Breaking: Nedlands MP Jonathan Huston quits WA Liberals amid One Nation hints

Nedlands MP Jonathan Huston quits WA Liberal Party Thu 25 Jun 2026 at 2:57pm In short: Nedlands MP Jonathan Huston will no longer represent the Liberal Party in its heartland seat of Nedlands, having announced he is quitting the party. Nedlands has been almost exclusively a Liberal seat since its inception, although it was recently held for four years by Labor. Mr Huston reportedly responded positively to a recent comment on social media, suggesting he join One Nation. Nedlands MP Jonathan Huston has quit the WA Liberal Party after being elected to the Liberal heartland seat just over a year ago. Mr Huston has not responded to multiple requests for comment from the ABC, but a statement from Liberal leader Basil Zempilas confirmed his departure. Mr Zempilas said he was "disappointed" in the news. "I am particularly disappointed for the people of Nedlands, who elected Jonathan as a Liberal," he wrote in a statement. "Jonathan wants to head in a policy direction that does not align with the WA Parliamentary Liberal Party. "This includes significant increases in mining royalties, which, as Leader of the Parliamentary Liberal team and Leader of the Opposition I have no intention of pursuing." Mr Huston had served as the party's spokesperson for deregulation, small business, public sector reform and veterans. The former businessman had been vocal about a number of local issues within his electorate, including plans to build a ferry terminal at Matilda Bay and the federal government's planned sale of the Irwin Barracks. His departure deals WA Liberal leader Basil Zempilas one of his first major blows, but the move is not entirely unexpected. In October last year he wrote a paper slamming the AUKUS submarine agreement and circulated it to media, prompting Mr Zempilas to tell the ABC that was "not the way" to debate policy. One Nation hint Earlier this month it was reported Mr Huston had responded to a comment on his social media account, urging him to "consider joining One Nation" because he was "totally wasted with the Liberals", by saying "thank you for your kind words". At that time, Mr Zempilas described Mr Huston as a "great talent". "He's got a lot to offer, and we're only early into our journey together," Mr Zempilas said. In a statement, One Nation's WA leader Rod Caddies said no Liberal MPs had approached him about joining his party, but that if any MP agreed with their policies, "One Nation WA would definitely cooperate with them". "But we are not trying to poach or recruit anyone," he wrote. "It is clear what One Nation believes in and stands for, and every Australian has the option of getting on board. "Indeed, one in three Australians has decided to [support One Nation], so I guess the chances of a WA Liberal MP feeling the same, I would imagine, are not impossible." Liberal stronghold The seat of Nedlands has been held by the Liberals almost continuously since it was created in 1950, except for a four-year period when it was represented by Labor's Katrina Stratton after its landslide 2021 election. And despite being elected to the seat for the Liberals in 2001, Sue Walker defected from the party shortly before the 2008 election to stand as an independent. She lost. Most notably, Nedlands was held by Sir Charles Court and his son, Richard Court — both former premiers — for nearly half a century. Mr Huston holds the seat on a narrow 2.7 per cent margin. Loading