Federal Management Committee

 

John Tanner owns and operates a small business in Benalla, north-eastern Victoria, which he started over 30 years ago.  As a local resident with a client base of country people, John understands first hand the issues facing people in regional Australia.

 

With a commitment to sustaining and enhancing country communities, John has used his industry knowledge and experience to strongly advocate for small business opportunities and regional development.  He was a country delegate in the Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce 1990-1994, a member of the State Executive Australian Small Business Association 1990-1994 and as State Chairman of the Timber Industry Road Evaluation Study in 1996. John has also served as a Board member of the North East Regional Water Board 1997-2001, Delatite Economic Board 1998-2000 and Benalla & District Hospital 1999-2002.

 

He was also a Local Government Commissioner in the Shire of Delatite 1994–1997.

John has a history of strong involvement in community activities and was awarded a Rotary International Paul Harris Fellowship in 1994 in recognition of his outstanding leadership and contribution to the community during the devastating floods which affected Benalla.  John continues his community work and since 2000 has been actively involved as a Director of the Portsea Camp, formally the Lord Mayor’s Children’s Camp.

 

John’s involvement with The Nationals has evolved over many years. From local Branch President, Campaign Chairman and State Councillor, John works tirelessly to promote the democratic values and processes we enjoy in Australia.  His strategic management capabilities, vision for the party and commitment are demonstrated in his six years as State President of Victoria 2000–2006, serving 12 months as Federal Vice-President concurrently. 

 

John was elected Federal President of The Nationals in 2006.

 

Brad Henderson was appointed Federal Director of The Nationals in June 2007.  As Federal Director, he is responsible for directing The Nationals’ Federal election campaigns, administration of the Party’s Federal organisation, and providing political support to the Party’s Parliamentarians, candidates and Federal Management Committee.

 

Prior to this, Brad served as the Party’s State Director in Queensland.  He was The Nationals’ Campaign Director for the successful 2006 Gaven by-election and the Queensland election later that year.  He has worked on a string of other election campaigns in various capacities and served in a range of party positions since joining The Nationals in 1992. 

 

From 2003 to early 2005 Brad ran his own consultancy specialising in government relations, rural policy and marketing, and worked as Marketing Coordinator with his alma mater, The University of Queensland in its Faculty of Natural Resources, Agriculture and Veterinary Science. 

 

He was employed as a policy adviser with Rob Borbidge’s Nationals-led Coalition Government in Queensland from 1996-98 before going on to work in senior policy and media advisory roles to Nationals Leaders Rob Borbidge and Mike Horan between 1998 and 2003.

 

Brad started his career in Queensland’s beef industry, first as a jackaroo and feedlot hand, then as Research Officer with the Cattlemen’s Union of Australia after graduating from university.

 

Born in Biloela, Central Queensland, Brad is married to Tracy.  He holds a Bachelor of Applied Science from The University of Queensland.

 

Larry comes from a political family who collectively served over 55 years representing the Nationals as Members of the House of Representatives.  The Anthony family come from Northern NSW and have been actively involved in the community, agricultural sector and supporting regional Australia for many decades.  Larry has held numerous branch and executive positions in the NSW Nationals.

 

Prior to entering politics Larry has held a range of jobs from Jackeroo to Investment Banking to venture capital projects in the Rail sector.

 

He served as the member for Richmond from 1996 -2004 and during that period held numerous Ministerial Portfolios mostly in the Social Security sector.

 

Since leaving politics Larry has become a full time non executive Director with numerous Public and Private companies ranging from Education/Childcare, Media, Banking and the IT sector. He serves as Chairman and Board member on a number of Credit Union Trade Associations and is Chairman of the Duke of Edinburgh Award in Australia and Deputy to the International Awards UK.

 

Larry holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from UNSW and is a Fellow of AIDC and FINSA. He is married with three young children and is dedicated to helping young Australians and children reach their true potential.

 

 

Pam Stallman was elected Federal Secretary of The Nationals in 2005.

 

Pam has been an active participant in politics at the local, state and federal levels.  She has always worked hard to engage her community in the political process and is a keen advocate for women's involvement in conservative politics.

