National Party of Western Australia
Encyclopedia
The National Party of Western Australia is a political party in Western Australia
. It is affiliated with the National Party of Australia
but maintains a separate structure and identity.
Founded in 1913 to represent the interests of farmers and pastoralists, it was the first agrarian party in Australia to contest and win seats at the 1914 state election
. Since then, it has continuously held seats in the state's Legislative Assembly
and Legislative Council
, particularly in the state's Wheatbelt region, and for many years it also held Federal seats. While the party had historically functioned as part of a two-party coalition with the centre-right
Liberal Party
(and its predecessors) for most of its existence, tensions have always existed over the coalition arrangement, and on two occasions the party split over the issue.
Since the passage of reforms initiated by the Labor Party
to the electoral system reducing the number of non-metropolitan seats, the Nationals have refashioned themselves as an independent third party in Western Australian politics in an effort to ensure their survival and continued representation for agrarian interests in Parliament.
In 2005 the party confirmed its intention to maintain parliamentary independence from the Liberal Party. In 2007, leader Brendon Grylls
stated that the party "took a significant step and said no to a traditional coalition with the Liberal Party and will contest the (next) election
as a stand-alone conservative party". Following the unexpected hung parliament
produced by the election, the Nationals found themselves with the balance of power in both houses of the Western Australian parliament, opting ultimately to support the Liberals without becoming part of a coalition.
Nationals WA candidate Tony Crook
defeated Liberal Party
incumbent Wilson Tuckey
in the lower house seat of O'Connor
at the 2010 federal election, where a four-seat deficit for both sides saw the first hung parliament
since the 1940 federal election
. Crook sits as a crossbencher, he and his party remained open to negotiations by both sides on the formation of the 2010 federal government. His main platform is pro-Royalties for Regions policy
and anti-Mineral Resource Rent Tax. Since his election, Crook at times has voted for federal Labor government policies in parliament contrary to the official position of the National Party of Australia.
. The organisation followed suit at its 1961 conference. In 1974, the party contested state and federal elections under the National Alliance
banner, and then was officially renamed the National Country Party. On 1 April 1985, upon its union with the breakaway National Party, it became the National Party of Western Australia, which was formally affiliated with the National Party of Australia
. As with all National parties around Australia, in late 2003 the party was rebranded as The Nationals Western Australia, although the official name has not changed.
in 1885 and federation
in 1901, the population increased from 35,959 to 184,124, and by 1911 had risen to 282,114—in all, an almost eightfold increase. The gold rush peaked in 1903 and, while gold still represented over 65% of the total exports of Western Australia, the industry had started to enter a period of decline. With this decline came a recognition by government that continued economic growth depended on the development of agriculture. Massive public loans from overseas together with assisted immigration from the United Kingdom
saw large areas of land opened up—from 1900 to 1910, the area under crop rose from 74308 acres (30,071 ha) to 521862 acres (211,190 ha), while the railway network doubled in size and many public buildings were erected throughout the cultivated areas of the state. In addition, immigrants who had come in search of gold or work increasingly took on jobs as farm workers—the proportion of the population on the Goldfields had fallen from 32.2% of the State in 1901 to 22.3% by 1911, while the agricultural population had risen from 28.2% to 35.5% in the same period. Land was also given to unemployed labourers and retrenched public servants, which they could gain title on by making it productive. Following the pioneering work in 1903 by William Farrer
in New South Wales on marginal-rainfall wheat varieties, wheat became by far the most important agricultural export, with the rate of expansion from 1904 to 1913 in wheat production and export surpassing all other states.
However, falling wheat prices after 1908 and a drought in 1911-1912 caused major hardship to the newly-established farmers, especially in the eastern wheatbelt which had lower rainfall, less capital and less preparation. This led to some resentment towards the Liberal government then in power, and especially towards Minister for Lands James Mitchell
, who had adopted a particularly enthusiastic attitude towards settlement in such areas. Two new events on the horizon brought things to a head—the 1911 state election
which produced the first majority Labor
government in Western Australia (including several members from agricultural areas); and an attempt by the Rural Workers Union to bring agricultural workers into the Commonwealth arbitration
system to regulate their wages and working conditions. In March 1912, the Western Australian Farmers and Settlers' Association was formed to represent small employers' interests, and included primarily wheat farmers, but also small graziers, dairy farmers and orchardists. By 1914, it had 180 branches and 6,000 members, mostly located in the Wheatbelt region with some penetration of the South West region. It was inspired in part by the success of Canadian grain growers' associations from 1900 onwards.
capable of bargaining for concessions from the government of the day, clearly influenced by Labor's past practice before emerging as a major party in 1904.
These events took the Liberal party by surprise and caused some consternation amongst them. Their initial view of the FSA had been positive—federal member for Swan
and former Premier (1890–1901), Sir John Forrest
, believed the movement "would be of great use to the Producers, add to the strength of Liberalism and prove advantageous in every way". The FSA's first meetings were at the Liberal League's clubrooms in Perth, and its Executive was dominated by well-established families from the established farming districts around York
and Beverley
, epitomising the conservative values of pre-1890s Western Australian society. The Executive was staunchly opposed to the Labor party, and was concerned about the support Labor was able to attract in the newer districts, but at the same time wished for a more considered land settlement policy than the Liberals were offering, and opposed protectionism
. The emergence of a three-party contest with a new Country Party remaining "entirely distinct from and not allied with any other Party" and representing the political interests of farmers, a compromise that both the Executive and the membership wholeheartedly supported, resulted in sharp criticism from key Liberals such as Forrest, who engaged in a two-month correspondence with Monger until April 1914 attempting to convince him to rejoin the FSA to the Liberal cause, and State opposition leader Frank Wilson. An invitation from the Liberal League for an exchange of preferences in the Legislative Council had been rejected by the Executive on the ground that "our constitution does not permit the council to comply with their request".
In May 1914, the Country Party won two of four contested seats in the Legislative Council
—one in East Province and one in Central Province. At the Assembly elections
on 21 October 1914, they contested 16 of the 50 seats in the Legislative Assembly
, winning 8 of them. Five of these seats had Liberal incumbents (Beverley
, Greenough
, Irwin
, Pingelly
and York
), while two had been held by Labor (Avon
and Nelson
). Alfred Piesse, the Liberal member for Toodyay
, joined the Country Party and faced no contest for his seat. James Gardiner
was selected as the first leader of the Country Party. The Labor government was returned with a one-seat majority, but could not always rely on its own members, and Gardiner told the Assembly on 8 December 1914 that there should be a "legitimate truce" and that the Country Party would support the government for the benefit of the state. During this time the government enacted a number of financial aid and other relief measures with Country Party support. However, Gardiner's willingness to work with Labor to achieve Country Party aims on the land alarmed conservatives on the FSA executive, and on 12 March 1915, at the first joint Country Party-FSA conference, the decision was made to appoint a new leader. Gardiner resigned six days later, and Francis Willmott became leader of the party, which became increasingly dominated by Monger. The party had to act carefully, as Labor had committed to an agricultural relief programme and the Executive was wary of upsetting the radical eastern wheatbelt branches. The status quo was cautiously backed at the party's August 1915 conference.
, previously held by Joseph Gardiner
, was declared vacant and was won at a by-election two months later by the Liberal Party, leaving Labor with no majority in the Assembly. The FSA executive had tired of Gardiner and colleague Tom Harrison's continuing support for the government, writing in September 1915 accusing him of "always being the apologist for the bad administration of the present Government". In November, Country Party members were instructed to support a censure motion by the Liberal Party, but although all members did ultimately vote for the motion, it was defeated by the casting vote of the Speaker. On 18 December 1915, the Labor member for Williams-Narrogin, Edward Johnston, resigned from the party and was re-elected at a by-election as an Independent. For the first time since the Scaddan Government's election in 1911, non-Labor forces had a majority in the Assembly.
