Biography

Rick Wilson has been the Federal Liberal Member for O’Connor since September 2013.

The electorate has always been his home, having been one of six children raised on the family’s farm in Katanning that was established by his great-grandfather in 1867.

For 25 years, Rick worked on the farm with his brother, and that was where he began to understand the challenges of running a dynamic business in regional Western Australia.

Rick has had a long association with agri-politics and is a former Chairman of Western Grain Growers.

In Federal Parliament, Rick is Shadow Assistant Minister for Trade, and has chaired the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Water Resources and the Joint Standing Committee on Public Works.

In 2015, Rick and wife Tanya moved from Katanning to Albany where they now raise their four children.

He was inspired to run for Parliament following his involvement in a decade-long campaign to deregulate the wheat industry, which brought about the end of the Australia Wheat Board’s monopoly.

Small government and reduced bureaucracy, higher standards of health, aged care and education in the regions, and improving our communications network are some of the key areas Rick has focused on since entering Parliament.