There's a chance your local MP doesn't live in your neighbourhood. Does that matter?

The upcoming Secret Harbour by-election in Western Australia has highlighted a recurring issue: whether members of parliament should reside within the electorates they represent. Notably, none of the key candidates vying for the seat live within the Secret Harbour boundaries, prompting debate on the importance of local residency for elected officials.

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I went to school here, and I've been helping shape our community's future since I was first elected to the City of Mandurah Council at the age of 21.

This is not an isolated concern. An analysis of parliamentary disclosures reveals that at least seven lower house members, comprising about one in eight MPs, do not live within their designated electoral boundaries. All of these MPs are from the Labor party and represent seats in metropolitan Perth. Premier Roger Cook, for instance, recently relocated to West Perth, approximately 38 kilometers from his Kwinana electorate.

Some MPs live closer to their electorates. Mandurah MP Rhys Williams resides in nearby Wannanup, just outside his electorate's boundary. Williams stated that his deep connection to Mandurah, which began in childhood and continued through his service on the City of Mandurah Council, remains unaffected by his residential location. Similarly, cabinet ministers Meredith Hammat, Don Punch, and Rita Saffioti also live outside their respective electorates, though at varying distances.

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Most voting is still based on party label and your policy preferences, or your displeasure with the incumbent government, or your desire to show your support for them.

Pandanus Petter, a research fellow at the Australian National University's School of Politics, suggests that an MP's place of residence may not be a decisive factor for most voters. Petter explains that voting decisions are typically driven by party labels, policy preferences, or sentiments towards the incumbent government. However, he acknowledges that voters in regional electorates might place a higher value on having a representative who lives locally.

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Like many people I moved to the city for work, but that doesn't mean that I don't know the needs of this community or don't feel the needs of this community deeply.

There are currently no legal requirements for politicians to live within the areas they represent. The eligibility criteria focus on age, citizenship, state residency duration, and voter enrollment. In the Secret Harbour race, Labor candidate Georgia Tree plans to live in Port Kennedy during the campaign, a place where she spent part of her childhood, despite owning property closer to the CBD. Liberal candidate Ryan Robertson resides in a neighboring area.

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I believe people from this community deserve a foot in the door and deserve to stand in the room where decisions are made, and that's what's important to me.