, standing on a centrist platform as the "National Alliance" in both the March 1974 state election
and the May 1974 federal election
. The Alliance contested most of the state seats and every single federal seat, standing in many metropolitan seats for the first time. However in both elections the party lost votes and seats compared to the combined performance of its component parties in previous elections, losing its last seats in the federal House of Representatives
and one of two Senators. The National Alliance was dissolved soon afterwards and the now-renamed National Country Party reverted to its traditional approach of contesting just rural seats afterwards. In the 1977 federal election
the party's last Senator, Tom Drake-Brockman, retired and his seat was lost. The party would not win another federal seat until the 2010 federal election.
The 1974 state election saw the Liberals defeat Labor but they lacked a majority and so following negotiations a Liberal-National Country Coalition ministry
was formed with the National Country Party holding three positions in the ministry, including leader Ray McPharlin
as Deputy Premier
under Sir Charles Court
. However the National Country Party's reduced position led to public discussions about establishing a clear separate identity from the Liberals. Tensions grew over rural and education issues and, ultimately, milk quotas for dairy producers leading to a split. On 20 May 1975, McPharlin led the party out of the Coalition. The state party then came under pressure from the federal party to resume the coalition, with both federal leader Doug Anthony
and Queensland Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen
making visits to encourage this. In the negotiations which followed, McPharlin was replaced as leader by Dick Old and the Coalition was resumed on 31 May; however, Court insisted Old was too inexperienced to be Deputy Premier, and from this point until the Liberals' defeat in 1983, while the Coalition was maintained between the two parties, the Liberal Party got to name both leading positions in the Ministry. At the 1977 state election
the Liberals gained seats whilst the National Country Party stood still, resulting in the latter losing one of its three ministerial posts. The Coalition remained in office.
through the party president from which offers of campaign assistance were made to parliamentary officeholders to vote to oust Old. By August the party had completely fractured when Hendy Cowan
, the vice president of the party and an MLA, and Jim Fletcher, the general president, walked out of a strategy planning meeting. The allegation of the campaign offer had been made against Fletcher. Court's strong domination of conservative politics had resulted in the National Country Party having only minor influence and the split galvanised demands for greater independence.
A separate party called the "National Party" was formed. The name was initially disallowed after objections from the National Party in Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania but later formalised as the National Party of Australia (WA). Disaffected members of the National Country Party joined including three Members of the Legislative Assembly, Cowan, McPharlin and Matt Stephens
, and one Member of the Legislative Council, Thomas McNeil. The National Party operated as an independent force whilst the National Country Party remained in the Coalition. The two parties worked independently of one another whilst quietly (and occasionally, publicly) feuding. In the 1980 state election
the National Country Party maintained the Coalition whilst the National Party agreed with the Labor Party not to contest each other's seats and Cowan publicly stated his party was willing to support a Labor minority government if it had the largest number of seats. The election saw each party return its three sitting MLAs, with the Coalition retaining power. On 12 May 1982, McPharlin resigned from the National Party and rejoined the National Country Party.
The Coalition lost power in the 1983 state election
, in which McPharlin also lost his seat to the Liberals. All the other National Country and National MLAs retained their seats. The National Country Party was by this stage $1.25 million in debt, largely due to the failure of a grocery store it had entered to raise funds. This led to an unsuccessful motion to dissolve the party in May 1983.
There were renewed calls for the two rural parties to reunify. In August 1984 a seventeen point plan was agreed by both parties and on 2 October 1984 the two party organisations formally unified under the name "National Party of Western Australia". However the two parliamentary parties remained as separate entities because the three three sitting National Country Party MLAs (Dick Old, Albert Crane and Peter Jones) refused to work with Cowan and Stephens. On 29 January 1985 the parliamentary National Country Party was formally dissolved. The sitting MLCs joined the National party, however all three sitting MLAs refused to accept the merger and instead joined the Liberal Party.
yet to suffer from major fallout from the WA Inc
fiasco and the 1987 stock market crash. In 1989 Liberal opposition leader Barry MacKinnon was pushing for the Nationals to help block supply
in the Upper House to topple the Dowding government
. Cowan refused to cooperate knowing that a small swing to the Liberals in the coming election
could see them (the Liberals) gain as many as nine seats and an absolute majority in the Assembly
, thus weakening the Nationals' position. In February the following year, Cowan and the Nationals had reversed their stance and decided to block supply in a bid to present themselves as a decisive and consistent conservative force.
In the 1993 state election
, the conservative forces finally regained government, largely by just being able to finally present themselves as united. This was despite what should have been a relatively easy ride given Labor's problems with WA Inc. and the findings of the associated Royal commission
which had been handed down the year before. The Liberals won a small, but absolute majority in both houses with the Nationals holding 6 seats in the lower house and 3 in the upper house. Nevertheless, a Liberal-National Party coalition was formed and Cowan was Deputy Premier
under Richard Court
from 1993 to 2001, as well as holding ministerial portfolios of Commerce and Trade (16 February 1993 to 16 February 2001), Small Business and Regional Development (10 February 1995 to 16 February 2001).
. Subsequently Cowan resigned from both the party leadership and the state parliament to stand in the federal Senate election for the Nationals; however despite his profile and the party's belief that he was their best hope since Drake-Brockman's retirement, he was unsuccessful.
Cowan was succeeded as leader by Max Trenorden
who led the party for the next four years in coalition with the Liberals. At the 2005 state election
the Nationals retained the same number of seats but the Labor Pary retained power and came close to a majority in the Legislative Council and successfully implemented the ending of a malapportionment that had given the non-metropolitan parts of the state fewer voters per electorate than in the metropolitan parts; the National Party had long benefited from this arrangement. In May 2005 legislation was passed to remove the malapportionment in the Legislative Assembly (although it was retained for the Legislative Council) and shift to a system of one vote one value
. The change was widely expected to devastate the National Party, leading to many questioning whether it would survive the coming election.
In June 2005 Trenorden was challenged by Brendon Grylls
for the leadership and stood down before a formal ballot was held. Grylls sought to reposition the Nationals, taking them beyond their traditional rural base and making a greater appeal to regional Western Australia. The party adopted the flagship policy of "Royalties for Regions
", under which 25% of mineral and oil royalty revenues would be spent in the regional areas of Western Australia to develop infrastructure. Grylls also moved the party away from the traditional Coalition with the Liberals to instead operate as an independent force, including a readiness to form government with either the Liberals or Labor to push for National policies.
In the 2008 state election
the party won four lower house seats, which together with three independents, enabled the Liberals
led by Colin Barnett
to form an informal governing coalition. Unlike a conventional coalition however, the National members reserved "the right to exempt [themselves] from Cabinet and vote against an issue on the floor of the Parliament if it's against the wishes of the people [they] represent,"
The winning MLAs were party leader Brendon Grylls
(Central Wheatbelt
), Terry Redman
(Blackwood-Stirling
), Terry Waldron
(Wagin
) and Grant Woodhams
(Moore
). In the upper house
, the party won five seats with the members being Mia Davies
, Philip Gardiner
and Max Trenorden
(Agricultural Region
), Colin Holt
(South West Region
) and Wendy Duncan
(Mining and Pastoral Region
). Grylls, Waldron and Redman hold cabinet positions in the Barnett Ministry
, whilst Duncan is a Parliamentary Secretary.
Grylls and his partners negotiated the implementation of its Royalties for Regions policy
, which provided The policy is administered through the Department of Regional Development and Lands and provides for an additional $619 million (2009–10) in spending in regional communities above consolidated revenue allocations for the regions.
