Overview
- Jonathan Huston formally resigned from the WA Liberal Party on Thursday, June 25, and will remain in parliament as an independent.
- Huston said he favours higher mining royalties to abolish payroll tax and create a sovereign wealth fund, a proposal that clashed with the party and prompted his departure.
- WA Liberal leader Basil Zempilas accepted the resignation, said he was disappointed, and confirmed the Liberals will contest Nedlands at the 2029 state election.
- The move leaves the Liberals and Nationals level at six lower‑house seats each, but Nationals leader Shane Love has ruled out challenging Zempilas for opposition leadership and expects the speaker to recognise the current leader.
- Huston holds Nedlands on a narrow 2.7 per cent margin in a seat long dominated by the Liberals, raising questions about his electoral survival, the party’s unity, and how resource‑tax debates could reshape conservative politics in WA.