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Mel Bungey

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Mel Bungey
Bungey in 1974
Member of the Australian Parliament
for Canning
In office
18 May 1974 – 5 March 1983
Preceded byJohn Hallett
Succeeded byWendy Fatin
Personal details
Born (1934-08-30) 30 August 1934 (age 90)
Gnowangerup, Western Australia
Political partyLiberal
Alma materUniversity of Western Australia
OccupationFarmer

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.

Early life

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Bungey 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

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Bungey 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

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Bungey 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

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  1. ^ a b c d e "BUNGEY, Melville Harold". Parliamentary Handbook. Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "Liberal candidate for Canning". The Beverley Times. 2 May 1974.
  3. ^ "Noticeable decline in questions on notice". The Canberra Times. 4 September 1983.
  4. ^ McKeown, Deirdre; Lundie, Rob (12 March 2020). "Crossing the floor in the federal parliament 1950–April 2019". Research Papers 2019-20. Parliamentary Library.
  5. ^ "CANNING: Strong female vote for Labor likely". The Canberra Times. 3 March 1983.
  6. ^ "Marginal-seat Liberal criticises PM's campaign". The Canberra Times. 27 February 1983.
  7. ^ "Politician wins affection". The Canberra Times. 4 April 1980.
  8. ^ "Judge Name : Mr Mel Bungey (WA)". Dog Show Judges. Dogz Online. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
Parliament of Australia
Preceded by Member for Canning
1974–1983
Succeeded by