FORMER WA premier Peter Dowding, 80, has gone into bat for Fremantle’s youngest ever councillor Jemima Williamson-Wong in a legal election spat.

The ex-lawyer recently appeared on Ms Williamson-Wong’s behalf at Fremantle Magistrate’s Court, where the outcome of last year’s Fremantle local government election was being contested.

Ms Williamson-Wong won the Coastal Ward, defeating Marija Vujcic by 71 votes after preferences, but in the lead-up to the election the WA Electoral Commission initially sent out the wrong ballot papers to voters in the new Central and Coastal Wards.

The validity of the result is now being challenged by Ms Vujcic and the Greater Fremantle Community & Business Group, whose president is Beaconsfield resident Andrew Luobikis.

Mr Luobikis unsuccessfully ran for Fremantle Council in 2016.

Election spat

A South Fremantle resident, Mr Dowding says he is working pro bono for Ms Williamson-Wong and came to her aid during the festive period when she was struggling to find legal representation.

The initial hearing at Fremantle Magistrate’s Court was largely procedural, where attendees were told they had to write an affidavit to show they were “interested parties”.

Mr Dowding said he found it bizarre the hearing was held behind closed-doors as it concerned a public election.

He told the Herald the matter was likely to be heard in the Perth Magistrates Court as Fremantle didn’t have the facilities to accomodate it.

He said because of the relatively high voter turnout at last year’s Fremantle council election, he thought it unlikely the result would be overturned. Mr Dowding says he’s getting on a bit for a full legal battle, so Ms Williamson-Wong will likely find another lawyer moving forward.

It’s been a baptism of fire for the 21-year-old university student, since being elected in October last year.

In December an anonymous flyer was delivered to letterboxes in South Fremantle asking “How can an inexperienced 21-year-old uni student possibly represent our electorate?” (‘Fury greets flyer attack’, December 9, Fremantle Herald).

The Chook contacted Ms Williamson-Wong, but she didn’t get back to us.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK