A man who might just have the perfect CV for voter support is considering standing for the talent-poor Victorian Liberal Party in a state election.
Mark Wales is an extremely experienced former SAS major who served four tours of Afghanistan and also served in Timor Leste, Iraq, Lebanon and the Solomon Islands.
Wales holds an MBA, started his own clothing business, is a former reality TV star and a published author.
He has the chiselled good looks of a movie star and has played minor roles in several productions.
He served with and is a close friend of Andrew Hastie, the shadow defence spokesman in the federal parliament.
Speaking to the podcast “Neil Mitchell Asks Why?” Mr Wales has confirmed that a political future in Victoria is under consideration.
‘I don’t feel Victoria takes advantage of its natural resources. It’s extremely progressive I think to a fault. I think it’s good in some cases, but in a lot of cases, they really don’t help themselves in terms of fundamental economics’
“Yeah potentially, because I think the Liberals can do better in Victoria, so potentially at a later stage we could do something.”
“I’ve already considered it seriously. I haven’t taken any concrete steps, but it does open up a bit more time for me to get involved in the party and in politics.”
Asked why he would get involved in politics, Wales responded: “When I was a kid, I always thought a great career path would be to have a good career in the military, a stint in business and then a stint in politics.”
“I think it would make a good politician if you could have experience in both of those fields and then go into politics with some good, broad experience.
“I still think it’s a great career, but it is all consuming. It’s not the sort of thing you can take as a hobby, so all these business interests I have will just disappear the minute I go into politics.”
Asked what issues would be at the top of the agenda in Victoria, Wales said: “I think Victoria is a really interesting state. It’s structured differently.”
“I don’t feel it takes advantage of its natural resources. It’s extremely progressive I think to a fault. I think it’s good in some cases, but in a lot of cases, they really don’t help themselves in terms of fundamental economics.
“I think it could be better than it is”.
Wales earlier this year won preselection for the Liberal seat of Tangney in WA but withdrew because of a family illness.
He is now living in Victoria and considering his options.
No formal approaches have been made but it is likely Hastie would support him if he decides to run for pre-selection.
‘Our society is so divided’
Asked about his philosophy and his view on the state of the world at the moment, Wales said, “I’m really worried about it.
“I feel like for the first time since WWII the order that the West established from winning that conflict is starting to break down.
“Our society is so divided at the moment in the West. So to me, I think it’s one of the most dangerous periods we’ve seen probably since the Cuban missile crisis.”
Asked where the danger to Australia lies, Mr. Wales said: “It’s the Pacific. If there’s a conflict over Taiwan it could dramatically change our security and our standard of living.
“We could go backwards a long way if we can’t protect our shipping lanes or if we get drawn into a major conflict.
“It we run into a conflict that big, it will dramatically change the world after it” he said.
Neil Mitchell is host of ‘The Neil Mitchell Asks Why?’ Podcast. New episodes drop weekly on Apple and Spotify podcasts.
