Kenneth Charles Baston (born 29 June 1949) is an Australian politician who is a former

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

member of the

Western Australian Legislative Council The Western Australian Legislative Council is the upper house of the Parliament of Western Australia, a state of Australia. It is regarded as a house of review for legislation passed by the Legislative Assembly, the lower house. The two Houses ...

representing the Mining and Pastoral Region. First elected to parliament at the 2005 state election, Baston was elevated to

Cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filing ...

following the 2013 state election, and held the positions of Minister for Agriculture and Food and Minister for Fisheries until March 2016. Baston described his childhoodgrowing up on a sheep station that was run by his parents on the coast north west of

Carnarvon, Western Australia Carnarvon is a coastal town situated approximately north of Perth, in Western Australia. It lies at the mouth of the Gascoyne River on the Indian Ocean. The popular Shark Bay world heritage area lies to the south of the town and the Ningaloo Re ...

as idyllic. He completed his early education by correspondence before heading to boarding school in

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

to complete his education. Following his schooling in Perth, he ran the Ella Valla

sheep station A sheep station is a large property ( station, the equivalent of a ranch) in Australia or New Zealand, whose main activity is the raising of sheep for their wool and/or meat. In Australia, sheep stations are usually in the south-east or sout ...

on a

pastoral lease A pastoral lease, sometimes called a pastoral run, is an arrangement used in both Australia and New Zealand where government-owned Crown land is leased out to graziers for the purpose of livestock grazing on rangelands. Australia Pastoral lease ...

south of Carnarvon, exporting wool and meat. Baston won preselection for the region for the 2008 election and was chosen to be listed second on the ballot paper for the Liberal Party, after Norman Moore.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baston, Ken 1949 births Living people Members of the Western Australian Legislative Council Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Western Australia People from the Gascoyne People educated at Christ Church Grammar School 21st-century Australian politicians