Sam Brown’s decision to run for the seat of Bunbury in March’s state election came after he looked at the field and decided he couldn’t find anyone to vote for that he liked.
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The father of four told the Mail on Monday he was a long-time supporter of Pauline Hanson and One Nation and made the decision to run as their candidate because the messages from the major parties just aren’t resonating with a lot of voters.
“One Nation has changed a lot in 20 years and our main appeal is a desire to work with other parties to get things done,” he said.
Mr Brown, a FIFO rigger and scaffolding worker, said there was a lot of uncertainty in WA at the moment with a need to focus on jobs and the economy.
“People are taking pay cuts or being shifted to part-time or casual work and these issues have a flow on effect – they are hurting the family dynamic and damaging worker’s mental health,” he said.
“Bunbury has a reputation as the meth capital of WA and we start from the bottom if we are going to fix that.”
Mr Brown said his party were not a threat to Royalties for Regions but were absolutely against the Nationals proposed mining tax. One Nation also announced on Monday they are against the privatisation of Western Power.
“The workers will pay dearly if that tax is introduced and it will make it harder for plenty of West Australians who are already battling,” he said.
Locally, Mr Brown said he loves Bunbury but there are a number of grassroots issues that need attention.
“I’m not a CEO or a lawyer – I’m just a passionate average bloke with a dream that wants to fix this place up. Bunbury has so much potential and deserves a bright future,” he said.
“We need to fight the meth crisis and ensure there are local jobs for everyone.”
One Nation have done a preference deal with the Liberal Party but Mr Brown acknowledged when asked, that his policies appear to align more closely with Labor’s plan for Bunbury.
“Of course we have done a preference deal to get a foothold but we want to work with whoever wants to get good things done,” he said.
“Labor have good plans for Bunbury but the people on the street will vote for whoever they feel is focusing on them best. I say vote for whatever feels right.”