In the 2010 federal election, Tony Crook
won the Australian House of Representatives
seat of O'Connor
for the National Party of Western Australia from long-term Liberal incumbent Wilson Tuckey
. Crook campaigned on a policy of opposition to the Mineral Resource Rent Tax and support for a Royalties for Regions policy
at a national level. He also declared his independence from the federal Nationals
and declared he would sit as a crossbencher in the parliament. The election resulted in a hung parliament
. Crook ultimately announced he would support the Liberal-National Coalition on confidence and supply
, but would otherwise remain on the crossbench.
as cast at state general elections. While the statistics reflect exact counts, it may not be possible to strictly compare vote percentages over time due to the number of uncontested seats prior to 1971.
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
. It is affiliated with the National Party of Australia
National Party of Australia
The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally, it began as the The Country Party, but adopted the name The National Country Party in 1975, changed to The National Party of Australia in 1982. The party is...
but maintains a separate structure and identity.
Founded in 1913 to represent the interests of farmers and pastoralists, it was the first agrarian party in Australia to contest and win seats at the 1914 state election
Western Australian state election, 1914
Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 21 October 1914 to elect 50 members to the Western Australian Legislative Assembly. The Labor party, led by Premier John Scaddan, retained government against the opposition conservative Liberal Party led by Opposition Leader Frank Wilson,...
. Since then, it has continuously held seats in the state's Legislative Assembly
Western Australian Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of parliament in the Australian state of Western Australia. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Perth....
and Legislative Council
Western Australian Legislative Council
The Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of parliament in the Australian state of Western Australia. Its central purpose is to act as a house of review for legislation passed through the lower house, the Legislative Assembly. It sits in Parliament House in the state...
, particularly in the state's Wheatbelt region, and for many years it also held Federal seats. While the party had historically functioned as part of a two-party coalition with the centre-right
Centre-right
The centre-right or center-right is a political term commonly used to describe or denote individuals, political parties, or organizations whose views stretch from the centre to the right on the left-right spectrum, excluding far right stances. Centre-right can also describe a coalition of centrist...
Liberal Party
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
(and its predecessors) for most of its existence, tensions have always existed over the coalition arrangement, and on two occasions the party split over the issue.
Since the passage of reforms initiated by the Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
to the electoral system reducing the number of non-metropolitan seats, the Nationals have refashioned themselves as an independent third party in Western Australian politics in an effort to ensure their survival and continued representation for agrarian interests in Parliament.
In 2005 the party confirmed its intention to maintain parliamentary independence from the Liberal Party. In 2007, leader Brendon Grylls
Brendon Grylls
Brendon John Grylls is an Australian politician and is currently the Member for Central Wheatbelt in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, as well as the Leader of the National Party of Western Australia. Grylls has been the Minister for Regional Development and Minister for Lands in the...
stated that the party "took a significant step and said no to a traditional coalition with the Liberal Party and will contest the (next) election
Western Australian state election, 2008
A general election was held in the state of Western Australia on Saturday 6 September 2008 to elect 59 members to the Legislative Assembly and 36 members to the Legislative Council...
as a stand-alone conservative party". Following the unexpected hung parliament
Hung parliament
In a two-party parliamentary system of government, a hung parliament occurs when neither major political party has an absolute majority of seats in the parliament . It is also less commonly known as a balanced parliament or a legislature under no overall control...
produced by the election, the Nationals found themselves with the balance of power in both houses of the Western Australian parliament, opting ultimately to support the Liberals without becoming part of a coalition.
Nationals WA candidate Tony Crook
Tony Crook (politician)
Anthony John "Tony" Crook is an Australian politician. He has been the member of the Australian House of Representatives seat of O'Connor for the National Party of Western Australia since the 2010 federal election...
defeated Liberal Party
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
incumbent Wilson Tuckey
Wilson Tuckey
Charles Wilson Tuckey , a former Australian federal politician, was a Member of the Australian House of Representatives representing the seat of O'Connor in Western Australia for the Liberal Party from 1980 until 2010.-Biography:...
in the lower house seat of O'Connor
Division of O'Connor
The Division of O'Connor is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of Western Australia. It is one of Western Australia's three rural seats....
at the 2010 federal election, where a four-seat deficit for both sides saw the first hung parliament
Hung parliament
In a two-party parliamentary system of government, a hung parliament occurs when neither major political party has an absolute majority of seats in the parliament . It is also less commonly known as a balanced parliament or a legislature under no overall control...
since the 1940 federal election
Australian federal election, 1940
Federal elections were held in Australia on 21 September 1940. All 74 seats in the House of Representatives, and 19 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election...
. Crook sits as a crossbencher, he and his party remained open to negotiations by both sides on the formation of the 2010 federal government. His main platform is pro-Royalties for Regions policy
Royalties for Regions policy
Royalties for Regions is a political policy formulated by the National Party of Western Australia in 2008 which involves the redirection of government spending from the major population centres, particularly Perth, into the rural areas of the state...
and anti-Mineral Resource Rent Tax. Since his election, Crook at times has voted for federal Labor government policies in parliament contrary to the official position of the National Party of Australia.
Naming
On foundation, the party was known as the Country Party of Western Australia. In 1944, it was renamed the Country and Democratic League following its severance from the Primary Producers' Association; however, the name proved confusing, especially after the Liberals' decision to adopt the name Liberal and Country League, and the parliamentary party reverted to being the Country Party at the 1949 federal electionAustralian federal election, 1949
Federal elections were held in Australia on 10 December 1949. All 121 seats in the House of Representatives, and 42 of the 60 seats in the Senate were up for election, where the single transferable vote was introduced...
. The organisation followed suit at its 1961 conference. In 1974, the party contested state and federal elections under the National Alliance
National Alliance (Australia)
The National Alliance was an Australian political party of the early 1970s. The party was formed in Western Australia as a result of a merger between the WA Country Party and WA Democratic Labor Party . The National Alliance contested the WA state elections in March 1974, winning more than 8.5% of...
banner, and then was officially renamed the National Country Party. On 1 April 1985, upon its union with the breakaway National Party, it became the National Party of Western Australia, which was formally affiliated with the National Party of Australia
National Party of Australia
The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally, it began as the The Country Party, but adopted the name The National Country Party in 1975, changed to The National Party of Australia in 1982. The party is...
. As with all National parties around Australia, in late 2003 the party was rebranded as The Nationals Western Australia, although the official name has not changed.
Background
The gold rush of the 1890s had seen tremendous growth in the state in terms of both capital and population. Between the discovery of gold at Halls CreekHalls Creek, Western Australia
Halls Creek is a small town situated in the East Kimberley region of Western Australia. It is located between the towns of Fitzroy Crossing and Turkey Creek on the Great Northern Highway...
in 1885 and federation
Federation of Australia
The Federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British self-governing colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia formed one nation...
in 1901, the population increased from 35,959 to 184,124, and by 1911 had risen to 282,114—in all, an almost eightfold increase. The gold rush peaked in 1903 and, while gold still represented over 65% of the total exports of Western Australia, the industry had started to enter a period of decline. With this decline came a recognition by government that continued economic growth depended on the development of agriculture. Massive public loans from overseas together with assisted immigration from the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
saw large areas of land opened up—from 1900 to 1910, the area under crop rose from 74308 acres (30,071 ha) to 521862 acres (211,190 ha), while the railway network doubled in size and many public buildings were erected throughout the cultivated areas of the state. In addition, immigrants who had come in search of gold or work increasingly took on jobs as farm workers—the proportion of the population on the Goldfields had fallen from 32.2% of the State in 1901 to 22.3% by 1911, while the agricultural population had risen from 28.2% to 35.5% in the same period. Land was also given to unemployed labourers and retrenched public servants, which they could gain title on by making it productive. Following the pioneering work in 1903 by William Farrer
William Farrer
William James Farrer was a leading Australian agronomist and plant breeder. Farrer is best remembered as the originator of the "Federation" strain of wheat, distributed in 1903...
in New South Wales on marginal-rainfall wheat varieties, wheat became by far the most important agricultural export, with the rate of expansion from 1904 to 1913 in wheat production and export surpassing all other states.
