![Greens agricultural spokesperson Rachel Siewert has been returned as a WA Senator. Greens agricultural spokesperson Rachel Siewert has been returned as a WA Senator.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/DQPpmhQKY4q83RFKYAWNAF/66b4b052-b30d-40e6-a7a7-de06dfe6494c.JPG/r514_117_1770_1246_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
FORMER Williams farmer Rod Culleton has been elected to the federal Senate for Pauline Hanson’s One Nation Party in WA, while Greens agricultural spokesperson Rachel Siewert has also been returned.
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The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) today announced completion of the vote-count for the election of WA’s 12 Senators, following the allocation of preferences.
Chris Back was also returned to the federal Senate representing WA for the Liberals as was Dean Smith with both having championed agricultural and rural issues for their state.
Former truck-driver Glenn Sterle was also elected for the Labor Party and is a long-serving Chair of the Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee.
Overall, Labor had four WA Senators elected, the Liberals five including Linda Reynolds - who was a key player during the Senate inquiry into agricultural levies held in the previous parliament - with two for the Greens and Mr Culleton.
Senator Siewert has been the Green’s spokesperson on agricultural issues and also an active member of the Rural Affairs Committee.
The formal declaration of the WA Senate poll is due to take place tomorrow at the AEC’s Perth office.
However, the Mr Culleton’s ultimate fate will depend on the outcome of legal matters that may determine his eligibility to take his place in federal parliament.
He’s currently facing charges stemming from an attempted foreclosure in March last year on a WA farm at Cuballing where two bank appointed receivers had their car involuntarily impounded by bales of hay, which Mr Culleton claims were straw.
He said due to being on bail for charges from that incident, alleging the theft of the $37,000 hire care - that’s due to be heard this month - he could not appear in person at a court hearing in Armidale NSW in March this year to face a separate larceny charge relating to an altercation with a tow truck driver and $7.50 key.
He was subsequently convicted of that charge in his absence and is now appealing it.
Last week, Mr Culleton said during that incident, the tow truck driver was seeking to repossess a car leased by his equine performance company based at Guyra in the NSW New England region when a single key got knocked out of his hand, during an altercation.
“Larceny is not an act of dishonesty - it’s to permanently deprive - and because the key was lost in amongst the undergrowth on my property, we were unable to retrieve it that day,” he said.
Under the Commonwealth Constitution, anyone is disqualified from entering parliament if they’re convicted, under sentence or due to be sentenced for an offence punishable by imprisonment for one year or longer or is an undischarged bankrupt or insolvent.
It’s understood both of the charges that Mr Culleton is facing carry potential sentences of one year or longer.
Mr Culleton said he was disputing the two charges against him and was confident the one linked to the $7.50 tow truck key would be annulled.
He said, “I’m not a criminal - never have been and never will be a criminal”.
A spokesperson for Ms Hanson said the party congratulated Mr Culleton and backed his election cause, to hold a Royal Commission into banking.
The WA One Nation candidate has promised to investigate farm lending issues stemming from ANZ’s takeover of the former Landmark rural loans book, if he takes his place in Canberra.
“What does Rod Culleton stand for? A fair go,” he said.
Ms Hanson’s spokesperson said Mr Culleton also had the party and the party leader’s full support.
The spokesperson said One Nation was also confident of having four Senators in the final election wash-up, with Ms Hanson elected in Queensland and Mr Culleton now in WA.
They’re also anticipating another Senator in Queensland and one in NSW and have not ruled out winning a place in Victoria and SA.
During the election, the Greens announced a sustainable agriculture policy package highlighted by a $100 million proposal over four years to build a new Centre for Sustainable Agriculture.
The Greens also committed to scrap the backpacker tax saying it was introduced without consultation in last year’s budget and has been opposed by farmers throughout Australia.
The AEC said an objection can be raised about Mr Culleton's eligibility to be elected, by any of the WA voters or other Senate candidates during a 40-day period after the writs are returned.
That matter would then be considered by the court of disputed returns which sits in the jurisdiction of the High Court and if a challenge was upheld, the court would decide the appropriate penalty.
It’s likely that if Mr Culleton was disqualified from taking his place in the Senate, Ms Hanson may choose his replacement but another election is also a possibility, depending what the court ruled.
It’s understood One Nation’s options include Mr Culleton’s brother-in law Peter Georgiou who was number two on the party’s WA Senate ticket and his wife Ionna Culleton who was next in line, at number three.