The Nationals’ Whip in the Senate

John ‘Wacka’ Williams was first elected to Federal Parliament in 2007 as Senator for NSW and began his term in Canberra in July 2008. He has been an active member of Nationals since 1982.

John was born in Jamestown SA. He has lived in the Inverell district in the New England region of NSW since 1979.  Prior to entering politics, he had been a truck driver, shearer, farmer and a small business owner.

With this background, John understands regional Australia and the issues small business operators deal with every day. He was the only Senator from the 15 new Senators sworn in on 26 August 2008 who comes from a rural area.

His vision is for regional Australia to obtain adequate funding to maintain rural communities and facilities and maintain the way of life so many people enjoy.

John is a strong advocate for the reduction of red tape in small business to allow businesses to not only survive and compete but to grow and prosper.

He is a staunch advocate for the elderly, believing they should be properly cared for with dignity and compassion. He is a fighter for more funding for aged care facilities and packages and is a strong advocate for the ecological sustainable development of land and the environment.

To ensure that country health and dentistry is adequate and available to everyone, John has sponsored a NSW Regional Dentistry Scholarship which commences in 2009.

John has been an active member of The Nationals since 1982 and held a range of offices with the Party at branch and electorate level.  He has also been heavily involved in Apex and Rotary and was granted Life Membership of Sapphire City Apex in 1995.

John is a keen sportsman, playing Australian Rules football for most of his younger years and district cricket until 2000. 

During his time in Parliament John Williams has been involved in numerous Senate Committees including Senate Select Committee on Men’s health, former member of Senate Standing Committee Rural and Regional Affairs & Transport, member of Joint Parliamentary Committee on Corporations and Financial Services and current member of Senate Standing Committee – Appropriations  and Staffing and Senate Standing Committee – Community Affairs References.

John is married to his lovely wife Nancy andis the proud father of three adult children.

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