ACH Act Petition: Who Said Yes and Who Said No?
The petition to delay the implementation of the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act amassed nearly 30,000 signatures and was tabled in parliament on the 21st of June, only to be defeated 12-19. So.. who voted in favour of supporting the delay and who voted against it, essentially dismissing the opinion of 30,000 West Aussies?
The “ayes” come from…
Hon. Martin Aldridge, Member for the Agricultural Region and former farmer, firefighter and small business owner. He is a member of The Nationals WA and was elected to state parliament after Mia Davies resigned.
Hon. Peter Collier, Member for North Metropolitan Region and former teacher and professional tennis coach. Mr Collier is a representative from the Australian Liberal Party.
Hon. Ben Dawkins, Member for South West Region and former lawyer from Narrogin. Mr Dawkins was originally a member of the Labor Party but was suspended from the party, before being expelled on 24th April 2023 after being charged with 43 counts of breaching a violence restraining order. He is now an Independent.
Hon. Nick Goiran, Member for South Metro Region and former barrister and solicitor in the Supreme Court of WA. Before entering parliament Mr Goiran was a member of the Christian Democratic Party but joined the Liberal Party in 2006 with hopes of being elected.
Hon. James Hayward, Member for South West and former journalist. Hayward will stand trial in August 2023, charged with three counts of indecent dealings with a child under 13 years and one count of procuring a child under 13 years. Mr Haywood was a member of the National Party of WA prior to these charges, after which he resigned from the party and became an independent.
Hon. Steve Martin, Member for Agricultural Region and a third-generation farmer from the Wickepin area, where he also served as a town councillor. Mr Martin is a representative of the Australian Liberal Party.
Hon. Tjorn Sibma, Member for North Metropolitan Region under the Liberal Party and former staffer in the Barnett Governement.
Hon. Dr Steve Thomas, Member for South West and a veterinary surgeon with a degree in veterinary science. He is a member of the Liberal Party and was elected as deputy party leader in the January leadership spill.
Hon. Neil Thomson, Member for Mining and Pastoral, for which he is the only Liberal Party member. He has an extensive professional history in the public sector.
Hon. Wilson Tucker, Member for Mining and Pastoral and co-founder of the Daylight Saving Party with his brother Brett. Previously Mr Tucker worked as an electrician before studying a Bachelor of Computer Science at ECU. He is currently serving as an Independent.
Hon. Dr Brian Walker, Member of East Metropolitan and member for the Legalise Cannabis WA Party. Mr Walker was a medical practitioner before entering politics.
Hon. Colin de Grussa, Member for Agricultural Region under The Nationals, a graduate of Muresk Institute and family farmer. Mr de Grussa is also a Nuffield Scholar who researched the interactions between farmers and the government for the benefit of the industry.
And those who said no…
Hon. Klara Andric, Member for South Metro and former director of business roundtables for the Labor Party.
Hon. Dan Caddy, Member for North Metro and former ministerial advisor with a BA in Politics and Internal Relations. He is a member of the Labor Party.
Hon. Sandra Carr, Member for Agricultural Region under the Labor Party and former teacher in Geraldton.
Hon. Stephen Dawson, Member for Mining and Pastoral and farmer, lobbyist, corporate manager and chief of staff to David Templeman. He represents the Labor Party.
Hon. Kate Doust, Member for South Metro and the first woman to hold the position of President of the Legislative Council from 2017 to 2021, when she was replaced due to standing disagreements with Premier Mark McGowan. Ms Doust has a Bachelor of Arts and has previously worked as an official with the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association, and served as vice-president of UnionsWA.
Hon. Sue Ellery, Member for South Metro and the current Minister for Finance, Commerce and Women’s Interests. Ms Ellery formerly worked in the trade union movement and is a member of the Labor Party.
Hon. Lorna Harper, member for East Metro and formerly a union officer with a Diploma in Children’s Services. She represents the Labor Party.
Hon Jackie Jarvis, Member for South West and owner/operator of a commercial farm and winery business in Margaret River. Ms Jarvis has held a number of agri-business and regional development roles and was formerly the CEO of the RRR Network. She has also been the recipient of the WA Rural Women Awards and was named the Rural Community Leader of the Year in 2019. Ms Jarvis represents the Labor Party.
Hon. Darren West, Member for Agricultural Region as a Labor Party member and farmer from the Goomalling-Jennacubbine area. Mr West has also served as the Chair of the Wheatbelt Development Commission and the chair of Sacred Heart Catholic School.
Hon. Peter Foster, Member for Mining and Pastoral Region with Labor, and former Shire of Ashburton councillor representing the Tom Price ward.
Hon. Pierre Yang, Member for South Metro, representing the Australian Labor Party and former member of the Gosnells City Council. He joined the Australian Army Reserve in 2006 and as Captain, he joined the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 as a liaison officer and translator. Mr Yang faced scrutiny in 2018 when it was reported that he had not declared to parliament his membership with the Northeast China Federation and the Association of Great China, both allegedly affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party.
Hon. Ayor Makur Chuot, Member for North Metro and former accountant and international model. Ms Chout, member of the Labor Party, was the first African-Australian woman elected to the Parliament of WA.
Hon. Kyle McGinn, Member for Mining and Pastoral Region, and former union representative. He represents the Australian Labor Party.
Hon. Shelley Payne, Member for Agricultural Region with the Labor Party, and former councillor for the Esperance Shire. Ms Payne also worked as a chemical engineer.
Hon. Martin Pritchard, Member for North Metro, and former union official. Mr Pritchard is a Labor Party member.
Hon. Samantha Rowe, Member for East Metro from the Australian Labor Party. Formerly, Ms Rowe was the executive officer of Labor Business Roundtable.
Hon. Rosie Sahanna, Member for Mining and Pastoral from the Australian Labor Party and Wilinggin woman. Ms Sahanna was the first Aboriginal person elected to the state’s upper house and is a member of the Kimberley Land Council.
Hon. Matthew Swinbourn, Member for East Metro under the Labor Party. Mr Swinbourn is trained as a lawyer and has worked with several trade unions including Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Unions, Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union and Health Services Union.
Hon. Dr Sally Talbot, Member for South West under the Australian Labor Party. Dr Talbot is a Doctor of Philosophy and is diploma qualified with the Associate Royal College of Music.
AGform Response:
It is baffling that there are three ministers for agriculture that voted against the petition, including Darren West who, as a farmer in the Wheatbelt area will be impacted by the implementation of the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act. Jackie Jarvis talks herself up about being all for agriculture because of her background, yet she voted against it. If these Ministers were truly representing the views of their people they would have voted for the delay.
It is also incredible that the petition gained the signatures of 30,000 Western Australians and that opinion was simply tossed aside. How can the government that is supposed to represent WA, simply ignore 30,000 of its own people?
