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. For example, while the political systems ...

and has represented the

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

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 entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

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. 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 universities from the post-Dawkins era in Australia, New Zealand and Ireland. It is similar in format and structure to a B ...

in agriculture from

Curtin University Curtin University (previously Curtin University of Technology and Western Australian Institute of Technology) is an Australian public university, public research university based in Bentley, Western Australia, Bentley, Perth, Western Australia. ...

. Prior to entering politics, Wilson held office in the Pastoralists and Graziers Association of Western Australia (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 AWB Limited was a major grain marketing organisation based in Australia. Founded in 1939 by the Government of Australia as the Australian Wheat Board, in 1999 it became a private company, owned by wheat growers. It was acquired by Agrium in 2010 ...

's monopoly". He also opposed the monopoly granted to CBH Group 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 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 legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...

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 by the Australian Government designed to gauge support for legalising same-sex marriage in Australia. The survey was held via the Australia Post, postal service between 12 Septe ...

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 Curtin University alumni 20th-century Australian farmers Farmers from Western Australia Australian MPs 2013–2016 Australian MPs 2016–2019 Australian MPs 2019–2022 Australian MPs 2022–2025 {{Australia-Liberal-politician-stub