Rick Colless
Encyclopedia
Richard Hargrave Colless (born 12 November 1952) is an Australia
n politician and National Party of Australia
member of the New South Wales Legislative Council
. Colless has been a member of the Council since 30 August 2000 and is serving his second term in that Council. He is currently the Deputy Opposition Whip in the Council.
to Kenneth Hargrave Colless and Yvonne Tipling and was raised on a rural property at Bundarra
, near Inverell
. He undertook primary school by correspondence from the Blackfriars Correspondence School in Sydney
; and secondary education at Tamworth and Singleton
High Schools. Colless won a cadetship with the Soil Conservation Service of the New South Wales, that led to studies at Hawkesbury Agricultural College
. Working for the Soil Conservation Service for the next 26 years, he worked in various country towns including Henty
, Cowra
, Goulburn
, Gunnedah
and Inverell where he settled in 1987.
In 1991, he was elected to Inverell Shire Council and served three terms as a councillor and became its mayor in 1999.
He became the Chairman of the Inverell Branch of the National Party of Australia in 1996 and served in that role until 1999. He became Chairman of the New England Electorate Council in 1999 and has served since 2000 as a current Member of Central Executive of the National Party.
. He was reelected in the 2007 elections.
Colless is the Chief Whip for the National Party in the Upper House and is the Deputy Whip for the Opposition in the Upper House. He is also a Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Climate Change and Primary Industries.
and his great, great uncle John Fletcher Hargrave
both served in the New South Wales Parliament. Richard Hargrave came to New South Wales in 1838 aboard the sailing ship Argyle. Hargrave was elected as the first member for New England and Macleay
in the first Legislative Assembly of New South Wales. Hargrave's older brother, John Fletcher Hargrave QC, arrived in New South Wales in 1856 and served in the Legislative Council from 1859 until 1861. John Hargrave was also appointed as a Representative of Government in the Legislative Council and served as Solicitor-General and Attorney-General until 1865.
In 1976, Colless married Toni Christine Brown, and together they have three children.
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 and National Party of Australia
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 of the New South Wales Legislative Council
New South Wales Legislative Council
The New South Wales Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of New South Wales in Australia. The other is the Legislative Assembly. Both sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney. The Assembly is referred to as the lower house and the Council as...
. Colless has been a member of the Council since 30 August 2000 and is serving his second term in that Council. He is currently the Deputy Opposition Whip in the Council.
Early years and background
Colless was born in TamworthTamworth, New South Wales
Tamworth is a city in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Peel River, Tamworth, which contains an estimated population of 47,595 people, is the major regional centre for southern New England and in the local government area of Tamworth Regional Council. The city...
to Kenneth Hargrave Colless and Yvonne Tipling and was raised on a rural property at Bundarra
Bundarra, New South Wales
Bundarra is a small town on the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia. The town is located on Thunderbolts Way and on the banks of the Gwydir River, in the Uralla Shire Local Government Area, 563 kilometres kilometres from the state capital, Sydney...
, near Inverell
Inverell, New South Wales
Inverell is a town in northern New South Wales, Australia, situated on the Macintyre River. It is also the centre of Inverell Shire. Inverell is located on the Gwydir Highway on the western slopes of the Northern Tablelands. It has a temperate climate...
. He undertook primary school by correspondence from the Blackfriars Correspondence School in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
; and secondary education at Tamworth and Singleton
Singleton, New South Wales
-Industry & Commerce:Major industries near Singleton include coal mining, energy generation, light industry, vineyards, horse breeding and cattle production. Dairying was once a mainstay in the area, but has declined....
High Schools. Colless won a cadetship with the Soil Conservation Service of the New South Wales, that led to studies at Hawkesbury Agricultural College
Hawkesbury Agricultural College
Hawkesbury Agricultural College was the first agricultural college of New South Wales, Australia. Established by Sydney Smith in Richmond, New South Wales in 1891, the college was incorporated into the University of Western Sydney in 1989....
. Working for the Soil Conservation Service for the next 26 years, he worked in various country towns including Henty
Henty, New South Wales
Henty is a town on the Olympic Highway almost midway between Albury and Wagga Wagga in New South Wales, Australia. Henty is situated on the border of the South West Slopes and the Riverina districts. At the 2006 census, Henty had a population of 863 people....
, Cowra
Cowra, New South Wales
Cowra is a town in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia in the Cowra Shire. It is located on the Mid-Western Highway, 317 kilometres west of Sydney on the banks of the Lachlan River at an altitude of 310 metres above sea level. At the 2006 census Cowra had a population of 8,430...
, Goulburn
Goulburn, New South Wales
Goulburn is a provincial city in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia in Goulburn Mulwaree Council Local Government Area. It is located south-west of Sydney on the Hume Highway and above sea-level. On Census night 2006, Goulburn had a population of 20,127 people...
, Gunnedah
Gunnedah, New South Wales
Gunnedah is a town and Local government area in north-eastern New South Wales, Australia. 7,542 people lived in the town of Gunnedah in 2006, including 931 indigenous people ....
and Inverell where he settled in 1987.
In 1991, he was elected to Inverell Shire Council and served three terms as a councillor and became its mayor in 1999.
He became the Chairman of the Inverell Branch of the National Party of Australia in 1996 and served in that role until 1999. He became Chairman of the New England Electorate Council in 1999 and has served since 2000 as a current Member of Central Executive of the National Party.
Parliamentary career
He was appointed to the Legislative Council on 30 August 2000 following the resignation of the National Party MLC Richard BullRichard Bull (politician)
Richard Thomas Marshall Bull is a former Australian politician. The son of federal National Party Senator Tom Bull and his wife Jessie, he was a farmer and grazier at Narrandera and Holbrook. On 12 March 1970 he married Patricia Anne Jeffreys; they have three daughters and a son.Bull joined the...
. He was reelected in the 2007 elections.
Colless is the Chief Whip for the National Party in the Upper House and is the Deputy Whip for the Opposition in the Upper House. He is also a Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Climate Change and Primary Industries.
Personal information
Colless's great, great grandfather Richard HargraveRichard Hargrave
Richard Hargrave was a former Australian politician and a pastoralist.Hargrave was born to Joshua Hargrave and Sarah Hargrave on 1 February 1817 at Greenwich, England. His father was a hardware merchant....
and his great, great uncle John Fletcher Hargrave
John Hargrave (jurist)
John Fletcher Hargrave was an Australian politician and judge.Hargrave was born to Joshua Hargrave and Sarah Hargrave at Greenwich, England. His father was a hardware merchant. He was educated at King's College, London in 1830 winning a certificate of honour for rhetoric...
both served in the New South Wales Parliament. Richard Hargrave came to New South Wales in 1838 aboard the sailing ship Argyle. Hargrave was elected as the first member for New England and Macleay
Electoral district of New England and Macleay
New England and Macleay was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales from 1856 to 1859, in the New England and the Mid North Coast regions, including the Macleay River. It elected two members, with voters casting two votes and the first two...
in the first Legislative Assembly of New South Wales. Hargrave's older brother, John Fletcher Hargrave QC, arrived in New South Wales in 1856 and served in the Legislative Council from 1859 until 1861. John Hargrave was also appointed as a Representative of Government in the Legislative Council and served as Solicitor-General and Attorney-General until 1865.
In 1976, Colless married Toni Christine Brown, and together they have three children.