However, falling wheat prices after 1908 and a drought in 1911-1912 caused major hardship to the newly-established farmers, especially in the eastern wheatbelt which had lower rainfall, less capital and less preparation. This led to some resentment towards the Liberal government then in power, and especially towards Minister for Lands James Mitchell
James Mitchell (Australian politician)
Sir James Mitchell GCMG was the 13th Premier of Western Australia, serving on two occasions, the Lieutenant-Governor of Western Australia for 15 years and the 22nd Governor of Western Australia....
, who had adopted a particularly enthusiastic attitude towards settlement in such areas. Two new events on the horizon brought things to a head—the 1911 state election
Western Australian state election, 1911
Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 3 October 1911 to elect 50 members to the Western Australian Legislative Assembly. The Labor party, led by Opposition Leader John Scaddan, defeated the conservative Ministerialist government led by Premier Frank Wilson...
which produced the first majority Labor
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
government in Western Australia (including several members from agricultural areas); and an attempt by the Rural Workers Union to bring agricultural workers into the Commonwealth arbitration
Arbitration
Arbitration, a form of alternative dispute resolution , is a legal technique for the resolution of disputes outside the courts, where the parties to a dispute refer it to one or more persons , by whose decision they agree to be bound...
system to regulate their wages and working conditions. In March 1912, the Western Australian Farmers and Settlers' Association was formed to represent small employers' interests, and included primarily wheat farmers, but also small graziers, dairy farmers and orchardists. By 1914, it had 180 branches and 6,000 members, mostly located in the Wheatbelt region with some penetration of the South West region. It was inspired in part by the success of Canadian grain growers' associations from 1900 onwards.
Formation of the Country Party
At its second conference in June 1912, held at Perth Technical School, the FSA decided to adopt a political platform and elect members to Parliament who were pledged to support it. The FSA's leadership at this time was dominated by conservative established farmers, and particularly by its founding president Alexander Monger, a former member of the Liberal party. However, the association had also been highly successful in attracting Labor supporters, so the entire question of the platform was referred to a special conference held in March 1913. Strongly influenced by eastern Wheatbelt representatives, the conference was militant in tone and decided by a vote of 103 to 17 to form a country party in both State and Federal parliaments. By early 1914, the emergent Country Party of Western Australia had adopted some elements of Labor's political structure such as preselection ballots, a local branch structure, annual conferences and the observance of a pledge by party members, and saw their role as a balance of powerBalance of power (parliament)
In parliamentary politics, the term balance of power sometimes describes the pragmatic mechanism exercised by a minor political party or other grouping whose guaranteed support may enable an otherwise minority government to obtain and hold office...
capable of bargaining for concessions from the government of the day, clearly influenced by Labor's past practice before emerging as a major party in 1904.
These events took the Liberal party by surprise and caused some consternation amongst them. Their initial view of the FSA had been positive—federal member for Swan
Division of Swan
The Division of Swan is an Australian Electoral Division located in Western Australia. The division is named after the Swan River.For several decades, it has been a marginal seat, extending along the Swan and Canning Rivers from the affluent suburbs in the City of South Perth to the west, which...
and former Premier (1890–1901), Sir John Forrest
John Forrest
Sir John Forrest GCMG was an Australian explorer, the first Premier of Western Australia and a cabinet minister in Australia's first federal parliament....
, believed the movement "would be of great use to the Producers, add to the strength of Liberalism and prove advantageous in every way". The FSA's first meetings were at the Liberal League's clubrooms in Perth, and its Executive was dominated by well-established families from the established farming districts around York
York, Western Australia
York is the oldest inland town in Western Australia, situated 97 km east of Perth in the Avon Valley near Northam, and is the seat of the Shire of York...
and Beverley
Beverley, Western Australia
Beverley is a town located in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, south-east of the state capital, Perth, between York and Brookton on the Great Southern Highway...
, epitomising the conservative values of pre-1890s Western Australian society. The Executive was staunchly opposed to the Labor party, and was concerned about the support Labor was able to attract in the newer districts, but at the same time wished for a more considered land settlement policy than the Liberals were offering, and opposed protectionism
Protectionism
Protectionism is the economic policy of restraining trade between states through methods such as tariffs on imported goods, restrictive quotas, and a variety of other government regulations designed to allow "fair competition" between imports and goods and services produced domestically.This...
. The emergence of a three-party contest with a new Country Party remaining "entirely distinct from and not allied with any other Party" and representing the political interests of farmers, a compromise that both the Executive and the membership wholeheartedly supported, resulted in sharp criticism from key Liberals such as Forrest, who engaged in a two-month correspondence with Monger until April 1914 attempting to convince him to rejoin the FSA to the Liberal cause, and State opposition leader Frank Wilson. An invitation from the Liberal League for an exchange of preferences in the Legislative Council had been rejected by the Executive on the ground that "our constitution does not permit the council to comply with their request".
In May 1914, the Country Party won two of four contested seats in the Legislative Council
Western Australian Legislative Council
The Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of parliament in the Australian state of Western Australia. Its central purpose is to act as a house of review for legislation passed through the lower house, the Legislative Assembly. It sits in Parliament House in the state...
—one in East Province and one in Central Province. At the Assembly elections
Western Australian state election, 1914
Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 21 October 1914 to elect 50 members to the Western Australian Legislative Assembly. The Labor party, led by Premier John Scaddan, retained government against the opposition conservative Liberal Party led by Opposition Leader Frank Wilson,...
on 21 October 1914, they contested 16 of the 50 seats in the Legislative Assembly
Western Australian Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of parliament in the Australian state of Western Australia. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Perth....
, winning 8 of them. Five of these seats had Liberal incumbents (Beverley
Electoral district of Beverley
Beverley was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Western Australia from 1890 to 1950.The district was based on the rural town of Beverley lying to the east of Perth...
, Greenough
Electoral district of Greenough
Greenough was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Western Australia from 1890 to 2008.Greenough was one of the original 30 seats contested at the 1890 state election. The district was based in the northern part of Western Australia's Wheatbelt region...
, Irwin
Electoral district of Irwin
Irwin was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Western Australia from 1890 to 1950.Based in the state's Mid West agricultural region and centred on the town of Dongara, the district was one of the original 30 seats contested at the 1890 state election...
, Pingelly
Electoral district of Pingelly
Pingelly was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Western Australia from 1911 to 1950.The district was located in the Western Australia's Wheatbelt region, based on the town of Pingelly. Though won by the Liberal member for Beverley at its first contest at...
and York
Electoral district of York
York was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Western Australia from 1890 to 1950.The district was based on the rural town of York lying to the east of Perth. It was one of the original 30 seats contested at the 1890 state election.York was abolished at the...
), while two had been held by Labor (Avon
Electoral district of Avon
Avon was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Western Australia from 1911 to 2008. The name of the district was changed to Avon Valley in 1950, but reverted back to its original name in 1962....
and Nelson
Electoral district of Nelson
Nelson was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Western Australia from 1890 to 1950.The district was based in the south-western part of Western Australia, including towns such as Manjimup and Pemberton, and was named for the Nelson land district which formed...
). Alfred Piesse, the Liberal member for Toodyay
Electoral district of Toodyay
Toodyay was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Western Australia from 1890 to 1977.The district was based on the town of Toodyay lying to the north-east of Perth. It was one of the original 30 seats contested at the 1890 state election.The district was...
