#WA Party

[axvoter]

Blatantly Partisan Party Review XVI (WA 2025): Western Australia Party

Prior reviews: federal 2019, federal 2022, plus my friend’s b_auspol review for WA 2021

What I said before: “The Western Australia Party does not openly promote secession or greater autonomy, but their express purpose is to promote the interests of WA … It is possible to advocate for a state’s interests from a left-wing angle, but this is not that party.” (federal 2022)

What I think this year: This party is presently unregistered but at least one independent candidate is affiliated with them. Besides my innate completism to review all parties backing candidates whether they are registered or not, the Western Australia Party has a colourful story to tell.

At state level, the Western Australia Party had their registration cancelled on 20 February 2023 after failing to apply for continued registration. They were also registered federally, and this too was cancelled on 2 August 2023. On 22 January 2025, Anthony Fels—about whom I will say more below—applied to re-register the party with the WA Electoral Commission. This registration is under the full party name Western Australia Party, but the abbreviation for use on ballot papers would be WA First.

Unfortunately for Fels and whoever his current political mates are, this application came in much too late for the party to be registered for the election. You simply cannot get a party registered in a week or two. Among various legal requirements and administrative processes, party applications must be open to objection from the public, and the period to submit objections closed… yesterday, 28 February. The election is in literally a week. Even if the Western Australia Party does successfully obtain registration, it won’t be until later in the year.

So, Fels is running as an independent in the electoral district of Churchlands, which is in the affluent western coastal suburbs of Perth. This is a traditionally Liberal seat—although for most of its history it has been held by a conservative independent, Liz Constable—and it was one of the most astonishing Labor gains in the 2021 landslide. Christine Tonkin, who has confirmed that she is not related to former WA Labor premier John Tonkin (or, at least, that her branch of the Tonkins is a separate branch to his), is very unlikely to retain the seat, which she holds on a margin of 1.6%. She faces an especially strong Liberal challenger in the form of Lord Mayor of Perth Basil Zempilas. He is a popular figure in Perth, at least among a certain type of person, which might come as a surprise to some of you over east who will know him as a sweaty potato who crops up as a C-grade caller on Channel 7's coverage of the AFL, somehow even more mediocre than the likes of Brian Taylor.

But I digress. Fels is making a doomed candidature for his unregistered party alongside Tonkin and Zempilas in Churchlands, and I am unclear if there are any other independents aligned with the Western Australia Party standing for any other seats. Their website and socials have not been updated for over a year. The most recent content on the party website is an “it’s OK to say no” blurb from the 2023 Indigenous Voice referendum featuring Noongar woman Janetia Knapp, who has right-wing ties and stood for the party at the 2023 Rockingham by-election—but is not standing this year. It appears the party is becoming a vehicle for Fels: Julie Matheson, the party founder, is now standing for Sustainable Australia, whose press release announcing her candidature has a note that “The Western Australia Party is under new management and was unable to achieve registration to contest the 2025 WA Election with candidates nominated under its name.” Fels, evidently, is the “new management”.

So, who is Fels? He is one of the most prolific serial candidates and party hoppers in the country, who has stood for more parties than there are days of the week. He won election to the WA Legislative Council in 2005 as a Liberal member for the Agricultural Region, having previously stood or sought preselection for the Liberals since 1989. During his tenure, however, he fell out with the rest of the party, quit, tried and failed to form a party called People Against Daylight Saving, and served out his term representing Family First. After a couple of independent candidatures, he stood for Katter’s Australia Party in 2013 as one of their WA candidates for the Senate; you might recall that the WA Senate count was voided and the election re-run in 2014, by which time he was in the Mutual Party, formerly the Bank Reform Party (whom I reviewed without enthusiasm in 2013).

Fels then became a One Nation member, and although there were some reports he might be preselected to stand for them, he never did. In 2017, he made a foray east for the Bennelong by-election, standing for the Non-Custodial Parents Party (or as I dubbed them, the Disgruntled Deadbeat Dads Party). Come the 2019 federal election, he was a United Australia Party member and stood for them in the sprawling rural WA electorate of O’Connor. He then ran as an independent in the 2021 state election for the upper house region of Mining and Pastoral before contesting the 2022 North West Central by-election for the Western Australia Party. And that brings us to the present!

