural and associated industries, in particular promoting free enterprise in the industry.
History
The P ...
(PGA) as vice-chairman (2000-2008) and chairman (2008-2011) of the Western Graingrowers Committee.[ During this time he "helped lead the campaign to deregulate the Australian wheat industry and end the Australian Wheat Board's monopoly". He also opposed the monopoly granted to ]CBH Group
The CBH Group (commonly known as CBH, an acronym for Co-operative Bulk Handling), is a grain growers' cooperative that handles, markets and processes grain from the wheatbelt of Western Australia.
History
CBH was formed on 5 April 1933, at ...
on grain freight.
Politics
Prior to entering parliament, Wilson served as president of the Liberal Party's Katanning branch, treasurer and president of the O'Connor division, and on the state rural policy committee.[ He was elected to the House of Representatives at the 2013 federal election, winning the seat for the Liberals following the retirement of the incumbent Nationals MP Tony Crook.
Wilson was nominated to the ]speaker's panel
The Speaker of the House of Representatives is the presiding officer of the House of Representatives, the lower house of the Parliament of Australia. The counterpart in the upper house is the President of the Senate. The office of Speaker was ...
in September 2019. He has served on a number of committees including as chair of the House Standing Committee on Agriculture and Water Resources from 2016 and chair of the Joint Statutory Committee on Public Works from 2020.[
]
Political positions
Wilson is a member of the National Right faction of the Liberal Party.
In his maiden speech, Wilson described himself as "a social conservative and an economic liberal".[ He opposes ]same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being Mexico, constituting ...
and abstained from the vote on what became the '' Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Act 2017'', despite his electorate voting "Yes" in the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey
The Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey was a national survey designed to gauge support for legalising same-sex marriage in Australia. The survey was held via the postal service between 12 September and 7 November 2017. Unlike voting in ...
.
Personal life
Wilson has four children with his wife Tanya. The family relocated from Katanning to Albany in 2015.
References
External links
*
1966 births
Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia
Living people
Members of the Australian House of Representatives
Members of the Australian House of Representatives for O'Connor
People from Katanning, Western Australia
21st-century Australian politicians
Curtin University alumni
Australian farmers
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