News that WA Liberals have raised a motion for the State to secede from Australia can only be seen as an exercise in distraction at a time when their federal counterparts are facing an increasing disillusioned electorate.

With the High Court soon to rule on the eligibility of a number of Coalition MPs to sit in Federal Parliament, and facing community backlash on an expensive and unnecessary postal survey on marriage equality, this secession motion is a clumsy attempt at diverting our attention and shows an abysmal lack of political leadership.

Federal Member for Brand, Madeleine King MP, said the ridiculous motion, raised by the Liberal branch in her electorate, looked like an attempt to appeal to a populist agenda in a damaging attempt to take the heat off the Federal Government.

“Instead of damaging WA’s reputation and looking to divide our nation, I would suggest that the Brand division of the Liberal Party resolve to encourage the Federal Liberal members to restore the penalty rates of 10,000 workers across Brand, or to develop an energy policy, or to stop cutting critical funds from kids’ education ” Ms King said.

“WA is proudly part of Australia and to think such a folly can even be considered by the Liberals is hard to believe.

“But then again it has changed the conversation today away from the Government’s ineptitude in actually dealing with community concerns such as marriage equality and GST distribution.”

Ms King said talk of a WAxit had the potential to be damaging as has been seen overseas.

“We've seen what divisions were exacerbated in the UK with talks on Scotland leaving the union. Western Australia is better than this. Western Australia is better than the Liberals.”