Paul Brown: Ex-State politician says he’s the ‘mongrel’ WA needs after putting his name down for the Senate

“I think what WA likes to see about politicians is a little bit of mongrel.” Former State politician and Geraldton local Paul Brown says it’s an attitude he can provide, as he tries his hand at Federal politics at the upcoming election. He said he never planned on putting his hand up for a run at the Senate, but felt he had an obligation to following the Federal Government’s treatment of WA. Mr Brown, who was an Agricultural Region MLC from 2013 to 2017, has more recently been one of the leading voices behind the Keep the Sheep campaign to save live sheep exports. However, he said his decision to run as the lead Nationals candidate in the Senate was due to his thoughts on the Labor Government at a national level. “Watching the continual ignorance and contempt that the Albanese Government through both Anthony Albanese, Murray Watt as the Agriculture Minister, and then the appointment of Julie Collins, who would have to be the worst Agricultural Minister I’ve ever seen,” he said. “They don’t care about agriculture and so that has fired me up through the campaign. “I wasn’t actively considering going back into politics, and my wife and I had a bit of an agreement I wouldn’t do this again, but I felt that passionate about it and the effect that it was going to have on the West Australian economy . . . it fired me back up again.” Having previously fought for the needs of Geraldton and the Mid West as a member of the WA Legislative Council, and previously running as the candidate for the seat of Geraldton in 2017, Mr Brown has often been an advocate for local issues. However, his decision to run for the Senate means if elected, he would serve the entire State. Mr Brown said his passion runs right across WA, leading him to his decision to run for the Senate. While his stance towards agriculture is well-known, he also aims to help tackle housing, and put a sustainable cap on immigration in line with the Nationals campaign. If successful, Mr Brown would be the first WA senator from the Nationals since Sir Thomas Drake-Brockman in 1978. He said it would be a privilege to not only represent the State, but the region. “I‘d love to get into that fight and stand up for WA, and stand up for the Mid West and Geraldton as well,” he said. “The Mid West and Geraldton is a very important part of my life and my family’s life, and to be able to make sure that they’ve got a voice in Canberra alongside all the other people of WA just as loud would be an enormous privilege.” Mr Brown said there were too many bystanders in politics, and that the people of WA needed a “mongrel” like him to fight tooth and nail for the State. “You need to actually stand up for your electorate, and that’s what we don’t see from from Labor, because they’re told by their east coast counterparts what to do,” he said. “That’s not the way we do it in the Nationals. We are engaged all the way through. We listen to our communities, and we are part of our communities.”