, joined the Country Party and faced no contest for his seat. James Gardiner
James Gardiner (Australian politician)
The Hon. James Gardiner was treasurer of Western Australia from July 1902 to April 1904, and June 1917 to April 1919.-Early life:...
was selected as the first leader of the Country Party. The Labor government was returned with a one-seat majority, but could not always rely on its own members, and Gardiner told the Assembly on 8 December 1914 that there should be a "legitimate truce" and that the Country Party would support the government for the benefit of the state. During this time the government enacted a number of financial aid and other relief measures with Country Party support. However, Gardiner's willingness to work with Labor to achieve Country Party aims on the land alarmed conservatives on the FSA executive, and on 12 March 1915, at the first joint Country Party-FSA conference, the decision was made to appoint a new leader. Gardiner resigned six days later, and Francis Willmott became leader of the party, which became increasingly dominated by Monger. The party had to act carefully, as Labor had committed to an agricultural relief programme and the Executive was wary of upsetting the radical eastern wheatbelt branches. The status quo was cautiously backed at the party's August 1915 conference.
Coalition and division
Events in Western Australian politics assumed an unpredictable quality from late 1915 onwards. On 30 September 1915, the seat of RoebourneElectoral district of Roebourne
The Electoral district of Roebourne was a Legislative Assembly electorate in the state of Western Australia. It was named for the town of Roebourne and was created in 1890, being one of the original 30 seats contested at the 1890 state election....
, previously held by Joseph Gardiner
Joseph Gardiner
Joseph Peter Gardiner was the Australian Labor Party member for the Western Australian Legislative Assembly seat of Roebourne from 1911 to 1915...
, was declared vacant and was won at a by-election two months later by the Liberal Party, leaving Labor with no majority in the Assembly. The FSA executive had tired of Gardiner and colleague Tom Harrison's continuing support for the government, writing in September 1915 accusing him of "always being the apologist for the bad administration of the present Government". In November, Country Party members were instructed to support a censure motion by the Liberal Party, but although all members did ultimately vote for the motion, it was defeated by the casting vote of the Speaker. On 18 December 1915, the Labor member for Williams-Narrogin, Edward Johnston, resigned from the party and was re-elected at a by-election as an Independent. For the first time since the Scaddan Government's election in 1911, non-Labor forces had a majority in the Assembly.
The National Alliance and coalition tensions
The party entered into a temporary merger with the Democratic Labor PartyDemocratic Labor Party (historical)
The Democratic Labor Party was an Australian political party that existed from 1955 until 1978.-History:The DLP was formed as a result of a split in the Australian Labor Party that began in 1954. The split was between the party's national leadership, under the then party leader Dr H.V...
, standing on a centrist platform as the "National Alliance" in both the March 1974 state election
Western Australian state election, 1974
Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 30 March 1974 to elect all 51 members to the Legislative Assembly and 15 members to the 30-seat Legislative Council...
and the May 1974 federal election
Australian federal election, 1974
Federal elections were held in Australia on 18 May 1974. All 127 seats in the House of Representatives, and all 60 seats in the Senate were up for election, due to a double dissolution...
. The Alliance contested most of the state seats and every single federal seat, standing in many metropolitan seats for the first time. However in both elections the party lost votes and seats compared to the combined performance of its component parties in previous elections, losing its last seats in the federal House of Representatives
Australian House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia; it is the lower house; the upper house is the Senate. Members of Parliament serve for terms of approximately three years....
and one of two Senators. The National Alliance was dissolved soon afterwards and the now-renamed National Country Party reverted to its traditional approach of contesting just rural seats afterwards. In the 1977 federal election
Australian federal election, 1977
Federal elections were held in Australia on 10 December 1977. All 124 seats in the House of Representatives, and 34 of the 64 seats in the Senate, were up for election....
the party's last Senator, Tom Drake-Brockman, retired and his seat was lost. The party would not win another federal seat until the 2010 federal election.
The 1974 state election saw the Liberals defeat Labor but they lacked a majority and so following negotiations a Liberal-National Country Coalition ministry
Court-McPharlin Ministry
The Court-McPharlin Ministry was the 26th Ministry of the Government of Western Australia, and was led by Liberal Premier Sir Charles Court and his deputy, National Country Party leader Ray McPharlin. It succeeded the Tonkin ministry on 8 April 1974, following the defeat of the Labor government at...
was formed with the National Country Party holding three positions in the ministry, including leader Ray McPharlin
Ray McPharlin
Walter Raymond "Ray" McPharlin was the Country Party member for Mount Marshall in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from 1967 to 1983....
as Deputy Premier
Deputy Premier of Western Australia
The Deputy Premier of Western Australia is a role in the Government of Western Australia assigned to a responsible Minister in the Australian state of Western Australia. It has second ranking behind the Premier of Western Australia in Cabinet, and its holder serves as Acting Premier during absence...
under Sir Charles Court
Charles Court
Sir Charles Walter Michael Court, was a Western Australian politician, 21st Premier of Western Australia and member for the seat of Nedlands for the Liberal Party for nearly 30 years.-Early life:...
. However the National Country Party's reduced position led to public discussions about establishing a clear separate identity from the Liberals. Tensions grew over rural and education issues and, ultimately, milk quotas for dairy producers leading to a split. On 20 May 1975, McPharlin led the party out of the Coalition. The state party then came under pressure from the federal party to resume the coalition, with both federal leader Doug Anthony
Doug Anthony
John Douglas Anthony, AC, CH , is a former Australian politician. He was leader of the National Party from 1971 to 1984, and Deputy Prime Minister from 1971 to 1972 and again from 1975 to 1983.-Early life:...
and Queensland Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen
Joh Bjelke-Petersen
Sir Johannes "Joh" Bjelke-Petersen, KCMG , was an Australian politician. He was the longest-serving and longest-lived Premier of Queensland, holding office from 1968 to 1987, a period that saw considerable economic development in the state...
making visits to encourage this. In the negotiations which followed, McPharlin was replaced as leader by Dick Old and the Coalition was resumed on 31 May; however, Court insisted Old was too inexperienced to be Deputy Premier, and from this point until the Liberals' defeat in 1983, while the Coalition was maintained between the two parties, the Liberal Party got to name both leading positions in the Ministry. At the 1977 state election
Western Australian state election, 1977
Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 19 February 1977 to elect all 55 members to the Legislative Assembly and 17 members to the 32-seat Legislative Council...
the Liberals gained seats whilst the National Country Party stood still, resulting in the latter losing one of its three ministerial posts. The Coalition remained in office.
The split (1978-1985)
In July 1978 the tensions within the party came to the forefront once more. The schism was triggered over a political donation of $200,000 from mining entrepreneur Lang HancockLang Hancock
Langley Frederick George "Lang" Hancock was an Australian iron ore magnate from Western Australia who maintained a high profile in the competing spheres of business and politics...
through the party president from which offers of campaign assistance were made to parliamentary officeholders to vote to oust Old. By August the party had completely fractured when Hendy Cowan
Hendy Cowan
Hendy John Cowan is a former Australian politician who served in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly as the Member for Merredin-Yilgarn from 30 March 1974 and the Member for Merredin from 19 February 1977...
, the vice president of the party and an MLA, and Jim Fletcher, the general president, walked out of a strategy planning meeting. The allegation of the campaign offer had been made against Fletcher. Court's strong domination of conservative politics had resulted in the National Country Party having only minor influence and the split galvanised demands for greater independence.
A separate party called the "National Party" was formed. The name was initially disallowed after objections from the National Party in Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania but later formalised as the National Party of Australia (WA). Disaffected members of the National Country Party joined including three Members of the Legislative Assembly, Cowan, McPharlin and Matt Stephens
Matt Stephens (politician)
Matthew Ernest "Matt" Stephens is a former Western Australian politician. He represented Stirling in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly for the Country Party from 1971 to 1989. He was Minister for Conservation and Environment and Minister for Fisheries and Forestries from 1974 to...
