Louise Kingston | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Western Australian Legislative Council for South West Region | |
| In office 19 September 2023 –22 May 2025 | |
| Preceded by | James Hayward |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Louise Maree Kingston 8 June 1965 Albany,Western Australia [1] |
| Political party | Independent (since 2024) |
| Other political affiliations | Nationals (2015–2024) |
| Residence | Manjimup [2] |
Louise Kingston (born 8 June 1965) [3] is an Australian former politician who served as a member of the Western Australian Legislative Council,representing the South West Region.
Kingston was born in Albany. She previously worked as the state secretary of Timber Communities Australia, [4] [5] and as an executive officer for the Small Business Centre and the Warren Blackwood Alliance of Councils. [5] Before being elected,Kingston worked as the manager of the Manjimup Community Resource Centre. [1] [4] [6] She also ran an engineering business and farm with her husband. [2] [6] [5]
Kingston joined the Nationals in 2015, [3] and first stood for election at the 2017 state election in second place on the Nationals ticket for the South West region of the Legislative Council. [7] At the 2019 federal election,Kingston ran for the Senate in third place on the Nationals ticket. [8] She ran in the second place on the Nationals ticket for the South West region of the Legislative Council at the 2021 state election,but was not elected. [2] [1]
Although Kingston was unsuccessful at the 2021 election,fellow Nationals candidate James Hayward did win the seat,but was convicted in August 2023 of child sex offences,disqualifying him from parliament. [4] After his disqualification,a recount was to be performed to determine the next most popular candidate. [1] [6] The recount was performed by the Western Australian Electoral Commission on 19 September 2023,resulting in Kingston's election. [5] [9]
Kingston was sworn in on 28 September 2023. [10] In her maiden speech,she attracted attention for her comments mourning the demise of the Australian whaling industry,which she said was based on "a shift in conscientiousness based on feelings,not facts". [11] Kingston was immediately elevated to the shadow cabinet as the shadow minister for climate action and shadow minister for regional cities. [12] [13] Following the defection of Merome Beard from the Nationals to the Liberals,Kingston also took up the tourism portfolio. [14]
In June 2024,Kingston was preselected for fifth place on the National Party's Legislative Council ticket for the 2025 state election:considering a party would need to receive 13% of the vote for their fifth-placed candidate to be elected,far above the Nationals's recent electoral results,Kingston's position was considered unwinnable. [15] [16] However,Kingston resigned from the party later the same month,citing "relentless bullying and harassment" from party leader Shane Love,and alleged that her unfavourable preselection was the result of a deliberate campaign to punish her. [16] [17] Love and the party's administration denied Kingston's allegations,suggesting that her resignation was motivated only by her poor performance in preselection. [18] [19]
In December 2024,it was reported that Kingston would seek re-election to the Legislative Council at the 2025 state election on a joint ticket called "Vote Independent WA". Kingston intends to run alongside fellow independent MLCs Ben Dawkins (originally a member of the Labor Party and later of One Nation) and Sophia Moermond (originally a member of Legalise Cannabis) and candidate Adrian Perrot. Kingston said the group had "completely separate" policies and would not campaign together. [11]
Kingston moved to Manjimup in 2001. [5] She is married,with four children and three grandchildren. [2] [1]