Amber-Jade Sanderson blasts Libby Mettam for ‘losing party control’ after another candidate sparks controversy

Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson has blasted Libby Mettam for “losing control of her party” after another Liberal State election candidate sparked controversy, this time over abortion. Albany Liberal hopeful Thomas Brough told local media on Saturday he believed WA should review pregnancy termination laws because “babies born alive should not be left to die”. Ms Mettam was standing beside him but made no comment, instead issuing a one-line statement: “Reviewing WA’s abortion laws is not part of the WA Liberals’ plan”. Ms Sanderson — after coming under fire herself this week for not immediately commenting on the death of a Perth dad following a near half-hour wait for an ambulance — was swift to condemn Dr Brough’s comments as “shocking”. “We know that Thomas Brough’s comments are the true colours of the Liberal Party, and Libby Mettam stood next to him today and didn’t say a word,” she told reporters. “She is not in control of her party, she is not in control of their policies. We know who is in control: the extreme right of the Liberal Party.” The Minister called on Ms Mettam to condemn Dr Brough’s comments, saying he had previously made homophobic comments and was now uttering misinformation. “If she genuinely does not support these views, she should ask him to resign,” Ms Sanderson said. Ms Mettam declined to respond directly to that call. “Dr Brough — like many in the community — is entitled to his own view, but the WA Liberals will not be reviewing WA’s abortion laws,” she repeated in an emailed statement. Dr Brough hit headlines in May over remarks he made at an Albany council meeting while discussing the town’s Pride Festival, saying the LGBTQIA+ community “includes a group of people who identify as minor-attracted persons”. He works at Albany Health Campus as an emergency medicine practitioner and has been referred to the medical watchdog for alleged professional misconduct. Dr Brough clarified his position following the doorstop, saying it was his “personal view” the laws should be reviewed. “Like many in the community, I have a strong personal view, but I recognise that reviewing WA’s abortion laws is not part of the Liberal Party’s plan,” he said in an emailed statement. The controversy comes after Liberal candidate for the seat of Central Wheatbelt, Lance French, was pictured supporting One Nation on the first day of pre-polling. Then there was Darren Spackman, former Liberal candidate for the Kimberley seat, who resigned over comments about wanting to “hang” young criminals. He was already in the spotlight over a 2022 social media post that described a pub break-in as a “Welcome to Country”. Ms Mettam admitted she had never met Mr Spackman. Ms Sanderson stressed on Saturday that the situation Dr Brough referred to was “a very rare occurrence”. “It is occasionally the choice of parents for an unviable baby to be born alive, so that they may die in their arms,” she said. “It is a very carefully planned medical event that is undertaken in a tertiary hospital setting. “They are palliated, they are supported by specialists, and that is the choice of the family.”