WA upper house MPs allege spies, blackmail and Chevron exploitation in valedictory speeches
The WA Parliament's typically docile upper house has seen an eventful penultimate sitting, with one MP describing "nearly being groped" in the chamber while another said an oil and gas giant "hates Australian workers".
The four-year terms of Western Australia's legislative councillors come to an end on Thursday when the 37 members chosen at the March state election are sworn in.
It means the so-called house of review has largely been focused on valedictory speeches of outgoing members, rather than usual parliamentary business, for more of its last few sitting weeks.
Sophia Moermond — who was elected as a Legalise Cannabis MP but was later dumped by the party — was among those giving their final speeches.
"I would have thought my chances of ever being an elected member of Parliament were similar to me being on the first terraforming mission to Mars," she told the chamber at the beginning of her speech.
She went on to detail "blackmail and threats of blackmail", and said she had to take out a family violence restraining order and engage a lawyer for a defamation case against "a very angry man in Tasmania".
"I don't know if this is normal, but if it is, it certainly should not be."
Ms Moermond said she had spent "over $18,000 being able to hear in this place" as a result of being deaf, but said the "hearing situation" in parliament had been sorted out so it would be a "much easier ride" for any future MPs with hearing impairments.
Less than a year into her term, Ms Moermond was suspended from parliament for not being vaccinated against COVID-19 and described the mandate to do so as medical apartheid.
"Bodily autonomy should be paramount in a democracy and I stand by my decision," she said.
Later in the sitting, outgoing Labor MP Kyle McGinn used parliamentary privilege to claim oil and gas giant Chevron "hates Australian workers" and is "without doubt the pariah of the west coast oil and gas industry".
Mr McGinn worked as an organiser for the Maritime Union of Australia for a decade before entering parliament.
"Chevron is fixated on the bottom line, maximising short-term profits and exploiting our natural resources without putting much back into developing job opportunities or improving the lives of West Australian workers," he told the chamber.
Mr McGinn claimed the company was planning to "sack hundreds of engineers who are working at [its] Elizabeth Quay headquarters … flying in the face of the Barrow Island Act 2003 which requires it to employ local workers wherever possible" but had not yet made a final decision.
"Chevron comes to WA, pillages our resources, throws us a few scraps in the form of jobs and then decides, once the holes are dug, it will sack its Australian employees and replace them with foreign remote labour," he told parliament.
Chevron was contacted for comment but did not respond before deadline.
A Chevron spokesperson has previously told media the company was committed to meeting its local content obligations under the law.
"Given our operated assets in WA, Gorgon and Wheatstone are long-term energy developments, we will continue to depend on the talent of our local workforce for decades to come," they said.
Premier Roger Cook described Mr McGinn's comments as "intemperate" and said he disagreed.
"I think Chevron are a great industry player," he said.
"They are an important part of our economy and quite frankly, they support WA workers."
Nationals-turned-independent MP Louise Kingston also made her final contribution to the chamber — although a few weeks later than intended.
"My husband suffered a heart attack in my office here at Parliament House on the day I was meant to deliver my valedictory speech," she said.
"All I can say is thank god, as had it happened anywhere else, I wouldn't still have him.
"My husband had what is known as a silent heart attack, no symptoms and no warning.
"No pain, clutching his chest, dizziness or breathlessness.
"I honestly thought he was choking until his breathing and pulse stopped."
Ms Kingston thanked parliamentary staff who responded, as well as Jags Krishnan — a lower house Labor MP and GP who assisted — and Minister Sabine Winton had comforted her daughter.
She described the paramedics who responded as her "absolute heroes" and thanked the nurses and doctors who helped save her husband's life.
Ms Kingston split from the Nationals after accusing Nationals leader Shane Love of "relentless bullying and harassment" under parliamentary privilege.
Mr Love has always denied those claims.
"As many have said, politics is a brutal game and my journey is testament to how brutal it can be," Ms Kingston told the chamber.
"I leave stronger, more determined and educated. I will continue to use my voice for good."
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