This article was originally published by the OUTInPerth. You can find the original article here.
WA independent politician Ben Dawkins has legally changed his name to Austin Letts Trump ahead of the state election next month.
The politician posted the official papers showing he’d changed his name with the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages. He says he’s known as Aussie Trump.
The parliament website has already been updated to reflect the new name. Speaking to The West Australian, Trump said he was big a fan of the US President.
“I admire the fact that he’s, in a very short period of time, unwound some of the absurd nonsense that the left has pushed through,” he said.
Austin Trump originally arrived in parliament as a Labor member when former Minister Alannah MacTiernan retired.
He was immediately dumped by Labor as he was facing multiple charges relating to harassment of his estranged wife. After entering parliament as an independent he was embraced by One Nation leader Pauline Hanson who welcomed him into her party.
A court convicted the man now known as Austin Trump of 35 breaches of a restraining order, over what police described as belittling and abusive emails to his estranged wife. He was fined and given a 10-month community-based order.
When she welcomed Austin Trump into the party Senator Hanson denied he had a conviction, and said it was not an issue for the party.
While in parliament Trump has focused largely on transgender issues. In March 2024 he moved a motion calling for biological sex to recognised as being of more importance than gender identity, a move that no other member in the Legislative Assembly supported.
He’s also questioned the Cook government’s decision to provide funding to organisations that support LGBTIQA+ communities.
During the debate over removing the Gender Reassignment Board he posted a video of a skit to social media where he dressed in female clothing and asked to enter a girl’s changeroom.
After being dumped by One Nation ahead of the 2025 state election, he announced he would leave the party and return to being an independent MP.
Late last year Austin Trump announced he would be banding together with other independent candidates to collectively raise their profiles. The associated website lists Trump alongside serving MLC Sophia Moermond who quit the Legalise Cannabis party mid-term to focus on gender issues and Louise Kingston who quit the National party. Several other independent candidates are also listed.
