John Parkes

Anthony John Parkes (6 August 1950 – 3 July 2025) was a British-born Australian Anglican bishop. He was the tenth Bishop of Wangaratta from 2008 to 2019.

Biography Parkes was born in the United Kingdom in 1950 and educated as a lawyer at the University of Sheffield. He moved to Australia and worked as a barrister and solicitor in Sydney prior to beginning training for ordination in 1986.

Prior to his election in Wangaratta, Parkes served as an assistant bishop and the dean of Brisbane in the Diocese of Brisbane. He was a finalist in the first 2006 election for Archbishop of Melbourne.

Parkes, as a supporter of same-sex marriage, was criticised within the church for his stance. In December 2017, Parkes organised Anglican bishops to write to federal members of parliament, seeking that they pass the Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Bill 2017, same-sex marriage legislation without stronger religious exemptions.

Parkes retired on 21 December 2019, and was replaced as Bishop of Wangaratta by Clarence Bester. After a long battle with illness, Parkes died on 3 July 2025, at the age of 74.