Richard Olsen has been an active member of the ALP for over 20 years, supporting all ALP candidates in every election during this period and in particular in his local Campbelltown area.

Richard began his employment with the TWU in 1998, initially looking after the waterfront before organising airline workers. Richard was instrumental in the campaign to get the Howard Government to step in and secure all entitlements for Ansett employees after the collapse of the airline. This eventually resulted in improvements to the entire GEERS scheme, which ensured that workers who lost entitlements following the collapse of their employer were provided with a safety net.

Richard was elected and served as the South Coast and Southern Sub-branch Secretary from 2003 to 2013, representing TWU members and assisting ALP candidates in the Illawarra, Riverina and beyond during this time.

Richard was elected TWU NSW Assistant Secretary in 2012 and in mid-2016 became the TWU NSW State Secretary.

As part of his role as TWU NSW State Secretary Richard is a Director of TWUSuper, the superannuation fund for all transport workers, and all fees he receives from this directorship are given straight back to the TWU NSW to better represent and organise members.

Richard is a proud TWU and ALP member and believes that the overall labour movement is best served by a strong industrial wing working closely with the political wing. Richard is of the strong belief that the relationship between the union movement and the ALP is the key to both the electoral success of the party and to a more progressive and fair Australia.