Thursday, 19 February 2026

 David LIMBRICK (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (10:06): Sometimes people get to a point where they have run out of options. They have been dealing with some bureaucracy or trying for years to resolve an issue, whether it is a local road or possible corruption, and they have reached the end of the line. They have tried engaging with formal processes, petitioning relevant authorities or escalating issues to various oversight bodies. When all else fails, sometimes it is our doors that they knock on. Elected representatives are sometimes the last, desperate option for people to seek justice, fairness or simply a champion for a local issue. There has been a lot of talk about polls recently and questions about why support for major parties is falling. I think one reason for this is that it is often minor parties and independents that are willing to champion causes or take on issues that major parties see as high risk. They might not always be the most articulate or trained in the law and governance, but these renegades and dissidents can, however, be true champions of the people. In 2020 the Parliament passed reforms to local government which included new code-of-conduct provisions. Across the state we have seen these code-of-conduct policies weaponised to silence the dissidents and renegades. Elected representatives need to be able to speak freely and represent the concerns of their constituents. From Surf Coast to Hobsons Bay and Kingston we need to protect the dissidents and not allow a code of conduct to be used to silence these people and weaken democracy.