John Wharton AM

 

John Wharton has been in the northern cattle industry all his life, having owned cattle properties in the Richmond and Etheridge Shire.  He was elected to the Richmond Shire Council in 1991 and went on to become Mayor in 1997.  Being the Mayor for 20 years has placed him as the longest serving Mayor presently in Local Government in Queensland.

 

In June 2007 he was the recipient of a Member of the Order of Australia Award for his service to the community of North-West Queensland through Local Government, Regional Development, Natural Resource Management and Primary Industry Organizations.  He also received the Centenary Medal in 2007 for distinguished service to Local Government.

 

He was appointed in January 2016, by Federal Minister Chris Pyne, to be the Interim Chair of the Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Developing Northern Australia (DNA) and travelled extensively across the North, consulting with communities and businesses with regard to the establishment of the CRC.  In February 2017, John was appointed as a permanent board member to the CRC for DNA.

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John manages and operates his own real estate business, Wharton & Co P/L, dealing in property and livestock. He also has an Agricultural consultancy business, with experience in a wide range of Agriculture in Northern Australia.  These include Beef Cattle, Cropping, Water Infrastructure, Goats, Camels, Pest Control and Land Management. He also has extensive knowledge of road construction and development costs with personal earthmoving experience and pricing knowledge from 26 years in Local Government.  

 

John is a passionate believer in Northern Australia and its future and is well known as a person who speaks up for what he believes in. He believes diversity is the key to economic success and common sense and practicality will always work.