A 27-YEAR-OLD Mandurah solicitor is throwing his hat into the ring to replace retiring Dawesville MP Kim Hames.
Family lawyer James Versteegen, who was raised in Bridgetown and Margaret River, has declared his intention to seek preselection for the safe Liberal seat in Mandurah’s south.
Mr Versteegen was formerly a staff member of former state attorney general Christian Porter, who is now federal Minister for Social Services.
He said the two issues he would seek to address if preselected were ice abuse in the local community and the low numbers of Peel students entering university.
“Andrew Hastie has done a great job on highlighting the ice problem, and I see the issue every day in my work; unfortunately, one in five relationship breakdowns come about through some kind of illicit drug use or dependency,” he said.
Mr Versteegen said he would also work with schools and universities to increase the number of local students accepted into tertiary education.
“There is a very low rate of Peel students entering university," he said.
“We have a couple of high schools that don’t have any students going through to university, and we need to offer professional employment here that makes an attractive pathway if we want to have the kind of skills set we need to be a major region.”
Mr Versteegen said he hoped to inject youth and vigour into the parliament, but said there was no substitute for experience and he hoped to build on the work of Kim Hames.
“In terms of political life, I’ve been a member of the Liberal party since 2010,” he said.
“I’m receiving a lot of support now around town and its been a humbling experience talking to local branch members and businesses, and its part of the reason I love living in Mandurah; that sense of support and community is something you get used to living in the regions, and I missed it living in the city.”
In 2010 Mr Versteegen, then a law student, ran for the senate for fledging state rights party WA First.
The WA First website at the time said the group was established on the belief that "major political parties will never give WA a fair deal on funding”.
However, Mr Versteegen said the party was more about attempting to educate people about the senate and was valuable experience.
“As a uni student, it was fantastic hands on experience about how the political process works which you don't get looking in from the outside,” he said.
The Liberal party holds the seat of Dawesville by 12.7 per cent on a two party preferred basis.
Mr Hames signalled his retirement from the seat in 2011 and is expected to stand down as Health Minister and deputy premier early this year.
Preselections for the seat are expected to be conducted later in the year.
