Aaron Stonehouse


Aaron Stonehouse is an Australian politician. He was elected to the Western Australian Legislative Council at the 2017 state election, as a Liberal Democratic Party member in South Metropolitan Region. His term began on 22 May 2017.
Writing in The Spectator shortly after his election, Stonehouse outlined his platform as being the support of free markets, saying that he would "not vote for increases in taxes, or new laws that add to the burden of regulation".

Early life

Stonehouse was born in Subiaco, and educated at a range of schools in Queensland and Western Australia, before graduating from Maranatha Christian College Rockingham.
He worked in retail, and as a call centre manager, prior to his election.

Political career

He was elected to the Western Australian Legislative Council at the 2017 state elections, as a Liberal Democratic Party member for the South Metropolitan Region.
Since his election, Stonehouse has been a strong and vocal advocate for a range of issues centred upon personal choice, and personal responsibility. He has been a strong proponent of drug reform, favouring decriminalisation of all substances less harmful than alcohol, and has also advocated for a range of amendments to the WA legal system, to allow for , and to return judicial discretion to property confiscation cases arising from drug declarations.
In July 2018, Stonehouse was appointed as the WA spokesperson for , and is collecting signatures for a petition to be presented to the WA Parliament, calling for its legalisation as a matter of urgency.
In September 2018 he was successful in forming a to inquire into nanny state laws, including the mandatory wearing of bicycle helmets, the legalisation of e-cigarettes, and a range of other issues. The Committee is expected to report back to Parliament in late 2019 with a series of recommendations.

Interests

Stonehouse is a self-confessed gaming enthusiast, a sporting shooter, and an active Airsoft participant. Upon election, he announced his intention to bring forward legislation to in Western Australia, and as of 2018 was in the process of commissioning a private member's bill to achieve that, in close consultation with the WA Police Minister and WA Police.