Former minister Bill Johnston farewells lifetime in Labor with valedictory speech

Former minister Bill Johnston gave an emotional valedictory address, ending a decades-long career as an influential Labor figure. Mr Johnston resigned from cabinet a year ago to sit on the backbench, having been elected to the safe seat of Cannington at the 2008 election. He joined the Labor Party in 1983. Despite becoming a key player in the party’s right faction, Mr Johnston revealed in his farewell speech Thursday that his high school nickname had been “Johno the Commo”. Mr Johnston said his first campaign was in 1999 when the NSW candidate required a 23.5 per cent swing to win. They received 23 per cent, falling painfully short. Mr Johnston paid tribute to his wife, upper house MP Kate Doust, who entered parliament in 2001, shortly before he became ALP state secretary, and is set to continue as an MLC following the next election. “While we’re not the only married couple in parliaments around the country — there are not many of us,” he said. Mr Johnston said he helped then-opposition leader Eric Ripper develop Labor’s energy policy when Colin Barnett was in power. He would go on to hold the portfolio in Government, with Mr Johnston becoming one of WA’s most significant energy ministers as he set out a plan to wean the State off coal and onto renewables. His record in corrective services was more controversial. Conditions at Banksia Hill Youth Detention Centre deteriorated during his tenure. “My seven-year service as a minister was a rare privilege. The workload is unbelievable, but was made possible by my personal staff,” Mr Johnston said. The MP paid tribute to the seat of Cannington, which he described as a beacon of multiculturalism. “You want a taste of the real Australia. Don’t go to the beach. Don’t go to the farm — come out Westfield Carousel,” Mr Johnston said. His proudest local achievement was the current Metronet project to remove level crossings in the area. Mr Johnston used his last speech to call for a better quality of public debate. “How can you debate policy if everyone you talk to agrees with you? How can you have a debate if you label anyone who disagrees with you? It just doesn’t make sense,” he said. “We live in a post-truth world. “How can complex policy issues be progressed if conspiracies and innuendo are given the same values as facts and analysis? “We can all do better.” Labor has preselected Mr Johnston’s chief of staff, Ron Sao, to contest Cannington. The Liberals have tapped their 2021 candidate, Bruce Henderson.