Wendy Duncan

Wendy Duncan MLA
Member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly for Kalgoorlie
Incumbent
Assumed office 9 March 2013
Preceded by	John Bowler
Member of the Western Australian Parliament for Mining and Pastoral
Incumbent
Assumed office 22 May 2009
Member of the Western Australian Parliament for Agricultural Region
In office 29 January 2008 – 21 May 2009
Personal details
Born	7 October 1954 Kalgoorlie, Western Australia
Citizenship	Australian
Political party	National Party of Western Australia

Wendy Maxine Duncan (born 7 October 1954) is an Australian politician from Western Australia. She has been a National Party of Western Australia member of the Western Australian Legislative Council since 2008, representing the region of Agricultural, Mining and Pastoral Region and currently the seat of Kalgoorlie

Early life

Duncan was born in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. She has spent most of her life in the mining, pastoral and agricultural areas of the Goldfields and Esperance, having been born and raised on a Goldfields pastoral station, and holds the distinction, with her siblings, of being some of the first to be educated through the School of the Air in Kalgoorlie. Duncan graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Western Australia in Politics and Australian History. She also holds Graduate Diplomas in Secretarial Studies and Business.

She has worked for The National Farmers' Federation in Canberra; as a Local Government Project Manager and Strategic Planner; and company executive officer to small businesses and agricultural ventures.

Political career

Duncan worked for a period as a research officer to Nationals MLA Ross Ainsworth. In 2004, she became the first female President of the Nationals WA and, in that role, was the co-creator of the Royalties for Regions policy, which was passed as legislation in 2009 and sets aside 25 percent of the state's mining and petroleum royalty revenue for reinvestment in regional and rural Western Australia.

She was elected to the Western Australian state parliament via a countback on 29 January 2008, to fill the vacancy created by fellow National MLC Murray Criddle. In her inaugural speech, she expressed concerns about foreign ownership of Australian resources, economic rationalism, the dominance of the two major parties and the neglect of regional and rural areas.^[1]

At the 2008 state election she transferred to the Mining and Pastoral region to make way for Max Trenorden in Agricultural.^[2][3][4]

After Mining and Pastoral, Duncan made the move into the Legislative Assembly with her running for the seat of Kalgoorlie. Kalgoorlie had been a long time Labor seat and had been held by Independent John Bowler. The Nationals had never held Kalgoorlie, with previous attempts to win the seat being unsuccessful. Duncan won the seat of Kalgoorlie in 2013 with a very tight margin with Liberals' Melissa Price. Duncan's Mining and Pastoral position was filled by Jacqui Boydell and, in 2013, the Nationals WA picked up an extra Mining and Pastoral position with Dave Grills winning that position.

Duncan was elected as Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly from 11 April 2013 after she won the seat of Kalgoorlie in the 2013 state election. Duncan's Ministerial Appointments have been: Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Regional Development; Lands; Minister Assisting the Minister for State Development; Minister Assisting on Country Transport: 23 September 2008 – 28 April 2010. Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Regional Development; Lands; Minister Assisting the Minister for State Development; Minister Assisting the Minister for Transport: 28 April 2010 – 14 December 2010. Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Regional Development; Lands; Minister Assisting the Minister for State Development (with respect to Regional Development; Lands only): 14 December 2010 – 12 February 2013. Duncan's Standing Committee Appointments have been: Member, Standing Committee on the Environment and Public Affairs: 6 November 2008 – 4 June 2009. Member, Standing Committee on the Procedure and Privileges Committee 21 March 2012 – 14 December 2012. Member Procedure and Privileges Committee from 9 May 2013.

In November 2013 after the shock departure of Nationals WA leader Brendon Grylls, which left a ministerial vacancy in the Liberal-National Barnett Government cabinet, Duncan ran for the deputy leadership of the Nationals WA and cabinet membership. On 26 November 2013 the Nationals went to a ballot in a secret party room meeting. Duncan was defeated by Member for the Central Wheatbelt Mia Davies, with Davies becoming deputy leader of the party and a minister in the Barnett Government.

In December 2014, Duncan stated that she might consider becoming an independent after being overlooked a second time for a ministerial position during a cabinet reshuffle. She also warned the Nationals WA not to forget about the Goldfields and Mining and Pastoral Regions, stating: "I think the message is, particularly for the Nationals, don't get too focused on agriculture. Royalties for Regions comes from mining and petroleum royalties, so don't turn your back on the regions they come from."^[5]

References

1. "Wendy Duncan's Inaugural Speech". 26 February 2008.
2. "Hon. Wendy Maxine Duncan MLC". Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
3. "2008 Agricultural Region Re-Count – Resignation of the Hon. Murray John Criddle MLC". Western Australian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
4. "Wendy Duncan – Nationals WA president, MLC for Mining and Pastoral". Perth Now. 20 October 2008. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
5. "Wendy Duncan may quit Nationals, run as independent after Cabinet snub". ABC News.