Disgruntled former cabinet minister and still-serving Hillarys MP Rob Johnson has accused Premier Colin Barnett of trying to push him out of his blue-ribbon seat after Upper House MP Peter Katsambanis threw his hat in the ring.
Mr Johnson, 72, used an interview on Radio 6PR on Thursday to accuse the Premier of threatening his preselection, branch-stacking and lining up powerbrokers to oust him from his seat after Mr Katsambanis, a former Victorian MP elected as North Metropolitan MLC in 2013, confirmed he would nominate for pre-selection for Hillarys.
"[Mr Barnett has] made it quite clear, he's actually threatened my preselection," Mr Johnson said.
"He's already started the ball rolling, and there are others – some powerbrokers are getting behind him who want to install certain people in my seat.
"Well, good luck to them.
"What some people have done, they stack my branches out initially with people who live outside my area, to try and disqualify them.
"I have the biggest branches in Western Australia – my branch of Hillarys has over 200 members, the biggest branch in Western Australia.
"I have just counted them because myself and some of my supporters have been out and we've signed up nearly 200 people into the Liberal Party in my area; who actually live in the area, not been stumped in from outside.
"I will be contesting the next election. Whether that's as a Liberal – I've been a Liberal all my life ... or an independent liberal, will remain to be seen."
Mr Johnson was elected 22 years ago, making him one of state parliament's longest-serving members, and had created a "blue ribbon seat" in Hillarys, he said.
He had served in cabinet from 2008, but Mr Barnett stripped him of his emergency services portfolio in December 2011 over fallout from the Perth Hills bushfire.
In 2012, when fierce criticism of his performance as police minister continued both from the public and from colleagues, notably the late Canning MHR Don Randall, who called him "weak and ineffective", Mr Barnett dumped Mr Johnson from cabinet altogether while the veteran MP was travelling interstate.
Mr Johnson said he had worked hard to build up the seat, he had plenty of work he still wanted to do and he believed his constituents wanted him there to do it.
"I even get Labor voters who vote Labor federally but vote for me in the state because they like what I say," he said.
"My priorities are to stand up for my constituents. This is going to be a very bleak Christmas for a lot of Western Australians – there are thousands losing jobs, thousands more clobbered with this massive land tax increase, with the council rate rebate going for our senior citizens. I'm standing up for these people and that's what they appreciate.
"The Premier doesn't like it because he's the one who got us into this problem with his massive mismanagement of the finances of this state. He doesn't like me saying that, he doesn't like the truth, but that's his problem, not mine."
Mr Katsambanis issued a statement confirming he would nominate but that he would not make any further public comment about this process in accordance with party policy.
"However, as one of the current members for the North Metropolitan Region, I will continue in my role advocating for the people of Perth's northern suburbs and all West Australians as part of the Barnett Liberal Government team," he stated.
Outside Parliament this morning, reporters asked Mr Barnett who he preferred to get the seat.
A grinning Premier replied: "What do you reckon?"