 

Pam first got involved in The Nationals in 1978 when she joined the Young Nationals.  She went on to start a Women’s Branch in the Condamine area and served the Party in a range of roles over subsequent years, including Senior Vice President of The Nationals – Queensland, President of The Nationals – Queensland Women’s Section and President of the Women's Federal Council.  She organised the first National's Forum on Women in Politics, drawing together all the Party's female Parliamentarians and political aspirants from across the country to share their experiences and discuss the challenges confronted in a historically male profession. 

 

In 1998 Pam was elected to the Murilla Shire Council.  Her interests in local government have focused on planning, infrastructure projects and economic development.  Her other community interests have revolved around her now adult children, their education, and the challenges of parenthood in an isolated area.

 

Pam retired from her local council position in 2008 to concentrate on helping to grow the family business further.  She and husband Bill operate a cereal cropping and cattle fattening business near Condamine on Queensland’s Western Downs.

 

Pam holds a Bachelor of Business with a Major in Public Relations.

 

John Sharp is originally from a farming and business background and has served as Treasurer of The Nationals since 2005. 

 

His political career commenced in 1980 at the age of 25 when he was elected to the Young Shire Council. The same year he was elected to the South West Slopes County Council and to the Southern Tablelands County Council. In 1981 he became Chairman of the Young Neighbourhood Council, the Young Tidy Towns Committee, and Deputy Chairman of the Livestock and Grain Producers District Council.

 

In 1984 he was elected to the Federal Parliament in the seat of Gilmore. Following a redistribution in 1993 he represented the seat of Hume. He served 14 years in the Federal Parliament and, from 1987 to the end of 1997, on the Federal Coalition's front bench as Shadow Minister and later as Minister for Transport and Regional Development.

 

During his parliamentary career he became well known and respected for his role in promoting aviation safety and was responsible for numerous reforms including a complete rewrite of the aviation regulations to simplify them.  He was also responsible for the reform of Australia's railways.

 

Following his retirement from Parliament in 1998 John established his own transport consulting company, Thenford Consulting.  From 1999 to 2001 he was a director of ADI-Fox.  He is currently a director of Australian Aerospace, a director and part owner of air freight company Skytraders, Deputy Chairman of Australia's largest independent regional airline Regional Express (Rex), and Chairman of Pel Air, an airfreight business and charter operator.

 

John was Chairman of the Aviation Safety Foundation of Australia from 2001 to 2007.  He part owns and is Chairman of Power and Data Corporation and in 2007, was appointed Chairman of the Advisory Council of Parsons Brinckerhoff.

 

In 2002/03 he conducted a Review of the Australian Shipping Industry on behalf of the Australian Ship Owners Association and in 2008 he became the official mentor of the Chairman of the Roads and Traffic Authority in Dubai.

 

John is also involved in a number of voluntary organisations as a Trustee and Board Member of John McEwen House, Member of the University of Wollongong Vice-Chancellor's Advisory Board and Co-Chair of the Cancer Council of NSW, Southern Highlands Branch.

 

John Sharp operates and lives on a farm in the NSW Southern Highlands with his wife and three children.

 

Ruth is a farmer and company director from NSW’s Liverpool Plains near Tambar Springs, producing wheat, sorghum, sunflower and dryland cotton.

 

Originally from Port Lincoln in South Australia, Ruth trained as a registered nurse at the Royal Adelaide Hospital.  After working in the USA and England, she returned to Australia to further her education in intensive care and education and became coordinator for the South Australia Critical Care Association Regional Education Program.  In this role she travelled extensively delivering training in acute care in regional hospitals.   

 

Following her marriage to John, Ruth continued her involvement with education at a local level, training SES and local people in first aid, music and swimming. She obtained her pilots licence and directed and produced a film “2003 The Inuagural Cumbo Gunnerah Run” which documented the re-enactment of the Red Chief’s run from Breeza to Gunnedah to save his tribe from the Cassilis men. Locally, Ruth has also been involved with Red Cross, SES, Tambar Springs CTC, and CWA.
   
Ruth first became involved with The Nationals when John Anderson asked her to be the secretary of the Tambar Springs branch. When John was preselected to stand for The Nationals for the seat of Gwydir, Ruth went on to manage each of his six subsequent election campaigns as his career in politics progressed.

 

She successfully co-ordinated the “Save Gwydir Campaign” after a federal redistribution proposed abolishing the seat upon John Anderson’s retirement from Parliament.  The campaign secured the retention of the seat, albeit under the new name of Parkes.  Ruth went on to become Chair of the Parkes Electorate Council and campaign manager for Mark Coulton’s successful bid to win the seat for The Nationals at the 2007 Federal election.

