Ray Williams (politician)
| Ray Williams MP | |
|---|---|
| Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for Hawkesbury | |
|
In office 24 March 2007 – 28 March 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Steven Pringle |
| Succeeded by | Dominic Perrottet |
| Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for Castle Hill | |
|
Assumed office 28 March 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Dominic Perrottet |
| Majority | 5.3 |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Raymond Craig Williams 27 September 1960 Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia |
| Nationality | Australia |
| Political party | Liberal Party of Australia |
| Spouse(s) | Wendy Lorraine (m. 1982) |
| Alma mater | Curtin University |
Raymond Craig "Ray" Williams (born 27 September 1960) is an Australian politician. He is a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing the seat of Castle Hill for the Liberal Party of Australia since 2015 and before that, the seat of Hawkesbury between 2007 and 2015.
Early life and background
Williams is the son of Allen Williams, a former heavyweight boxing champion of Australia and the South Pacific and Margaret Williams, the daughter of English migrants from Cornwall. His family was involved in the training of horses, and Williams followed in the family footsteps and trained horses for more than 30 years. From 1985, he worked for Glenorie Bus Company at Dural.[1]
Williams previously was a panel beater and maintenance manager with the Hillsbus company.[2] He was serving as a councillor on Baulkham Hills Shire Council[3][4] until September 2008.[5] He was a former President of the Kellyville Rouse Hill Progress Association. Williams led a campaign of roadside protests to highlight the need for the upgrade of Windsor Road.[6]
Political career
In 2003, Williams contest the seat of Riverstone, and was unsuccessful.[6] In an internal Liberal Party preselection prior to the 2007 State election, Williams defeated incumbent Steven Pringle.[4] As a result, Pringle decided to run for the seat as an independent candidate. Williams proceeded to win the seat in the 2007 State Election with a 6.07% majority.[7] In 2007, Williams was accused of branch stacking after a local pastor stated in a statutory declaration that Williams paid him party membership fees for churchgoers. This claim was denied by Williams, and has not been substantiated.[8]
In 2008, Williams was ejected from state parliament by the Speaker Richard Torbay for pretending to wrestle a toy iguana, in reference to the Belinda Neal – John Della Bosca scandal known as Iguanagate.[9][10][11]
Since his election to parliament, Williams has been appointed the Deputy Chair of the Liberal Party's Western Sydney Taskforce.[12] In June 2010, Williams was appointed the Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Western Sydney and replaced Wayne Merton who retired.[13] He won the seat again at the 2011 state election with a swing of 29.7 points, winning 84.7 per cent of the two-party vote.[6] At the 2015 state election, with Dominic Perrottet, they were preselected for each other's seat and both were elected, effecting a "seat-swap" with Williams elected as the Member for Castle Hill.[14]
References
- ↑ "Inaugural speech". Hansard. Parliament of New South Wales. 30 May 2007.
- ↑ Mitchell, Alex (14 October 2006). "Sitting MP given boot by hard right". The Sydney Morning Herald.
- ↑ "Cr Ray Williams". Councillors. Baulkham Hills Shire Council.
- 1 2 Dempster, Quentin (27 October 2006). "Right vs Right". Stateline (Australian Broadcasting Corporation).
- ↑ Macfarlane, Stuart (18 April 2007). "Ray to stay on Council". Hawkesbury Gazette (Fairfax Media).
- 1 2 3 Green, Antony (4 April 2011). "Hawkesbury". NSW Votes 2011 (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). Retrieved 19 April 2011.
- ↑ "Preferential Count – Hawkesbury". NSW State Election, 2007. New South Wales Electoral Commission. 15 November 2010.
- ↑ "Liberal Ray Williams accused in member scandal". The Daily Telegraph.
- ↑ Liberal ejected for stuffed iguana prank, News.com.au 25 June 2008
- ↑ MP thrown out for stuffed iguana, SMH, 25 June 2008
- ↑ Lizard eats MP: Just another day in 'Iguana Gate', Hawkesbury Gazette, 3 July 2008
- ↑ "Ray Williams weighs in Penrith by-election". Penrith City Star (Fairfax Media). 17 May 2010.
- ↑ "Ray Williams Appointed To Key Western Sydney Role". Liberal Party of Australia (NSW).
- ↑ Green, Antony (9 April 2015). "Electorate: Castle Hill". NSW Election 2015 (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). Retrieved 9 April 2015.
| Parliament of New South Wales | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Steven Pringle |
Member for Hawkesbury 2007–2015 |
Succeeded by Dominic Perrottet |
| Preceded by Dominic Perrottet |
Member for Castle Hill 2015–present |
Incumbent |