Ronald Charles Wilson (born 16 June 1958) is an Australian former politician. He was the Liberal member for Bennettswood in the

Victorian Legislative Assembly The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria in Australia; the upper house being the Victorian Legislative Council. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The presidin ...

from 1999 to 2002. Wilson was born in

Mildura, Victoria Mildura is a regional city in north-west Victoria, Australia. Located on the Victorian side of the Murray River, Mildura had a population of 34,565 in 2021. When nearby Wentworth, Irymple, Nichols Point and Merbein are included, the area h ...

to Ronald Ernest Wilson and Jane Davidson Forbes, and attended

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

schools in

Ballarat Ballarat ( ) is a city in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 Census, Ballarat had a population of 116,201, making it the third largest city in Victoria. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. Within months of Vi ...

. He received his

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

in 1980 from

Monash University Monash University () is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Named for prominent World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. The university h ...

and had a long history with 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 l ...

. In 1984 he became Research Assistant to the Deputy President of the Senate. In 1990 he became Senior Policy Advisor to

Rod Atkinson Rodney Alexander Atkinson (born 7 August 1948) is a former Australian Liberal Party politician who represented the Division of Isaacs in the House of Representatives from 1990 to 1996. Atkinson served in the Australian Army from 1968 to 19 ...

, the federal member for

Isaacs Isaacs may refer to: * The Isaacs, a bluegrass Southern gospel music group * Isaacs (surname) * Isaacs, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra, Australia * Division of Isaacs, a federal electoral division in Victoria, Australia * Divisi ...

, and in 1992 moved to the office of the state Minister for Housing and Aged Care and to the Minister for Health in 1996. He had run for the state seat of

Mildura Mildura is a regional city in north-west Victoria, Australia. Located on the Victorian side of the Murray River, Mildura had a population of 34,565 in 2021. When nearby Wentworth, Irymple, Nichols Point and Merbein are included, the area h ...

unsuccessfully in 1982. In 1999 he was elected as the Liberal member for Bennettswood in the

Victorian Parliament The Parliament of Victoria is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria that follows a Westminster System, Westminster-derived parliamentary system. It consists of the Monarchy in Australia, King, repres ...

. In 2001 he was made Opposition Parliamentary Secretary for Industry and Industrial Relations, and in 2002 was promoted to the shadow ministry as Shadow Minister for Health. However, in 2002 his seat was abolished, and he was defeated running for the new seat of Mount Waverley. Following his defeat he became Chief of Staff to the

Opposition Leader The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...

in the

Parliament of Victoria The Parliament of Victoria is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria that follows a Westminster System, Westminster-derived parliamentary system. It consists of the Monarchy in Australia, King, repres ...

. Since 2014 he has been CEO of Navy Health and prior to that he was the executive director of the Health Insurance Restricted Membership Association of Australia (hirmaa), serving in that role from 2006–2014. Since 2010 he has been chairman of the

Sir Robert Menzies Lecture The Sir Robert Menzies Lecture is an annual lecture delivered in Melbourne, by a prominent politician, academic or other noteworthy individual, about various aspects of modern liberalism. The lectures have been held annually since 1978, and are ...

Trust. His daughter Jess Wilson was elected to the seat of Kew for the Liberal Party in the

2022 Victorian state election The 2022 Victorian state election was held on Saturday, 26 November 2022 to elect the 60th Parliament of Victoria. All 88 seats in the Legislative Assembly (lower house) and all 40 seats in the Legislative Council (upper house) were up for el ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Ron 1958 births Living people Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Victoria Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly 21st-century Australian politicians People from Mildura Monash University alumni