What does the Western Australia Party stand for? We can’t know exactly, given the dated nature of their online material, but Fels has circulated through parties further right than the Liberals for a while now so that should give a clear indication of his personal politics. The proposed abbreviation of “WA First” suggests Fels might intend to ride the current wave of exclusionary me-first nativism sweeping the globe, and the party’s support for the No vote is another mark against them. Let’s hope the registration is unsuccessful and that Fels in Churchlands continues his recent track record of garnering few votes. Although his name might be well known to election nerds—up there with Vern Hughes and Peter Breen for party-hopping—this recognition thankfully does not carry over to the general population.

(I have my suspicions that Mic Fels, preselected as the Liberal candidate for the Division of Swan in the soon-to-be-called federal election, is related to Anthony but I have found no confirmation. They both have backgrounds in the Esperance region. One would hope that if Mic got elected, he does not repeat his possible relative’s track record.)

Recommendation: If you are a voter in Churchlands, you need to number all squares, and Anthony Fels belongs at or near the bottom of your preferences.

Website: https://westernaustraliaparty.org.au/

[magical-girl-mayday]

[cure-whimsy]

really cute 20th anniversary art pieces I found from the Kamikita twins!

[pinceauarcenciel]

And here's a better view of all the paintings in my Precure Museum pieces that also were printed as postcards for the @precure20f zine ✨

It was really fun to do, so I hope to complete the collection with all the existing series one day (; ω ;)

※ Fanart and Classical paintings referenced + details (long list under the cut):

- Tropical-Rouge! Precure © Toei Animation > Sandro Botticelli, The Birth of Venus - HappinessCharge Precure! © Toei Animation > Alphonse Mucha, The Times of the Day - Smile Precure! © Toei Animation > Edouard Bisson, The dance of the nymphs - Hugtto! Precure © Toei Animation > Eustache Le Sueur, The Birth of Cupid - Go! Princess Precure © Toei Animation > Diego Velázquez, Las Meninas - Delicous Party♡Precure © Toei Animation > Claude Monet, Le déjeuner sur l'herbe - Futari wa Precure Splash☆Star © Toei Animation > François Boucher, Pastoral Subject - DokiDoki! Precure © Toei Animation > (Cure Ace) Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio), Madonna del Granduca; (Mana, Rikka, Alice, & Makoto) Georges de La Tour, The Card Sharp with the Ace of Diamonds - Suite Precure♪ © Toei Animation > Pierre Auguste Renoir, Julie Manet with Cat - Kirakira☆Precure à la Mode © Toei Animation > Pierre Auguste Renoir, Luncheon of the Boating Party

Repost of my works is forbidden!

Whispers: If you like my work you can support me on ko-fi (link in my bio!) (•̀ᴗ-)✧

[tetrix-anime]

Megami Magazine April 2025 Issue (#299) - A-Rank Party wo Ridatsu shita Ore wa, Moto Oshiego-tachi to Meikyuu Shinbu wo Mezasu. (I Left My A-Rank Party to Help My Former Students Reach the Dungeon Depths!)

[strawsojuberry]

[waifubuki]

[hothotmiso]

[22eleanor-genesis22]

Any precure fans? :3

I made a discord server and i have lots of channels and roles ready to be used.

It's called Universal Precure and you basically can do things like: Make your own fan precure season, post art, headcanons, ships, opinions, roleplaying and just chattin'!!

Rules are in the general lobby description/bio thingy or in another-- (i forgot--)

I am currently making a PreCure Season called Sweet Dream PreCure and i gave up on it too many times. Recently I've been thinking of the plots and i could maybe work on it

I'll try not to lose motivation.

Be kind, be open, be graceful, be faithful. :)

~ sincerely,

Eleanor Genesis

The magic starts here!~

Link!!:

[superpilkyrose64]

Local Precure Fan draws nothing but Precure

[jesski]

[front-facing-pokemon]

[tetrix-anime]

Megami Magazine May 2025 Issue (#300) - A-Rank Party wo Ridatsu shita Ore wa, Moto Oshiego-tachi to Meikyuu Shinbu wo Mezasu. (I Left My A-Rank Party to Help My Former Students Reach the Dungeon Depths!)

[yourlocalsayorikin]

20 minute long precure 20th anniversary medley they could never make me hate you <3

[strawsojuberry]

[waifubuki]