Ken Baston

Who is Ken Baston?

Kenneth Charles "Ken" Baston is an Australian politician who is a current Liberal Party member of the Western Australian Legislative Council representing the Mining and Pastoral Region. First elected to parliament at the 2005 state election, Baston was elevated to Cabinet following the 2013 state election, and currently holds the positions of Minister for Agriculture and Food and Minister for Fisheries.

Baston described his childhood—growing up on a sheep station that was run by his parents on the coast north west of Carnarvon, Western Australia—as idyllic. He completed his early education by correspondence before heading to boarding school in Perth to complete his education. Following his schooling in Perth, he ran the Ella Valla sheep station on a pastoral lease 90 kilometres south of Carnarvon, exporting wool and meat.

Baston won preselection for the region for the 2008 election and elected second on the ticket for the Liberal Party, after Norman Moore.