, and one Member of the Legislative Council, Thomas McNeil. The National Party operated as an independent force whilst the National Country Party remained in the Coalition. The two parties worked independently of one another whilst quietly (and occasionally, publicly) feuding. In the 1980 state election
Western Australian state election, 1980
Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 23 February 1980 to elect all 55 members to the Legislative Assembly and 16 members to the 32-seat Legislative Council...
the National Country Party maintained the Coalition whilst the National Party agreed with the Labor Party not to contest each other's seats and Cowan publicly stated his party was willing to support a Labor minority government if it had the largest number of seats. The election saw each party return its three sitting MLAs, with the Coalition retaining power. On 12 May 1982, McPharlin resigned from the National Party and rejoined the National Country Party.
The Coalition lost power in the 1983 state election
Western Australian state election, 1983
Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 19 February 1983 to elect all 57 members to the Legislative Assembly and 18 members to the 34-seat Legislative Council....
, in which McPharlin also lost his seat to the Liberals. All the other National Country and National MLAs retained their seats. The National Country Party was by this stage $1.25 million in debt, largely due to the failure of a grocery store it had entered to raise funds. This led to an unsuccessful motion to dissolve the party in May 1983.
There were renewed calls for the two rural parties to reunify. In August 1984 a seventeen point plan was agreed by both parties and on 2 October 1984 the two party organisations formally unified under the name "National Party of Western Australia". However the two parliamentary parties remained as separate entities because the three three sitting National Country Party MLAs (Dick Old, Albert Crane and Peter Jones) refused to work with Cowan and Stephens. On 29 January 1985 the parliamentary National Country Party was formally dissolved. The sitting MLCs joined the National party, however all three sitting MLAs refused to accept the merger and instead joined the Liberal Party.
The Cowan era
The conservative parties were in opposition through most of the 1980s with LaborAustralian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
yet to suffer from major fallout from the WA Inc
WA Inc
WA Inc was a political scandal in Western Australia. In the 1980s, the state government, which was led for much of the period by premier Brian Burke, engaged in business dealings with several prominent businessmen, including Alan Bond, Laurie Connell and Warren Anderson...
fiasco and the 1987 stock market crash. In 1989 Liberal opposition leader Barry MacKinnon was pushing for the Nationals to help block supply
Government budget
A government budget is a legal document that is often passed by the legislature, and approved by the chief executive-or president. For example, only certain types of revenue may be imposed and collected...
in the Upper House to topple the Dowding government
Peter Dowding
Peter McCallum Dowding SC was the 24th Premier of Western Australia, serving from 25 February 1988 until his resignation on 12 February 1990 after an internal party dispute....
. Cowan refused to cooperate knowing that a small swing to the Liberals in the coming election
Western Australian state election, 1989
Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 4 February 1989 to elect all 57 members to the Legislative Assembly and all 34 members to the Legislative Council...
could see them (the Liberals) gain as many as nine seats and an absolute majority in the Assembly
Western Australian Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of parliament in the Australian state of Western Australia. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Perth....
, thus weakening the Nationals' position. In February the following year, Cowan and the Nationals had reversed their stance and decided to block supply in a bid to present themselves as a decisive and consistent conservative force.
In the 1993 state election
Western Australian state election, 1993
Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 6 February 1993 to elect all 57 members to the Legislative Assembly and all 34 members to the Legislative Council...
, the conservative forces finally regained government, largely by just being able to finally present themselves as united. This was despite what should have been a relatively easy ride given Labor's problems with WA Inc. and the findings of the associated Royal commission
Royal Commission
In Commonwealth realms and other monarchies a Royal Commission is a major ad-hoc formal public inquiry into a defined issue. They have been held in various countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Saudi Arabia...
which had been handed down the year before. The Liberals won a small, but absolute majority in both houses with the Nationals holding 6 seats in the lower house and 3 in the upper house. Nevertheless, a Liberal-National Party coalition was formed and Cowan was Deputy Premier
Premier of Western Australia
The Premier of Western Australia is the head of the executive government in the Australian State of Western Australia. The Premier has similar functions in Western Australia to those performed by the Prime Minister of Australia at the national level, subject to the different Constitutions...
under Richard Court
Richard Court
Richard Fairfax Court AC , was a Western Australian politician, representing the seat of Nedlands in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly for the Liberal Party of Australia from 1982 to 2001. He served as Premier of Western Australia from 1993 to 2001.Court was born into an old political...
from 1993 to 2001, as well as holding ministerial portfolios of Commerce and Trade (16 February 1993 to 16 February 2001), Small Business and Regional Development (10 February 1995 to 16 February 2001).
21st century
The Coalition was defeated at the 2001 state electionWestern Australian state election, 2001
Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 10 February 2001 to elect all 57 members to the Legislative Assembly and all 34 members to the Legislative Council...
. Subsequently Cowan resigned from both the party leadership and the state parliament to stand in the federal Senate election for the Nationals; however despite his profile and the party's belief that he was their best hope since Drake-Brockman's retirement, he was unsuccessful.
Cowan was succeeded as leader by Max Trenorden
Max Trenorden
Maxwell Wayne "Max" Trenorden is an Australian politician. He was a Nationals member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from 1986 to September, representing the electorate of Avon...
who led the party for the next four years in coalition with the Liberals. At the 2005 state election
Western Australian state election, 2005
Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 26 February 2005 to elect all 57 members to the Legislative Assembly and all 34 members to the Legislative Council...
the Nationals retained the same number of seats but the Labor Pary retained power and came close to a majority in the Legislative Council and successfully implemented the ending of a malapportionment that had given the non-metropolitan parts of the state fewer voters per electorate than in the metropolitan parts; the National Party had long benefited from this arrangement. In May 2005 legislation was passed to remove the malapportionment in the Legislative Assembly (although it was retained for the Legislative Council) and shift to a system of one vote one value
One vote one value
In Australia, one vote one value is a legislative principle of democracy whereby each electorate has the same population within a specified percentage of variance. In the case of the Commonwealth, the maximum variance for the House of Representatives is 10% above or below the mean...
. The change was widely expected to devastate the National Party, leading to many questioning whether it would survive the coming election.
In June 2005 Trenorden was challenged by Brendon Grylls
Brendon Grylls
Brendon John Grylls is an Australian politician and is currently the Member for Central Wheatbelt in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, as well as the Leader of the National Party of Western Australia. Grylls has been the Minister for Regional Development and Minister for Lands in the...
for the leadership and stood down before a formal ballot was held. Grylls sought to reposition the Nationals, taking them beyond their traditional rural base and making a greater appeal to regional Western Australia. The party adopted the flagship policy of "Royalties for Regions
Royalties for Regions policy
Royalties for Regions is a political policy formulated by the National Party of Western Australia in 2008 which involves the redirection of government spending from the major population centres, particularly Perth, into the rural areas of the state...
", under which 25% of mineral and oil royalty revenues would be spent in the regional areas of Western Australia to develop infrastructure. Grylls also moved the party away from the traditional Coalition with the Liberals to instead operate as an independent force, including a readiness to form government with either the Liberals or Labor to push for National policies.
In the 2008 state election
Western Australian state election, 2008
A general election was held in the state of Western Australia on Saturday 6 September 2008 to elect 59 members to the Legislative Assembly and 36 members to the Legislative Council...
the party won four lower house seats, which together with three independents, enabled the Liberals
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
led by Colin Barnett
Colin Barnett
Colin James Barnett , Australian politician, is the leader of the Western Australian Liberal Party, the 29th and current Premier of Western Australia since the 2008 election and served as the Treasurer of Western Australia in 2010. He was sworn into office by Governor Ken Michael on 23 September 2008...
to form an informal governing coalition. Unlike a conventional coalition however, the National members reserved "the right to exempt [themselves] from Cabinet and vote against an issue on the floor of the Parliament if it's against the wishes of the people [they] represent,"
The winning MLAs were party leader Brendon Grylls
Brendon Grylls
Brendon John Grylls is an Australian politician and is currently the Member for Central Wheatbelt in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, as well as the Leader of the National Party of Western Australia. Grylls has been the Minister for Regional Development and Minister for Lands in the...
