Ian Phillip Rickuss is an Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

n politician. Born in Brisbane

Brisbane

Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...

, he was a bank clerk and horticulturist

Horticulture

Horticulture is the industry and science of plant cultivation including the process of preparing soil for the planting of seeds, tubers, or cuttings. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant breeding and genetic...

 before entering politics. He is married to Ann and has two sons, Luke and Joel. In 2004, he was elected to the Queensland Legislative Assembly

Queensland Legislative Assembly

The Queensland Legislative Assembly is the unicameral chamber of the Parliament of Queensland. Elections are held approximately once every three years. Voting is by the Optional Preferential Voting form of the Alternative Vote system...

 as the National Party

National Party of Australia

The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally, it began as the The Country Party, but adopted the name The National Country Party in 1975, changed to The National Party of Australia in 1982. The party is...

 member for Lockyer

Electoral district of Lockyer

The district of Lockyer is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Queensland.The district consists primarily of Gatton and Laidley Shires and northern parts of Beaudesert Shire. It includes the major town of Gatton and a number of smaller centres including...

, defeating the sitting member, One Nation leader Bill Flynn. Rickuss was appointed Opposition Whip on 1 July 2006. In 2008, he joined the Liberal National Party when the Liberal Party and The Nationals merged in Queensland.

Rickuss survived a pre-selection challenge in 2011.