VALE MEL BUNGEY 1934-2025

Mel Bungey was the second Liberal MP for the federal division of Canning 1974-83, during the period of its transition from a predominantly rural to an entirely urban seat. He was unafraid to uphold principle and fairness as a Coalition member and maintained staunch support of the Liberal Party after leaving politics.

Melville Harold Bungey was born in Gnowangerup in 1934, educated at Wesley College and graduated with a BA in economics at UWA. From 1951 to 1958, he was an Army reservist and worked for the Prime Minister’s Department in Perth and Canberra before taking charge of the family farm at Borden. He actively pursued wool marketing reform as vice-president of the wool section of the Farmer’s Union.

In 1967, Mel was the Liberal candidate in a by-election for the safe Country Party district of Roe and predictably lost 2:1. He recontested the seat at the 1968 general election where he lifted the final Liberal vote to over 40.0% and laid the foundations for the Liberal win in March 1974. When a snap federal double dissolution election was called for May 1974, he was selected to contest Canning. 

Since its creation in 1949, Canning had been a Great Southern seat extending to the southern metropolitan suburbs and had been held by the Country Party except for the tenure of Liberal Neil McNeill in 1961-63.  Incumbent CP MHR Jack Hallett was in a seemingly stronger position after the 1973 redistribution removed thousands of urban voters. Nevertheless, Mel Bungey’s hard campaigning raised the Liberal primary vote to 35.7% (a swing of 8.8%) and won Canning with a final vote of 64.3%. 

In 1975, with a primary vote of 46.9%, Mel was re-elected with 68.2% with the National Party henceforth out of contention in third place.  He had a similarly strong result in 1977. However, the 1979 redistribution that created O’Connor also transformed Moore and Canning into outer-suburban divisions. Canning was now based on the cities of Kalamunda, Gosnells, Armadale and Rockingham.  In 1980, with a resurgent ALP vote in WA, Mel held Canning with 51.8%.

During the term of the Fraser Government, Mel Bungey served as chair of the Public Works Committee and used his knowledge of the Public Service to submit a record number of questions on notice. His commitment to a more transparent and accountable government resulted in his crossing the floor on 15 occasions. In 1983, WA voters strongly rejected Malcolm Fraser, and Mel was one of five WA Liberals to be defeated.  Canning was not regained until 1996.

Living with his wife Leith and daughter Sarah in Roleystone, Mel Bungey gave very strong support to Ricky Johnston as Liberal MP for Canning 1996-98. His community activity included service as President of the Canine Association of WA.

Mel Bungey was a progressive farmer who carried the Liberal fight into the Great Southern and was a forthright and principled member for Canning. Our condolences to Mrs Leith Bungey and to his family. Prepared by Jeremy Buxton