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. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

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 __NOTOC__ 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 {{Australia-Liberal-politician-stub