WA Nationals seek to avert ‘falling into oblivion’ at State conference

The WA Nationals will use their State conference to debate running candidates in Perth seats as the party seeks to “become a player in the city or risk falling into oblivion”. The motion — proposed by the Quairading branch and set to be debated on Saturday — comes amid a complete overhaul of the Legislative Council and significant changes to Legislative Assembly boundaries that threaten to dramatically reduce the reach and representation of the country party. It calls for the Nationals State executive “to identify priority seats in the Legislative Assembly to run candidates in the 2025 State Election, including in selected metropolitan districts”. “The Electoral Legislation Amendment (Electoral Equality) Bill 2021 abolishes the three metropolitan and three non-metropolitan regions of WA in favour of a single electorate for the whole state, electing 37 members to the Legislative Council,” the motion reads. “In the 2021 election 1.4 million votes were counted for the Upper House. “If the same number of votes are counted in 2025, under the new rules roughly 40,000 votes will win a seat. In the 2021 election, The Nationals WA won roughly 40,000 votes – enough for only one seat under the new rules. “Fielding National Party candidates for lower house seats in the metropolitan region might not win many lower house seats, but it would raise the profile of the Party in the city, and that might translate into more than one upper house seat.” The motion argues for care to be exercised when selecting which Perth-based Assembly seats to contest, and stressed “some connection with the district would be important” for any prospective candidate. “Metro candidates would also need to be supported by policies which not only appeal to country people but also to city voters,” it said. “Districts like Nedlands might latch on to environmentally friendly policies, such as generating and using green power in the regions. “Districts like Fremantle might be more interested in policies which take trucks off the road and put more freight on rail. “Add in battery electrification of rail and we could appeal to both. “The Nationals WA have fielded lower house candidates in outer metropolitan seats in the past with limited success. “This should not be a barrier to trying again. Under the new rules the stakes are much higher. The Nationals WA must become a player in the city or risk falling into oblivion.” Earlier in August, the WA Nationals approached the Liberals with a formal proposal to enter into a coalition ahead of the 2025 election. Under the terms of that deal, the mantle of Opposition Leader would be transferred from Nationals leader Shane Love to Liberal Leader Libby Mettam. In exchange, the Nationals want every third spot on a joint ticket with the Liberals in the Legislative Council. The two parties would also agree on seats in which to avoid three-cornered contests in a bid to preserve resources. Other motions up for debate on Saturday include backflipping on the WA Nationals current position in support of the Voice and allowing individual MPs to campaign on the issue however they see fit, regardless of the party’s official stance. The Quairading branch also has a motion proposing the Nationals lobby the Cook Government to allow regional councils to “remove large trees within 6m of sealed road verges to minimise the risk of vehicles hitting an immovable object and replace them with safer shrub-like plants”. “We are championing the notion that the approach to risks for driver safety on country roads is vastly different from that of the metropolitan area,” the motion reads. “City motorists rarely travel above 70km/h and if they do the roadside plantings are shrub-like and have a cushioning effect for vehicles if there is an impact. “In country regions, there are many massive hardwood trees very close to roadsides and when local Shires try to remedy this, they often face fierce opposition as ribbons of green seem more important than people’s lives.” There are also motions calling for the construction of a second juvenile detention centre to complement Banksia Hill, incentivising government workers to move to the regions by making contributions to their HELP debts and supporting the “adoption of nuclear energy power plants as the best alternative for base load power.” Nationals members – including Mr Love and Federal Leader David Littleproud – will gather at the Novotel Vines Resort in the Swan Valley to debate each motion on Saturday.