Liberal candidate Darren Spackman says he will tackle crime and support live cattle trade in the Kimberley

Kununurra bottle shop owner Darren Spackman has plenty of first-hand experience on a key election issue in the Kimberley - crime. His business Gulliver’s Tavern has been ram-raided, broken into numerous times and he was once almost stabbed by a shoplifter. Now, the former Shire of Wyndham East Kimberley councillor said he had decided to stop “whinging,” about the issues effecting his community and instead put his hand up as the Liberal candidate for the Kimberley. Mr Spackman admits he is a long shot to win the safe Labor seat which is held by Yawuru, Nimanburr, and Bardi woman Divina D’Anna. Her party has held the seat for most of the past 45 years. But Mr Spackman said the Labor Party, “is on the nose,” with Kimberley voters. “It doesn’t matter what business person you speak to, what community member you speak to, what countrymen you speak to, everybody will say no one is fighting for the Kimberley,” he said. “The Kimberley is totally ignored by Government. Whether you talk about Broome, Derby, Fitzroy or Halls Creek, it’s hard to get to, it’s hot this time of the year, we can’t get decision makers to actually come here and meet real people. The decision makers come up here and talk to other Government agencies that may be here for a day, a week or a year but they don’t live it.” Mr Spackman said the big issue for the Kimberley was law and order. Youth crime has escalated dramatically in the past five years prompting the Government to introduce Operational Regional Shield where additional police resources have been deployed to the region. Meanwhile, family violence offences have more than doubled in 10 years and are ten times the State rate per capita. He said communities have worked hard to come up with strategies to tackle anti-social behaviour and alcohol-fueled violence. “But the judicial system is not meeting the community standards at all. We shouldn’t have a person that can steal five, six, 10 cars and not get the help that is needed.” Mr Spackman said a Liberal Government would reassess the restrictions on takeaway liquor purchases and bottle shop trading hours across the Kimberley because they needed to move away from, “general restrictions to individuals being restricted.” Following the Federal Government’s decision to phaseout live sheep exports by 2028, Mr Spackman reconfirmed the Liberal Party’s commitment to the live cattle trade which sees tens of thousands of livestock exported from the Kimberley each year. He also said a Liberal Government was committed to start the building of a new Broome boat ramp in their first term.