The woman set to replace disgraced MP James Hayward in the upper house has declared she is ready for the job.
After a six-day trial on Monday a jury found Hayward, 53, guilty of directing an eight-year-old girl to indecently touch him on two occasions.
Nationals WA South West Candidate Louise KingstonCredit: Manjimup Community Resource Centre
The former Nationals MP’s conviction disqualifies him from sitting in parliament meaning the next Nationals candidate below him on the 2021 ballot paper for the South West region will likely fill the vacancy left by him.
Manjimup Community Resource Centre manager Louise Kingston was that candidate.
“The South West has been my home all my life,” she said.
“I was born in Albany and have worked in and around the region in various fields over the course of my career, including establishing a business in Manjimup where I have lived for more than twenty years with my husband, four daughters and three grandsons.
“Should I be the successful candidate determined by the WA Electoral Commission, I am ready to stand up for our community and ensure the South West region has the representation it deserves.”
Upper house president Alanna Clohesy has been advised by the District Court of Hayward’s conviction, and she will announce his disqualification from parliament on Tuesday.
From there, the governor and WA Electoral Commission will begin the process of selecting the new candidate, which will be Kingston.
James Hayward and his wife enter Perth District Court.Credit: Nine News
Hayward resigned from the WA Nationals after the charges were laid in 2021 but continued to sit in the state’s upper house and collect his $161,000-a-year salary as an independent MP.
Opposition leader Shane Love said he would not comment on the outcome of the case after Hayward’s guilty verdict, but said abuse in any form was unequivocally unacceptable.
WA Premier Roger Cook thanked Hayward’s victim for “speaking out and for standing strong” before turning the blowtorch on the Nationals.
“I think it’s time that they actually owned up to this issue and that they explained themselves,” he said.
“Clearly, they’ve got an important job here to make sure that they acknowledge what’s happened here, which undermined the confidence of the community in our parliament.
“It’s important that we preselect people in a manner which provides people with confidence.”
However, Cook walked back those comments after further questions from media.
“I’m just saying if you’ve got questions with regards to James Hayward that’s not for me, that’s for the Nationals,” he said.
Love said Cook’s comments were distasteful and a “cheap shot”.
“I think Labor has its own issues in preselections and that’s been demonstrated in the past,” he said.
During Hayward’s trial, the jury was told the former television producer abused the child during a two-year period when he would often get into bed with her to read bedtime stories.
In a police interview and pre-recorded evidence, the child confirmed the accusations, saying “James unbuttoned his pants”.
She also said Hayward told her to keep the interactions secret.
The court was told the girl’s family was aware Hayward had often “tucked her in” and her mother said she had not initially been concerned by his actions.
An older sibling found the girl watching animated Family Guy pornography on her iPad and video-recorded her stating Hayward had shown her how to search for it and abused her, triggering an investigation.
Hayward was acquitted of two other charges of indecently dealing with a child under 13, including showing her how to search for pornography on the internet.
With AAP