One Nation MLC Charles Smith quits party over ‘frustrations’

Pauline Hanson’s One Nation has splintered in the WA Upper House with the dramatic resignation of one of its three sitting members on the Parliament floor on Tuesday night.

East Metropolitan MLC Charles Smith made a short statement at 9.45pm after providing a letter to Legislative Council president Kate Doust saying he would quit the party and sit as an independent.

“Today is the end of a long line of frustrations for me, and I advise the house that I have resigned from Pauline Hanson’s One Nation and stand as an independent member,” he said.

The move leaves PHON WA leader Colin Tincknell and Mining and Pastoral MLC Robin Scott as the remaining members of the party which returned to the political scene in the 2017 elections.

In a statement released on Wednesday morning Mr Smith said Mr Tincknell completely lacked leadership.

"It seems that Queensland just wanted bums on seats in WA. We receive no communication whatsoever and none from Mr Tincknell,” he said.

“We usually don’t know the ‘party-direction’ until we meet on the morning that Parliament sits.

“Nobody knows what is going on. It is not hard to send an email stating what position will be taken on each issue, yet that doesn’t happen.”

In a statement Mr Tincknell said “any resignation from the party is a loss” but that “very little will change to be honest”.

He said the hunt for Mr Smith’s replacement was already underway.

"Clearly Charles doesn’t realise what an honour it is to represent the people of WA and be an elected member of parliament,” he said.

“I’ve already had several people contact me wanting to replace him as our candidate at the next election. This is something the party will be discussing in the coming days."

Mr Smith, a former police officer, was the last of six representatives to be elected to the East Metropolitan region.

His decision to sit as an independent will make an already diverse cross bench all the more colourful as he will sit with his two former colleagues, Liberal-Democrat Aaron Stonehouse and Shooters, Fishers and Farmers’ Rick Mazza.

Mr Smith has courted with controversial topics during his time in Parliament drawing the ire on occasion of the Labor Leader of the House and Education Minister Sue Ellery.

During a sitting last month Ms Ellery rose to respond to a statement made by Mr Smith about the level of foreign students in WA which was in reaction to a current affairs investigation into Australian universities where fee-paying students were struggling to pass because of their low English levels.

“The McGowan Government recently announced that it will seek to dramatically lift international student numbers to an estimated 88 000 by 2022,” Mr Smith said.

“Is this what the McGowan Government wants—further destruction of our educational standards in Western Australian universities.

“That is what is happening. I wonder what is next. Are our schools next, minister.”

Ms Ellery said in response she found Mr Smith’s Twitter feed to be “offensive many times”.

“The member continuously, despite my very best efforts to try to educate him, demonstrates his lack of understanding of the difference between the State and Commonwealth government’s responsibilities when it comes to immigration and higher education and standards set within them,” she said.

“I get the honourable member’s narrative. I read his Twitter feed. I understand the narrative he is trying to get out there publicly. I have personally found it offensive many times, but he is entitled to express his point of view.”