(Central Wheatbelt
Electoral district of Central Wheatbelt
Central Wheatbelt is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Western Australia.As the name suggests, the district is centrally located in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia....
), Terry Redman
Terry Redman
Donald Terence Redman is an Australian politician. He has been a National Party member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly since February 2005....
(Blackwood-Stirling
Electoral district of Blackwood-Stirling
The Electoral district of Blackwood-Stirling is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Western Australia.The district takes parts of the South West and Great Southern regions of Western Australia....
), Terry Waldron
Terry Waldron
Terrence Keith Waldron was born on 17 February 1951 in Subiaco, Australia. He has been a Nationals member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly since February 2001, representing the electorate of Wagin, and is the deputy leader of the National Party of Western Australia.Waldron grew up...
(Wagin
Electoral district of Wagin
Wagin is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Western Australia.Wagin is named for the rural town of Wagin. The district covers a vast expanse of territory in Western Australia's Wheatbelt region....
) and Grant Woodhams
Grant Woodhams
Grant Allen Woodhams in Sydney, New South Wales is an Australian politician. He has been a National Party member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly since February 2005....
(Moore
Electoral district of Moore
Moore is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Western Australia.Moore has had three incarnations as an electorate. It its first incarnation, Moore was one of the original 30 seats contested at the 1890 state election....
). In the upper house
Western Australian Legislative Council
The Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of parliament in the Australian state of Western Australia. Its central purpose is to act as a house of review for legislation passed through the lower house, the Legislative Assembly. It sits in Parliament House in the state...
, the party won five seats with the members being Mia Davies
Mia Davies
Mia Jane Davies is an Australian politician.Born in Perth, Western Australia, she was a marketing and communications consultant before entering politics, holding a Bachelor of Marketing and Media. In 2008, she was elected to the Western Australian Legislative Council as a National Party member,...
, Philip Gardiner
Philip Gardiner
Philip Warren Gardiner is an Australian politician.Born in Perth, Western Australia, he was a farmer before entering politics; he held a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Business Administration...
and Max Trenorden
Max Trenorden
Maxwell Wayne "Max" Trenorden is an Australian politician. He was a Nationals member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from 1986 to September, representing the electorate of Avon...
(Agricultural Region
Electoral region of Agricultural
The electoral region of Agricultural is a multi-member electoral region of the Western Australian Legislative Council, located in the South West, Peel and part of the Great Southern regions of the state...
), Colin Holt
Colin Holt (Australian politician)
Colin James Holt is an Australian politician.Born in Goomalling, Western Australia, he was a community development consultant before entering politics. He also held a Bachelor of Science majoring in zoology. In 2008, he was elected to the Western Australian Legislative Council as a National Party...
(South West Region
Electoral region of South West
The electoral region of South West is a multi-member electoral region of the Western Australian Legislative Council, located in the South West, Peel and part of the Great Southern regions of the state...
) and Wendy Duncan
Wendy Duncan
Wendy Maxine Duncan is an Australian politician from Western Australia. She has been a Nationals member of the Western Australian Legislative Council since 2008, representing the region of Agricultural....
(Mining and Pastoral Region
Electoral region of Mining and Pastoral
The electoral region of Mining and Pastoral is a multi-member electoral region of the Western Australian Legislative Council, located in the northern and eastern regions of the State. It was created by the Acts Amendment Act 1987, and became effective on 22 May 1989 with five members who had been...
). Grylls, Waldron and Redman hold cabinet positions in the Barnett Ministry
Barnett Ministry
The Barnett Ministry is the 35th and current Ministry of the Government of Western Australia. It includes 13 members of the Liberal Party, three members of the National Party of Western Australia and an independent. It is led by the Premier of Western Australia, Colin Barnett, and Deputy Premier Dr...
, whilst Duncan is a Parliamentary Secretary.
Grylls and his partners negotiated the implementation of its Royalties for Regions policy
Royalties for Regions policy
Royalties for Regions is a political policy formulated by the National Party of Western Australia in 2008 which involves the redirection of government spending from the major population centres, particularly Perth, into the rural areas of the state...
, which provided The policy is administered through the Department of Regional Development and Lands and provides for an additional $619 million (2009–10) in spending in regional communities above consolidated revenue allocations for the regions.
In the 2010 federal election, Tony Crook
Tony Crook (politician)
Anthony John "Tony" Crook is an Australian politician. He has been the member of the Australian House of Representatives seat of O'Connor for the National Party of Western Australia since the 2010 federal election...
won the Australian House of Representatives
Australian House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia; it is the lower house; the upper house is the Senate. Members of Parliament serve for terms of approximately three years....
seat of O'Connor
Division of O'Connor
The Division of O'Connor is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of Western Australia. It is one of Western Australia's three rural seats....
for the National Party of Western Australia from long-term Liberal incumbent Wilson Tuckey
Wilson Tuckey
Charles Wilson Tuckey , a former Australian federal politician, was a Member of the Australian House of Representatives representing the seat of O'Connor in Western Australia for the Liberal Party from 1980 until 2010.-Biography:...
. Crook campaigned on a policy of opposition to the Mineral Resource Rent Tax and support for a Royalties for Regions policy
Royalties for Regions policy
Royalties for Regions is a political policy formulated by the National Party of Western Australia in 2008 which involves the redirection of government spending from the major population centres, particularly Perth, into the rural areas of the state...
at a national level. He also declared his independence from the federal Nationals
National Party of Australia
The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally, it began as the The Country Party, but adopted the name The National Country Party in 1975, changed to The National Party of Australia in 1982. The party is...
and declared he would sit as a crossbencher in the parliament. The election resulted in a hung parliament
Hung parliament
In a two-party parliamentary system of government, a hung parliament occurs when neither major political party has an absolute majority of seats in the parliament . It is also less commonly known as a balanced parliament or a legislature under no overall control...
. Crook ultimately announced he would support the Liberal-National Coalition on confidence and supply
Confidence and supply
In a parliamentary democracy confidence and supply are required for a government to hold power. A confidence and supply agreement is an agreement that a minor party or independent member of parliament will support the government in motions of confidence and appropriation votes by voting in favour...
, but would otherwise remain on the crossbench.
Party leaders
| Leader | Date started | Date finished |
|---|---|---|
| James Gardiner James Gardiner (Australian politician) The Hon. James Gardiner was treasurer of Western Australia from July 1902 to April 1904, and June 1917 to April 1919.-Early life:... |
21 October 1914 | 18 March 1915 |
| Francis Willmott | 18 March 1915 | August 1919 |
| Tom Harrison | August 1919 | August 1922 |
| Henry Kennedy Maley | August 1922 | November 1923 |
| Alec Thomson Alec Thomson Alexander Thomson , known as Alec Thomson, was an Australian politician, and a member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from 1914 until 1930 representing the seat of Katanning, and a member of the Western Australian Legislative Council representing the South Province from 1931 until... |
15 December 1923 | 12 April 1930 |
| Charles Latham Charles Latham Sir Charles Latham was an Australian politician born in Hythe, Kent in England.- Biography :Latham became an orphan in early childhood when his parents Thomas Latham and Isabella died before the age of 8... |
12 April 1930 | 8 October 1942 |
| Arthur Watts | 8 October 1942 | 31 January 1962 |
| Crawford Nalder | 1 February 1962 | 17 July 1973 |
| Ray McPharlin Ray McPharlin Walter Raymond "Ray" McPharlin was the Country Party member for Mount Marshall in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from 1967 to 1983.... |
17 July 1973 | 18 May 1975 |
| Dick Old | 18 May 1975 | 30 January 1985 |
| Hendy Cowan Hendy Cowan Hendy John Cowan is a former Australian politician who served in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly as the Member for Merredin-Yilgarn from 30 March 1974 and the Member for Merredin from 19 February 1977... |
25 March 1985 | 16 October 2001 |
| Max Trenorden Max Trenorden Maxwell Wayne "Max" Trenorden is an Australian politician. He was a Nationals member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from 1986 to September, representing the electorate of Avon... |
17 October 2001 | 21 June 2005 |
| Brendon Grylls Brendon Grylls Brendon John Grylls is an Australian politician and is currently the Member for Central Wheatbelt in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, as well as the Leader of the National Party of Western Australia. Grylls has been the Minister for Regional Development and Minister for Lands in the... |
21 June 2005 | incumbent |
Party performance
The following table records Country Party and National Party votes in the Western Australian Legislative AssemblyWestern Australian Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of parliament in the Australian state of Western Australia. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Perth....
