Punch hits back at petition, claims WA Liberals’ real target is his Bunbury seat

Embattled minister Don Punch has accused Opposition Leader Basil Zempilas of “exploiting vulnerable Aboriginal people” to score political goals in response to a petition demanding the Bunbury MP’s resignation from cabinet.

The petition, launched on Monday, is backed by prominent Aboriginal elder Dr Robert Isaacs, a respected public health figure and member of the Stolen Generation who helped establish Clontarf Aboriginal College.

Punch’s performance in his Aboriginal affairs portfolio has come under intense scrutiny in recent months following the revelation of a series of child protection failures relating to families in the state’s north-west.

Zempilas took aim at the Bunbury MLA over his response to a crisis that has “played out on the national stage, with Aboriginal elders and families crying out for help”.

It follows a series of reports in The Australian revealed more than a dozen children were living unsupervised and in squalor in South Hedland, prompting an investigation by WA’s top child protection worker.

There were also growing calls for the WA government to order a coroner’s inquest into the deaths of three children at the hands of their mother in Port Hedland in 2022, which Attorney General Tony Buti insisted could not be done until new evidence came to light – which it eventually did, and an inquest was subsequently ordered.

Zempilas said it had taken until Monday for Punch to visit Hedland in response to the reports and inquest calls, and also criticised Punch’s parliamentary attendance record.

“I went to South Hedland, visited Frisby Court, spoke to the elders and witnessed first-hand a community desperate for leadership and answers,” Zempilas said.

“Don Punch has missed two of the four parliamentary sitting weeks since this crisis erupted. He has also been absent from one-in-five Question Times in the past 12 months.

“Ministers have a responsibility to turn up to parliament, face scrutiny and answer questions.

“Mr Punch’s attendance record and his handling of this crisis have raised serious questions about his priorities.”

But speaking from Hedland on Monday, Punch accused the opposition leader of “making a football of Aboriginal people”, describing it as “appalling behaviour” and linking the push to oust him to the Liberals’ desire for his seat in the state’s South West.

“Aboriginal issues and Aboriginal people are beyond politics,” Punch said.

“We should be working together to get the best outcomes possible.

“That’s exactly what I’ve been doing in my job since I was appointed Aboriginal affairs minister, and I intend to continue doing that. And that’s why I’m meeting with elders today.”

Punch said he believed Port Hedland was “suffering from the political ambition” of Zempilas, and that the real target was his seat of Bunbury.

“He is clearly after me, and after me means he’s after my seat in Bunbury, and he knows he cannot become premier without winning Bunbury,” he said.

“Bunbury is a bellwether seat, and the people up here have been exploited in that process.

“I’ve never seen it before in a leader of the opposition, and it highlights that he’s more interested in a headline than he is in genuine conversation.”

Punch insisted his role as Aboriginal affairs minister was to listen and speak to Aboriginal people, elders, and communities, to inform the programs and policies set out by his cabinet colleagues and inform the portfolio’s Call To Action Plan.

“I’m lobbying for better outcomes for Aboriginal people, whether it’s in housing, whether it’s in health, whether it’s in education, and whether it’s in child protection,” he said.

“And the feedback that I take back from local communities, together with our commitment to closing the gap, informs the advice that I give to ministers.”

Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.