About Bill

Murchison: Member for Benalla Bill Sykes with Peter Ryan leader of The Nationals

Dr Bill Sykes often jokes that he is a farmer by love, a veterinarian by training and a Member of Parliament due to an error of judgement.

It is true that, on the odd occasion, he has been caught proudly surveying the Belgian Blues grazing in the paddocks of his cattle property on the outskirts of Benalla.
But ask him what he really thinks about his job and he’ll tell you that representing the people of Benalla in the Victorian Parliament is an enormous privilege and a responsibility he doesn’t take lightly.

Elected in 2002 as the Member for Benalla, Bill is a passionate and energetic champion of life in north-eastern Victoria.

Prior to entering politics, Bill spent 31 years as a veterinarian, 17 with the Department of Agriculture where he assisted farmers manage diseases such as Johnes. As the regional veterinarian in north east Victoria, and later a senior veterinarian in the Northern Territory, he was instrumental in the eradication of tuberculosis and brucellosis from Australian herds.

He later spent 14 years as a consultant working on both national and international projects.

Born and raised in regional Victoria, Bill’s early years were spent on his parents’ sheep and cattle property at Garfield in West Gippsland. After finishing school, he secured a veterinarian cadetship with the Department of Agriculture.

“Growing up on a farm gave me a real love of animals and nature. Veterinary science seemed a natural course to follow,” he says.

Bill spent five years studying veterinary science at The University of Melbourne, graduating in 1971 with honours. In 1977, Bill spent a year in Scotland studying at the Royal Dick Veterinary College in Edinburgh where he gained his diploma in veterinary state medicine.

But it wasn’t all exams and hard work. A handy footballer, Bill played more than 50 games for Fitzroy as a utility player. He later coached the Shepparton, Benalla and Benalla and District junior football teams.

During university Bill also met his wife Sally, who was studying at the time to be a physical education teacher. The two are now the proud parents of three grown children, one son and two daughter, and have four young grandchildren.

Over the years Bill and his wife Sally have been heavily involved in community activities, including school councils, youth groups, sporting clubs, Landcare, the Country Fire Authority and the Victorian Farmers’ Federation.

Bill was also instrumental in the establishment of the Benalla Trust Foundation, a trust to assist local people in times of crisis, and the Benalla Young Sportspersons Trust, a trust which assists promising young athletes to compete in interstate and overseas competitions.

In 2008 Bill was appointed Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture and Water. He also represents The Nationals on the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee which is responsible for scrutinising the government’s fiscal management.

What Bill stands for...

Bill believes in a strong future for regional communities.

He says the greatest challenge facing regional Victoria is the growing social disadvantage gap between people living in the country and those in metropolitan Melbourne.

“The barriers facing young people who wish to gain tertiary qualifications and the scarcity of water after 12 crippling dry years have left many communities in north-eastern Victoria severely disadvantaged,” he says.

“We need greater investment in country communities to ensure that the region continues to thrive.”
Most recently, Bill has lobbied the Federal Government to reverse its disastrous changes to youth allowance, which will see thousands of young Victorians forced to defer their university offers for at least two years.

He has also been a vocal critic of the Brumby Government’s water policies, which have resulted in the decommissioning of Lake Mokoan and the construction of the north-south pipeline to take water from Lake Eildon to Melbourne.

“Regional Victorians have had the stuffing knocked out of them by the Brumby Government’s disastrous water policies,” Bill says.

“I will continue to fight on behalf of my constituents to ensure the north-east receives its fair share.”