as cast at state general elections. While the statistics reflect exact counts, it may not be possible to strictly compare vote percentages over time due to the number of uncontested seats prior to 1971.
| Year | Seats | Votes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elected | % of House | Primary Count | % of State | ||
| 1914 Western Australian state election, 1914 Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 21 October 1914 to elect 50 members to the Western Australian Legislative Assembly. The Labor party, led by Premier John Scaddan, retained government against the opposition conservative Liberal Party led by Opposition Leader Frank Wilson,... |
8 | 16.0 | 13,344 | 13.98 | |
| 1917 Western Australian state election, 1917 Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 29 September 1917 to elect 50 members to the Western Australian Legislative Assembly. The Nationalist-Country-National Labor coalition, led by Premier Sir Henry Lefroy, retained government against the Labor Party led by Opposition Leader... |
12 | 24.0 | 15,560 | 18.49 | |
| 1921 | 16 | 32.0 | |||
| 1924 | 13 | 26.0 | |||
| 1927 | 7 | 14.0 | 22,439 | 15.97 | |
| 1930 | 10 | 20.0 | 25,792 | 18.77 | |
| 1933 Western Australian state election, 1933 Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 8 April 1933 to elect all 50 members to the Legislative Assembly. The one-term Nationalist-Country coalition government, led by Premier Sir James Mitchell, was defeated by the Labor Party, led by Opposition Leader Philip Collier.The election... |
11 | 22.0 | 27,381 | 15.06 | |
| 1936 Western Australian state election, 1936 Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 15 February 1936 to elect all 50 members to the Legislative Assembly. The Labor Party, led by Premier Philip Collier, won a second term in office against the Country and Nationalist parties, led by Opposition Leader Charles Latham and Norbert... |
13 | 26.0 | 19,685 | 14.60 | |
| 1939 Western Australian state election, 1939 Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 18 March 1939 to elect all 50 members to the Legislative Assembly. The Labor Party, led by Premier John Willcock, won a third term in office against the Country and Nationalist parties, led by Opposition Leader Charles Latham and Robert Ross... |
12 | 24.0 | 24,681 | 12.00 | |
| 1943 Western Australian state election, 1943 Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 20 November 1943 to elect all 50 members to the Legislative Assembly. The Labor Party, led by Premier John Willcock, won a fourth term in office against the Country and Nationalist parties, led by Opposition Leader Arthur Watts and Robert... |
10 | 20.0 | 43,529 | 24.29 | |
| 1947 Western Australian state election, 1947 Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 15 March 1947 to elect all 50 members to the Legislative Assembly. The result was a hung parliament—the four-term Labor government, led by Premier Frank Wise, was defeated with a swing of approximately 7%, but the Liberal-Country Party... |
12 | 24.0 | 26,416 | 16.16 | |
| 1950 | 9 | 18.0 | 20,922 | 9.31 | |
| 1953 Western Australian state election, 1953 Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 14 February 1953 to elect all 50 members to the Legislative Assembly. The two-term Liberal-Country Party coalition government, led by Premier Sir Ross McLarty, was defeated by the Labor Party, led by Opposition Leader Bert Hawke.The election... |
9 | 18.0 | 9,196 | 4.91 | |
| 1956 | 8 | 16.0 | 12,319 | 5.24 | |
| 1959 Western Australian state election, 1959 Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 21 March 1959 to elect all 50 members to the Legislative Assembly. The result was a hung parliament—the two-term Labor government, led by Premier Bert Hawke, was defeated with an average swing against it of about 7 per cent, but the... |
8 | 16.0 | 17,179 | 6.55 | |
| 1962 Western Australian state election, 1962 Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 31 March 1962 to elect all 50 members to the Legislative Assembly. The Liberal-Country coalition government, led by Premier Sir David Brand, won a second term in office against the Labor Party, led by Opposition Leader Bert Hawke.The election... |
8 | 16.0 | 17,339 | 5.93 | |
| 1965 Western Australian state election, 1965 Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 20 February 1965 to elect all 50 members to the Legislative Assembly and 15 members to the 30-seat Legislative Council... |
8 | 16.0 | 14,630 | 4.87 | |
| 1968 Western Australian state election, 1968 Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 23 March 1968 to elect all 51 members to the Legislative Assembly and 15 members to the 30-seat Legislative Council... |
9 | 17.6 | 16,879 | 5.25 | |
| 1971 Western Australian state election, 1971 Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 20 February 1971 to elect all 51 members to the Legislative Assembly and 15 members to the 30-seat Legislative Council... |
8 | 15.7 | 26,604 | 5.64 | |
| 1974 Western Australian state election, 1974 Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 30 March 1974 to elect all 51 members to the Legislative Assembly and 15 members to the 30-seat Legislative Council... |
6 | 11.8 | 55,746 | 10.80 | |
| 1977 Western Australian state election, 1977 Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 19 February 1977 to elect all 55 members to the Legislative Assembly and 17 members to the 32-seat Legislative Council... |
6 | 10.9 | 30,784 | 5.28 | |
| 1980 Western Australian state election, 1980 Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 23 February 1980 to elect all 55 members to the Legislative Assembly and 16 members to the 32-seat Legislative Council... |
6 | 10.9 | 42,671 | 7.26 | |
| 1983 Western Australian state election, 1983 Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 19 February 1983 to elect all 57 members to the Legislative Assembly and 18 members to the 34-seat Legislative Council.... |
5 | 8.8 | 32,915 | 5.11 | |
| 1986 Western Australian state election, 1986 Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 8 February 1986 to elect all 57 members to the Legislative Assembly and 17 members to the 34-seat Legislative Council... |
6 | 10.5 | 29,303 | 3.73 | |
| 1989 Western Australian state election, 1989 Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 4 February 1989 to elect all 57 members to the Legislative Assembly and all 34 members to the Legislative Council... |
6 | 10.5 | 37,075 | 4.60 | |
| 1993 Western Australian state election, 1993 Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 6 February 1993 to elect all 57 members to the Legislative Assembly and all 34 members to the Legislative Council... |
6 | 10.5 | 48,394 | 5.31 | |
| 1996 Western Australian state election, 1996 Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 14 December 1996 to elect all 57 members to the Legislative Assembly and all 34 members to the Legislative Council... |
6 | 10.5 | 55,817 | 5.79 | |
| 2001 Western Australian state election, 2001 Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 10 February 2001 to elect all 57 members to the Legislative Assembly and all 34 members to the Legislative Council... |
5 | 8.8 | 33,450 | 3.26 | |
| 2005 Western Australian state election, 2005 Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 26 February 2005 to elect all 57 members to the Legislative Assembly and all 34 members to the Legislative Council... |
5 | 8.8 | 39,548 | 3.69 | |
| 2008 Western Australian state election, 2008 A general election was held in the state of Western Australia on Saturday 6 September 2008 to elect 59 members to the Legislative Assembly and 36 members to the Legislative Council... |
4 | 6.8 | 53,068 | 4.87 | |