Rhys Williams | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly for Mandurah | |
| Assumed office 8 March 2025 | |
| Preceded by | David Templeman |
| Mayor of Mandurah | |
| In office October 2017 –January 2025 | |
| Deputy | Caroline Knight |
| Preceded by | Marina Vergone |
| Succeeded by | Caroline Knight (acting) |
| City of Mandurah Councillor | |
| In office October 2009 –October 2013 | |
| Constituency | Coastal Ward |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Labor |
| Website | rhyswilliams |
Rhys Williams is an Australian politician who has been the member for Mandurah in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly since the March 2025 state election. A member of the Labor Party,he was the mayor of the City of Mandurah from October 2017 to January 2025 and a City of Mandurah councillor from October 2009 to October 2013.
Williams was elected to the Coastal Ward of the City of Mandurah council for a four-year term in October 2009 [1] at the age of 21,making him the youngest councillor in Mandurah's history. [2] In October 2013,Williams lost the Mandurah mayoral election to Marina Vergone by two votes. [3] [4] Four years later,he was elected mayor of Mandurah,receiving 50.12 percent of the vote and beating three other candidates,including incumbent mayor Vergone. [5] [6] [7] Williams was re-elected in October 2021 with 85.54 percent of the vote against one other candidate. [8] [9]
In 2015,Williams was awarded the Western Australian of the Year Youth Award. [10] [11] [12]
In September 2024,the Labor MP for the electoral district of Mandurah,David Templeman,announced he would not contest the 2025 state election. [13] [14] The following day,Williams announced he would seek Labor Party preselection, [15] [16] and in October 2024,he was preselected as the party's candidate for Mandurah. [17] [18] He stepped down as mayor in January 2025,with deputy mayor Caroline Knight acting as mayor until the October 2025 local government election. [19] [20] The Labor Party has used Williams' resignation as mayor to criticise the Liberal Party's Churchlands candidate,Basil Zempilas,for not resigning as lord mayor of Perth. [17] [21] The election on 8 March 2025 resulted in Williams retaining the seat of Mandurah for Labor. [22]
Williams is part of the Labor Party's Left faction and is aligned with the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union. [23]