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Adele Carles

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Adele Carles
Member of the Western Australian Parliament
for Fremantle
In office
16 May 2009 – 9 March 2013
Preceded byJim McGinty
Succeeded bySimone McGurk
Personal details
Born
Adele Simone Carles

(1968-02-19) 19 February 1968 (age 56)
Kalgoorlie, Western Australia
CitizenshipAustralian
Political partyIndependent (since 2010)
Other political
affiliations
Greens Western Australia (until 2010)
SpouseFrancois Carles
Domestic partnerTroy Buswell (2010-2012)[1]
ProfessionLawyer

Adele Simone Carles (born 19 February 1968) is an Australian former politician. She was a member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from 2009 to 2013, representing the electorate of Fremantle. She was initially elected as a Greens WA member at the 2009 Fremantle state by-election, becoming the first Greens candidate to be elected to an Australian state lower house of parliament in a single-member seat. However, she resigned from the Greens on 6 May 2010 to sit as an independent. In November 2010, Carles agreed to guarantee confidence and supply votes for the incumbent Colin Barnett Liberal minority government.[2][3] She ran for re-election as an independent at the 2013 state election, but was defeated, finishing fourth behind the Labor, Liberal and Greens candidates with 5.49% of the vote.

2008 state election

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Carles, a solicitor before entering politics, was defeated in the 2008 state election. She polled 27.6% of the vote against Labor Attorney-General Jim McGinty (38.7%), marginally less than Liberal candidate Brian Christie (30.2%).[4]

2009 Fremantle by-election

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In 2009, Carles was preselected by Greens WA to run again at the 2009 Fremantle state by-election following the retirement of McGinty. With the Liberals not contesting the election, Carles was rated a chance of becoming the first Greens candidate to be elected to an Australian state lower house of parliament in a single-member seat.[5]

Carles won the seat with 44.06% of the primary vote, ahead of Labor candidate and former Fremantle Mayor, Peter Tagliaferri, as well as receiving enough preferences from other candidates to gain an absolute majority of ballots cast.[6] This was the highest primary vote result for the Greens in a state or federal election in Australia, and the first time the Greens had outpolled all other parties on their primary vote. Their previous record vote was 38.96% in the 2005 Marrickville state by-election in New South Wales (also not contested by the Liberals).

Buswell affair

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In April 2010, Carles publicly acknowledged that she and Liberal Treasurer, Troy Buswell, had been engaged in a "mutual, albeit stupid" affair that lasted several months.[7] Carles had previously denied the affair despite persistent rumours, claiming to be a victim of a Labor smear campaign.[8]

On 6 May 2010, she resigned from the Greens to sit as an independent.[9]

In December 2012, Buswell launched a $3 million defamation case against Carles in relation to allegations and counter-claims both made about Buswell's alleged lewd and drunken behaviour at the home of property developer Nigel Satterley in December 2011.[10][11]

At the 9 March 2013 state election Carles was defeated by Labor's Simone McGurk.[12] She finished second from last with only five percent of the primary vote.

She ran for mayor of Fremantle in 2021 but lost to Hannah Fitzhardinge.[13]

References

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General
  • "WA politics: the Buswell/Carles scandal". The Week. No. Australian edition, issue 75. 30 April 2010. p. 19.
Inline
  1. ^ Spagnolo, Joe (12 May 2012). "It's all over for Adele Carles". PerthNow. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
  2. ^ Premier Barnett brokers 'secret deal' with Independent MP Adele Carles: PerthNow 6 November 2010
  3. ^ "Ms Adele Simone Carles MLA BCom, LLB (Hons)". Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
  4. ^ "Western Australian Electoral Commission". Archived from the original on 23 February 2012. Retrieved 6 September 2008.
  5. ^ 2009 Fremantle By-election - ABC Elections, Australian Broadcasting Corporation
  6. ^ 2009 Fremantle By-election - Results, Western Australian Electoral Commission
  7. ^ "WA Greens MP Adele Carles admits affair with Treasurer Buswell". The Australian. 25 April 2010. Retrieved 25 April 2010.
  8. ^ Perpitch, Nicolas (26 April 2010). "Sniffer's affair with Greens MP puts career as Treasurer in doubt". The Australian. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
  9. ^ "Carles walks out on Greens". The West Australian. 7 May 2010. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
  10. ^ Preston, Robyn (16 December 2012). "Defamation case is 'harassment'". WA Today. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  11. ^ Preston, Robyn (10 December 2012). "Calls to sack Troy Buswell". WA Today. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  12. ^ Robertson, Katie (10 March 2013). "Adele Carles in hiding, may run for mayor". Sunday Times. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  13. ^ https://www.elections.wa.gov.au/elections/local/election#/409419AF-37D5-447E-8112-4E23C1EEC029/Fremantle [bare URL]
[edit]
Western Australian Legislative Assembly
Preceded by Member for Fremantle
2009–2013
Succeeded by