Melville Harold "Mel" Bungey (born 30 August 1934) is a former Australian politician. He was a member of the House of Representatives from 1974 to 1983, representing the seat of Canning for the Liberal Party.
Mel Bungey | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Bungey in 1974 | |
| Member of the Australian Parliament for Canning | |
| In office 18 May 1974 – 5 March 1983 | |
| Preceded by | John Hallett |
| Succeeded by | Wendy Fatin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 30 August 1934 Gnowangerup, Western Australia |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Alma mater | University of Western Australia |
| Occupation | Farmer |
Early life
editBungey was born on 30 August 1934 in Gnowangerup, Western Australia.[1] He was educated at Wesley College, Perth,[citation needed] and went on to complete a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Western Australia, majoring in economics.[2]
Bungey served in the Citizen Military Forces from 1951 to 1958.[1] After graduating from university he worked for the Prime Minister's Department in Perth and Canberra. He later returned to Western Australia to work on the family property at Borden.[2]
Prior to his election to parliament, Bungey was active in the Farmers' Union of Western Australia and served as vice-president of its wool section. He was also a member of the Australian Wool Industry Conference and a delegate to the Australian Wool and Meat Producers' Federation. According to The Beverley Times he was "a vigorous advocate of wool marketing reform and played a prominent part in updating the Farmers' Union wool marketing policy".[2]
Politics
editBungey was elected to the House of Representatives at the 1974 federal election, winning the seat of Canning for the Liberal Party from the incumbent Country Party MP John Hallett.[1]
In parliament, Bungey served on a number of committees, notably as chair of the Joint Statutory Committee on Public Works from 1978 to 1983.[1] During the Fraser government he was known for his submission of large numbers of questions on notice, covering a wide range of topics but with a focus on Australian Public Service operations. In April 1981 he lodged 691 questions in a single submission.[3] Bungey crossed the floor fifteen times during his period in parliament. According to a study of parliamentary floor crossings from 1950 to 2019, Bill Wentworth was the only other member of the House of Representatives to cross the floor on more occasions.[4]
Bungey's seat became increasingly marginal during his time in parliament, following a series of redistributions that saw Canning lose rural areas and became increasingly urban, taking in Perth's southern suburbs of Armadale and Rockingham.[5] He was defeated by the Australian Labor Party (ALP) candidate Wendy Fatin at the 1983 federal election.[1] During the election campaign he publicly criticised Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser for what he viewed as Fraser's negative campaigning style.[6]
Personal life
editBungey and his wife Leith bred prize-winning chihuahuas.[7] He served as president of the Canine Association of Western Australia and was a licensed dog show judge with the Australian National Kennel Council, judging shows in Australia and overseas.[8]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e "BUNGEY, Melville Harold". Parliamentary Handbook. Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
- ^ a b c "Liberal candidate for Canning". The Beverley Times. 2 May 1974.
- ^ "Noticeable decline in questions on notice". The Canberra Times. 4 September 1983.
- ^ McKeown, Deirdre; Lundie, Rob (12 March 2020). "Crossing the floor in the federal parliament 1950–April 2019". Research Papers 2019-20. Parliamentary Library.
- ^ "CANNING: Strong female vote for Labor likely". The Canberra Times. 3 March 1983.
- ^ "Marginal-seat Liberal criticises PM's campaign". The Canberra Times. 27 February 1983.
- ^ "Politician wins affection". The Canberra Times. 4 April 1980.
- ^ "Judge Name : Mr Mel Bungey (WA)". Dog Show Judges. Dogz Online. Retrieved 25 July 2024.