Bunbury MP Don Punch KOs claim he misled community over Upper House electoral reform

Bunbury MLA Don Punch has hit back at a South West MP who claimed he “misled” the community by supporting the Upper House electoral reform. Nationals South West MLC James Hayward called on Mr Punch to support a referendum on the issue or face “betraying the people of Bunbury”. He said the local member had been complicit in Premier Mark McGowan lying to the community. “It is an absolute disgrace that he wants the people of Bunbury to have less representation in Parliament,” Mr Hayward said. “Under Mr Punch’s and Mr McGowan’s new plan, there is nothing to stop people from Perth holding these seats, instead of people from our community who understand our issues. “The people of Bunbury deserve to have their issues, concerns and voices heard but instead they could be disenfranchised at the next State Election.” Mr Punch said he believed all votes would benefit from a “fair and equal” electoral system as proposed in the Bill. “Under the new system developed by the independent expert panel, the proportion of votes a political party receives will determine the proportion of seats they win. You cannot be fairer than that,” he said. “I’m not sure why Mr Hayward believes an Upper House vote in Kalgoorlie should be worth three and a half times that of an elector in Bunbury as it is currently, but I am certain South West electors want a system where every Western Australian’s vote in the Upper House is treated equally and fairly. “Under the new system, all 37 members of the Upper House will answer to the people of Bunbury when undertaking their role in reviewing legislation on behalf of all Western Australians. “For the first time in our State’s history, every vote will carry equal weight.”