The Honourable
Ben Dawkins
MLC
Member of the Western Australian Legislative Council for South West
Assumed office
20 March 2023
Preceded byAlannah MacTiernan
Personal details
Born
Benjamin Letts Dawkins

(1971-08-13) 13 August 1971
Subiaco, Western Australia
Political partyIndependent (from 2023)
Labor (until 2023)
Alma materUniversity of Western Australia
Murdoch University
Edith Cowan University
OccupationLawyer

Benjamin Letts Dawkins is an Australian politician who is a member of the Western Australian Legislative Council. He succeeded Alannah MacTiernan as a member for the South West Region on 20 March 2023. His appointment to parliament was controversial as he had pleaded guilty to breaching a violence restraining order one month prior. Originally a member of the Labor Party, he was suspended from the party just prior to taking his seat in the Legislative Council and was expelled from the party on 24 April 2023.

Early life

Dawkins was born in Subiaco, Western Australia, on 13 August 1971, to Roger Letts Dawkins and Penelope Isabel Muecke. He attended Rosalie Primary School (1977), Forrestdale Primary School (1978–1979), Nannup District High School (1980–1986), and Distance Education Centre (1987–1988). He then graduated the University of Western Australia with a Bachelor of Economics, Murdoch University with a Bachelor of Laws, and Edith Cowan University with a Graduate Diploma in Business (human resource management).[1]

Dawkins was a lawyer in Narrogin, Western Australia, before becoming a politician.[2]

Political career

Dawkins was fifth placed on Labor's South West Region ticket at the 2021 Western Australian state election. The first three candidates on Labor's ticket were elected. Alannah MacTiernan resigned on 10 February 2023 opening up a spot in the South West Region. Bunbury sign-writer John Mondy, the fourth-placed candidate, chose not to take the seat as he was preoccupied with his business. Therefore, the seat went to Dawkins. Prior to taking his seat, Dawkins was suspended from the Labor Party for being charged with 43 counts of breaching a violence restraining order.[3][4][2] The charges were for sending emails to his ex-wife.[5][6][7]

Dawkins pleaded guilty to 42 of the charges on 17 February 2023, and the remaining charge was dropped.[8] Despite that, he was appointed to the Legislative Council on 20 March 2023.[9][10] He subsequently managed to get the guilty pleas for seven of the charges overturned, after which, prosecutors dropped those charges. He remains guilty of 35 charges and will be sentenced in June 2023.[11]

Dawkins was expelled from the Labor Party on 24 April 2023.[12] A day later, Dawkins heavily criticised Labor politicians and the McGowan government's policies. He criticised the party for sanctioning him before the court had ruled on his case. He criticised unionists, saying "they are bullying industrial activists akin to extreme vegans and their activities are beyond the law, not publicly funded as such and therefore un-regulatable" He criticised cabinet members, including Mark McGowan, Sue Ellery and Rita Saffioti, saying "they do know better, but they also chose to execute people who have not been found, in my case, to have committed any kind of violence, physical or other. I've sent these guys details of all my supposed charges and the original [restraining order] and they know for certain that I did nothing wrong". He criticised the government's COVID-19 vaccination mandates for violating personal freedoms and said that proposed development reforms were an "overreach". Premier McGowan responded by saying "he was elected by accident really, and he is in court for some pretty serious matters that he actually pleaded guilty to".[13][14]

On 6 June, Dawkins was given a 10-month community-based order and a $2,000 fine. The magistrate denied his request for a spent conviction.[5][6][7]

References

  1. ↑ "Hon Benjamin Letts Dawkins". Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  2. 1 2 Hastie, Hamish (9 December 2022). "Labor's MacTiernan replacement hopeful faces 43 charges for allegedly breaching VRO". WAtoday. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  3. ↑ Moulton, Emily (7 February 2023). "Ben Dawkins: WA Labor Party suspended Legislative Council hopeful vows to fight FVRO breach charges". The West Australian. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  4. ↑ Bourke, Keane (8 February 2023). "Alannah MacTiernan has not officially retired, but her exit is already causing Labor headaches". ABC News. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  5. 1 2 Weber, David (6 June 2023). "WA MP Ben Dawkins fined for breaches of family violence restraining order". ABC News. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  6. 1 2 Moulton, Emily (6 June 2023). "Embattled MP Ben Dawkins placed on community-based order, fined $2000 for VRO breaches". The West Australian. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  7. 1 2 Ramsey, Michael (6 June 2023). "Ex-WA Labor MP convicted over restraining order breaches". WAtoday. Australian Associated Press. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  8. ↑ Bourke, Keane (17 February 2023). "Ben Dawkins to be expelled from WA Labor after admitting breaching family violence order". ABC News. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  9. ↑ Bourke, Keane (20 March 2023). "Embattled lawyer chosen as Labor's replacement for retiring stalwart Alannah MacTiernan". ABC News. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  10. ↑ Le May, Rebecca; Zimmerman, Josh (20 March 2023). "Ben Dawkins replaces Alannah MacTiernan in Upper House as senior ministers urge expulsion from Labor Party". The West Australian. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  11. ↑ Moulton, Emily (19 May 2023). "Ben Dawkins: WA's newest MP has seven domestic violence charges dropped". The West Australian. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  12. ↑ Bourke, Keane (25 April 2023). "Ben Dawkins expelled by WA Labor over alleged breaches of family violence restraining orders". ABC News. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  13. ↑ Zimmerman, Josh (25 April 2023). "Expelled former Labor candidate Ben Dawkins unloads on his former party's dumb, dumber and dumbest members". The West Australian. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  14. ↑ Burton, Jesinta (25 April 2023). "MacTiernan replacement Ben Dawkins launches tirade after Labor ousting". WAtoday. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
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