John Woodley

John Woodley (born Brisbane, Queensland, 9 February 1938) is an ordained Uniting Church minister and was a Senator representing the state of Queensland, Australia, in the Australian Senate.

Woodley was briefly in the Australian Defence Force from 1957 to 1959.

Woodley was educated at the Melbourne College of Divinity and Brisbane College of Theology.

Prior to entering politics, Woodley was ordained a minister of the Methodist Church in October 1962 and continued his clerical duties with its successor, the Uniting Church in Australia, after church union in June 1977.

During his ministry, Woodley worked mainly in rural churches and had extensive contact with Aboriginal people.

He served as Director of Social Responsibility in the Uniting Church, Queensland Synod, from 1977 to December 1984 and was very active fighting for justice during the Joh Bjelke-Petersen era in Queensland.

He was also a member of the Uniting Church in Australia's National Social Justice Committee between 1977 and 1982.

After his election, Woodley wished to remain a "Minister of the Word" and the church deemed his parish to be the Senate and his parishioners to be the people of Queensland.