Tim James (Australian politician)

Timothy Charles James is an Australian politician. He was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly at the 2022 Willoughby state by-election. James was appointed Shadow Minister for Fair Trading, Work Health and Safety and Building in 2023.

In January 2022, Tim James was endorsed as Liberal Party candidate for the 2022 Willoughby state by-election, defeating local Mayor Gail Giles-Gidney and Kellie Sloane for preselection. James then won the February 2022 by-election defeating Independent Larissa Penn and again defeated Penn in the 2023 NSW state election.

Professional and political life
Born and raised in the northern Sydney suburb of Artarmon, James joined the Liberal Party in 1993. From 1996, he worked in the offices of Joe Hockey and then prime minister, John Howard while completing his law and economic studies at the University of Technology Sydney.

Admitted as a solicitor to the Supreme Court of NSW in 2002, James worked as a commercial lawyer for Allens Arthur Robinson and then as a legal adviser to Pfizer Australia.

He worked for Pfizer Australia, KPMG and Johnson & Johnson. While undertaking secondments in New York and London, James completed a Master of Business Administration at the Australian Graduate School of Management.

James worked as chief of staff to Anthony Roberts, NSW Minister for Fair Trading from 2011–2013, and then as Minister for Industry, Resources and Energy, and Special Minister of State.

From 2014–2015, he was the CEO of Medicines Australia.

In 2017, he contested Liberal Party preselection for the 2017 North Shore by-election, losing to moderate Felicity Wilson.

In 2018, James again unsuccessfully challenged now sitting MP Felicity Wilson for preselection for the seat of North Shore. He challenged the result in the NSW Supreme Court. James lost his legal challenge, with the court ruling against him.

He was previously the executive general manager of the Menzies Research Centre, a think tank associated with the Liberal Party.

Member for Willoughby
James was elected to Parliament at the 2022 Willoughby state by-election on 12 February 2022.

In October 2022, he delivered a speech in the NSW parliament stating his opposition to the government's planned infrastructure program's of the Western Harbour Tunnel, the Warringah Upgrade and the Beaches Link Tunnel. The Beaches Link program was not funded in the 2022 NSW budget.

In April 2023, James was appointed as the Shadow Minister for Fair Trading, Work Health and Safety and Building.