WA Liberal Party votes for watered-down secession motion
Updated
WA Liberal Party members have passed a WAxit motion for a committee to examine if the state could become financially independent.
Key points:
- Man behind motion says WA is getting dudded by Canberra
- The motion called for the state council to "examine the option of WA becoming a financially independent state"
- WA Liberal leader Mike Nahan voted against the motion
The motion was put forward at the party's state conference by Rick Palmer from the brand division who argued WA was getting dudded by Canberra.
"It wasn't a brainstorm one morning, this came out of the fact that a group of us had been talking to people expressing an anger at the way the federation's treating Western Australia," he said.
"It doesn't just go to the GST. We send a significant amount of revenue in the form of income tax ... capital gains tax, superannuation contributions' tax all goes to Canberra.
"Our premiers and our treasurers go over there like Oliver Twist and come back with an empty begging bowl.
"It's not reasonable and something has to change."
The motion called for the state council to establish a committee with three former members of Parliament and three members of council to "examine the option of Western Australia becoming a financially independent state".
The motion did not initially contain the word "financially" but an amendment was passed to make it "financially independent".
WA Liberal leader Mike Nahan voted against the motion.
"There is absolutely no doubt that federation that has evolved over the last many decades is doing well by Western Australia, indeed the nation," Dr Nahan said.
"I can't argue with all those points about the unfair allocation of money withdrawn from the state.
"But ... we're like a family, someone told me many people who are large families will wish they had single-child family, but that's not possible.
"We are a family, it's a great family, we need to work within the family."
The motion was passed 89 votes to 73.
The committee's response will need to be referred to the State Council by July next year.
Opponents worried about 'lunatic fringe' label
The main arguments in the "yes" camp centred around the level of discontent members were hearing from the community.
"They are furious, they're ropeable, these are the members in our branches that we have to convince to re-join because they're so angry with the lack of action," one member said.
But the "no" voters were worried that the party could be labelled as the "lunatic fringe".
WA Liberal Party state president Norman Moore supported the motion and said it would send a very clear message to Canberra.
"I think it tells them that Western Australians ... are not happy with the way in which Western Australia is being treated," Mr Moore said.
"Now the GST is symptomatic of that, but it is more than that.
"Because we are long way from Canberra we feel that we are being ignored and that our interests aren't being taken into consideration by both sides of politics."
Dr Nahan fought to have the reference "WAxit" removed from the title of the motion but Mr Moore would not budge.
His first speech to the Liberal Party faithful earlier in the day was somewhat overshadowed by the motion.
Dr Nahan used his speech to acknowledge the "mistakes" the party had made that led them to an overwhelming loss in the March election and outlined his plan to woo back voters.
"[WA voters] turned from us to the Labor Party in large numbers," Dr Nahan said.
"Our job is to bring them back. The party of Mike's mates."
Topics: government-and-politics, liberals, wa
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