PINGELLY grain farmer and CBH Board director John Hassell has won pre-selection for the WA Nationals, to campaign against WA Liberal MP Rick Wilson to try and win the large rural seat of O’Connor.
Mr Hassell said he was “elated” about the outcome of the pre-selection contest held today at the WA Nationals’ State Council meeting.
The former WAFarmers executive and grains council member has been on the CBH Boards since 2009 and defeated former Kalgoorlie police officer and WA National’s staffer Charles Smith, to become the O’Connor candidate.
Each candidate was given a five minute speech and then faced four questions with two minutes to respond, before the vote was cast.
“I’ve been looking at O’Connor for a long time and felt it really needs decent representation and I’m honoured and excited to be nominated by the National Party,” Mr Hassell said.
Mr Wilson is a sheep and grain a farmer from Katanning who won O’Connor at the 2013 election when Tony Crook resigned after one term.
Mr Crook sat on the crossbenches during the hung parliament for the WA Nationals before eventually joining the federal Nationals late in his term, allowing him to attend party room meetings.
Mr Hassell said if elected on July 2, he would be prepared to cross the floor and vote against his party on issues he felt directly impacted his O’Connor constituents.
He said he would follow the “Barnaby Joyce model” by sitting with the Coalition if they remained in government, after the federal poll and attending party room meetings from day one.
Mr Hassell said he had spoken to CBH Chair Wally Newman who was supportive of his political plans and said there was no rush for him to step down - but he would now discuss protocols with the company secretary, to work out what his requirements were.
“I’ll be at the mercy of the Board and I think that’s a fair position,” he said.
Mr Hassell said he would finish his farm’s seeding program in about 10 days and then hit the road campaigning.
“The big story is, as an independent National, I will be able to cross the floor in areas that I believe are in the best interests of my electorate and that’s something neither of the major parties will allow their people to do,” he said.
On Friday, Mr Hassell said, “you have more chance of being heard if you stand out from the crowd”.
“Federal politicians who are part of a major political party are inextricably tied to their parties and are not able to stand up for their individual electorates and we’ve seen people come unstuck because of it,” he said.
“But I’m prepared, if it’s in the best interests of my electorate and my State, to cross the floor.”
Mr Hassell said one issue he’d be prepared to cross the floor on and vote against federal coalition colleagues was increasing WA’s share of the GST.
He said he’d gained great experience of farming and politics, especially dealing with government relations and regulations, through his CBH board role and had also previously worked in the mining industry.
Mr Hassell said he would not be afraid to debate Mr Wilson during the election campaign on the merits of wheat export single desk or CBH corporatisation “but I’m not going to hang my hat on it”.
At the meeting, the WA Nationals also confirmed candidates for State lower house seats for the 2017 State Election.
Agricultural Region member Paul Brown will vacate his upper-house seat to contest the seat of Geraldton held by Liberal Ian Blayney.
Broome lawyer and consultant Rob Houston will contest the Seat of Kimberley and is the son of Air Chief Marshal Sir Angus Houston.
City of Bunbury councillor, former journalist and WA Nationals President James Hayward will run for the party in Bunbury and Mia Davies will seek to win her existing Central Wheatbelt seat, as will Shane Love in Moore.
WA Nationals leader Terry Redman said the party’s representatives would aim to safeguard the future of Royalties for Regions.
“In recent months, both major parties have come out saying they would like to see Royalties for Regions changed or scaled back,” he said.
“Only The Nationals WA can ensure that Royalties for Regions continues to deliver the best outcomes for regional WA and doesn’t become watered down by the Perth-focused major parties.”
Goldfields Indigenous leader and Indigenous rights activist Kado Muir was chosen as the party’s lead candidate followed by Kalgoorlie based electrician and business development manager Nicholas Fardell and City of Stirling councillor Elizabeth Re.
A candidate was not pre-selected to run the rural electorate of Durack currently held by Liberal Melissa Price.