Kimberley Liberal candidate described pub break-in as a ‘welcome to country’

A WA Liberal candidate running for a seat with one of the highest populations of Indigenous Australians in the state once described a break-in at his Kununurra pub as a “welcome to country”.

However, Darren Spackman said he did not believe the post was racist, and said the incident highlighted the crime issues his town faced.

Liberal candidate for the Kimberley Darren Spackman made the post in 2022.Credit: Facebook

In 2022, the Kimberley candidate and Gulliver’s Tavern publican posted a picture of a smashed window at his venue to a Kununurra crime Facebook group, along with the “welcome to country” remark.

“Gullevers [sic] had another welcome to country tonight,” the post said. “Big THANKS to wa police 2 persons in custody within the hour.”

“Good town cct + good police = time in a cell. Now we need court to do what the community expect.”

In a response, a member of the Facebook group described the remark as “disrespectful”.

“Please do not call these illegal acts ‘welcome to country’. It’s not accurate and very disrespectful to what a Welcome to Country cultural ceremony actually is. I get the frustration, I really do, but this is not helpful,” the commenter said.

Welcome to country ceremonies are conducted by traditional owner groups before formal events or gatherings.

According to the 2021 Census, more than 41 per cent of people in WA’s Kimberley region were Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.

Spackman’s opponent in the seat is Labor incumbent Divina D’Anna, a Broome-born and raised Yawuru, Nimanburr and Bardi woman.

Spackman, a former Shire of Wyndham-East Kimberley councillor, has long railed against crime in Kununurra and his tavern is frequently the target of thieves. In 2023, he told The Kimberley Echo he’d nearly been stabbed by a shoplifter the year earlier.

Liberal candidate for the Kimberley Darren Spackman.Credit: Facebook/Darren Spackman

Spackman told this masthead he was not an opponent of welcome to country ceremonies, did not believe the post was racist, and said it was not made with any malice or “ill intent”.

He then criticised the lack of support for the Kimberley and its crime problems.

“This is where this race thing shits me off because it’s not a race thing,” he said.

“We’ve spent over 35 years here and, yes, I’ve upset some people, but I don’t think anybody hasn’t that’s actually done something.

“I’m sure there’s a lot of people that want to throw shit at me, and some of them probably rightly so, but at the end of the day how do you advocate for something better?

“Why is our system failing us? Why aren’t we getting the help we need for them, and if they’ve got problems at home, why aren’t we helping them at home?”

A Liberal Party spokesman backed Spackman, also highlighting the crime issues he had experienced.

“Although his words could have been better chosen, Mr Spackman was speaking as a frustrated business owner whose premises have repeatedly been broken into or vandalised over the last few years,” he said.

“Labor has had eight years to deal with the crime crisis in the Kimberley, and they have failed to do so.

“Darren Spackman is committed to working with his local community to address these issues – and the Liberal Party is the only party in this election with a clear plan to get more police into regional communities and tackle regional crime.”

When shown Spackman’s post, Reconciliation WA chief executive Jody Nunn said community leaders had a responsibility to set an example in how to handle complex social issues.

“As we enter our current election cycle, we are increasingly witnessing division, racial undertones and racism by leaders and community members, which is deeply concerning,” she said.

“In times when we should be uniting as a nation, it is important that we seek solidarity rather than be divided.”

Kimberley is Labor’s safest regional seat after Collie-Preston, with D’Anna holding it on a two-party margin of 21.4 per cent.

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