LATE Geelong Cats champion Graham “Polly” Farmer should be honoured in the naming of Australia’s next federal seat, a government MP says.<\/p>\n
Western Australia is set to get a 16th seat when the electoral commission completes a redistribution ahead of the next federal election.<\/p>\n
Assistant minister Patrick Gorman, who hails from WA, has written to the commission recommending the seat be called Farmer.<\/p>\n
The former Geelong captain, and first Indigenous VFL\/AFL coach, was named in the AFL Team of the Century.<\/p>\n
Farmer played 101 games for Geelong in between two distinguished stints at West Perth.<\/p>\n
At the Cats he was a 1963 premiership player, won two club best-and-fairests, captained then coached the club, and was named ruck in its team of the century.<\/p>\n
“He is one of the greatest footballers ever to play in the AFL,” Mr Gorman told reporters in Canberra on Thursday last week.<\/p>\n
“We already have the Graham Farmer Freeway, which cuts through my electorate, but I don’t think a freeway is enough.<\/p>\n
“In fact, I think we’re greatly under-recognising this incredible Australian, who through the Graham Farmer Foundation has helped thousands of young Aboriginal children in Western Australia fulfil their dreams.”<\/p>\n
Farmer, who played in the WAFL and VFL between 1953 and 1971, was recognised with a state funeral in WA in 2019.<\/p>\n
“As we continue the work that the electoral commission has done for a number of years in recognising Indigenous leaders in the names of our seats, it’s time that that happens in the west as well,” Mr Gorman said.<\/p>\n
WA is gaining an extra seat for the next federal election, while Victoria and New South Wales will each have one less as the total number of seats decreases to 150.<\/p>\n
– with AAP<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LATE Geelong Cats champion Graham “Polly” Farmer should be honoured in the naming of Australia’s next federal seat, a government MP says. Western Australia is set to get a 16th seat when the electoral commission completes a redistribution ahead of the next federal election. Assistant minister Patrick Gorman, who hails from WA, has written to […]<\/p>\n