Alt-History Mod Alert!
In 1933, West Australians voted in favor of secession from Australia, in the midst of the Depression. After the Western Australian delegation’s petition was accepted by the UK Parliament, the flag of the federation was lowered in Perth and replaced by the Blue Ensign, officially ending the federation between Western Australia and the Australian Federation. 17 years on, the country had moved on and prospered under the boom created by the expansion of the agriculture industry and the mining industry, spurred by the economic policy of the Latham government, which had been in power since 1939. The Prime Minister had decided to call a double dissolution election to advance his agenda, after the Senate kept blocking his legislation to ban the Communist Party, which had continued to grow since the end of the war. Labor, under the new leadership of Frank Wise, hoped to retake government after a series of losses and try to convince Western Australia it was time for change. Meanwhile, a new party emerged as a result of Labor’s left pivot and the NCA’s long rule – the Liberal Democratic Party, led by Oscar Wells, the most famous mining magnate in Western Australia. The party hoped to provide a political home for the Social Liberals and Fiscal Conservatives who might be alienated by the two-party system.
Disclaimer: The Mod is based on this referendum https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1933_Western_Australian_state_election point of divergence is when the Joint Select Committee in the British Parliament accepted the petition presented by the Western Australia delegation led by Premier Mitchell
