A veteran NSW MP whose own speech triggered a major investigation by the state’s corruption watchdog has announced he is quitting politics at the next election, reiterating he would “do it all again” despite the heavy toll.
Ray Williams, the Liberal member for Kellyville, announced in parliament on Tuesday he would not contest the 2027 state election, acknowledging the heavy personal toll of exposing alleged impropriety within his party.
In a statement obtained by the Sydney Morning Herald, Mr Williams said his decision to speak out was driven by a desire to ensure the Liberal Party upheld the “highest standards possible”.
“I knew that I would be shunned as most whistleblowers are, right or wrong,” Mr Williams wrote.
“I happened to be right, and more so than I initially understood. There is no place for corruption in any organisation, including my own.”
Mr Williams said he would “do it all again” if he was ever faced with the choice of “doing the right thing on behalf of my party and my community”.
He said whistleblowers in Australia often watched their career opportunities disappear and found others reluctant to associate with them.
In 2022, Mr Williams used parliamentary privilege to deliver a 690-word, late-night statement alleging senior members of his party, including Christian Ellis, had been paid significant funds by property developer Jean Nassif to install favourable local councillors on Hills Shire Council.
He questioned how the party’s state executive had replaced former Hills Shire mayor Michelle Byrne and six sitting Liberal councillors without standard preselection processes.
His speech launched a years-long Independent Commission Against Corruption investigation into the Liberal Party, property developers, and local government.