 

Ruth was elected President of The Nationals Women’s Federal Council in October 2008.

 

 

 

Jacky Abbott joined The Nationals from a property in rural Victoria, and has served three terms on The Nationals – Victoria State Council and its Management Committee.  She stood as the Party’s candidate for the State seat of Bass in 2006, as a resident of South Gippsland, and has worked in the public and private sector in three States.

 

During a long career in Canberra, Jacky worked in ABARE and in several policy areas of the Federal Department of Primary Industry (now Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry), including industrial relations, rural research funding and multilateral trade organisations.  She has also worked in the Department of Industry, Science and Technology and as National Director of Public Relations for the Australian Federal Police.  She holds a Masters degree in public policy.

 

Jacky believes The Nationals, as the oldest conservative party in the country, provide an essential voice for the interests and entitlements of the seven million Australians who live beyond the major metropolitan centres, and who would otherwise lack such strong representation within a two-party, urban-based system.

 

She is also Vice President of the Women’s Federal Council, which encourages Nationals women to continue the Party’s proud record of participation at the highest levels in parliamentary and administrative positions.

 

Christine Ferguson has served on The Nationals Federal Management Committee since 2005 as Federal Women’s President and since 2007 as President of The Nationals – New South Wales.

 

Christine has been actively involved in the community, serving as a Councillor on the Gundagai Shire Council and member of the Riverina Regional Economic Development Organization and Envirofund Australia Assessment Panel.  She was elected as a NSW delegate to the Constitutional Convention, was a member of the Murrumbidgee Catchment Management Committee and Board and a volunteer with the OCDI Togo Africa immunization program.

 

She has a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Politics and Economic History from the University of New England, Armidale and holds Certificates in General Nursing (Victoria) and Midwifery (Scotland).

 

Christine is a partner with her husband in the family business in New South Wales and Tasmania, producing prime lambs, wool and cattle.

 

 

Robert Mitchell was elected State President of The Nationals – Victoria at the 2009 State Conference.

Prior to this, Robert has been a member of The Nationals – Victoria’s Executive for the last eight years as both Senior and Junior Vice President.  He has also served as a State Councillor, Branch President, AEDC President, Field Day Co-ordinator and Campaign Committee Chairman for the State Lower House seat of Rodney. 

Robert and his wife Lorraine have three adult children, and own and operate a mixed irrigation and dryland stud sheep farm at Lockington, near Echuca in Northern Victoria.

Robert is actively involved in his local community and the sheep and wool industry.  He is an executive member and President of the Australian Sheep Breeders Association, a committee member of a range of other Sheep Associations and a committee member involved in the development of the Bendigo Showgrounds,

With Federal and Victorian State elections looming in 2010, Robert’s focus is on ensuring The Nationals are campaign-ready and playing a key role in returning the Coalition to government.

 

Rick Setter originally hails from a small sugar farming community south of Cairns, North Queensland. Starting his working life in the electrical trade, he moved to Townsville and entered the electrical wholesaling business. After a period managing company branches in Mount Isa and Toowoomba, Rick took on the position of Northern Territory manager in 1973, transferring to Darwin where he has lived ever since.

 

Rick joined the Country Liberal Party in 1976 during the CLP’s first term in office.  He subsequently served as Chair of North Darwin Branch; and was elected Vice President of the Party in 1973. He won preselection following Chief Minister Paul Everingham’s resignation from the Northern Territory’s Legislative Assembly in 1984, going on to win the seat of Jingili in the subsequent by-election.

 

Rick served four terms in the Legislative Assembly, and held the positions of Chairman of Committees, Chair of the Public Accounts committee, and Chair of the Subordinate Legislation and Tabled Papers committee.  He also served for a period on the Statehood and new Parliament House committees.

 

Retiring from the Assembly in 1997, Rick commenced a new career business consulting into South East Asia which he continues today.  He chairs Darwin City Council’s Darwin-Ambon Sister City committee, is acting Chair of the Australian American Association and a member of both the Darwin/Ambon Yacht Race committee and the Sail Saumlaki (Indonesia) committee.

 

In 2006 Rick was elected President of the CLP; overseeing the resurgence of public support which almost resulted in the Party’s return to government at the 2008 Northern Territory election.