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Expelled West Australian Labor Party member Ben Dawkins has failed to convince a magistrate he should be allowed to change his guilty plea for dozens of family violence charges.
The 51-year-old newly elected MP appeared in Perth Magistrates Court on Monday in a bid to reverse his conviction in February for 42 charges of breaching a domestic violence restraining order.
He told reporters outside the court he was successful in changing his plea for just seven of the charges.
"The magistrate's made some orders and I'm pretty happy with the way it went," he said.
"I could see her reasoning and I thought I was well represented and she's suggested there are seven supposed charges that probably have no basis.
"The rest of the matters will be dealt with on the 19th (of May)."
WA Labor last month expelled the already suspended Dawkins from the party over the criminal charges but he remains in parliament sitting as an independent on the crossbench.
"In February 2023, in light of Mr Dawkins pleading guilty to numerous counts of breaching a family violence restraining order, I brought a charge against him under the WA Labor Rules, asking that he be expelled from the Party,' state secretary Ellie Whiteaker said in a statement.
"The WA Labor Disputes Committee considered the matter and recommended Mr Dawkins be expelled from the WA Labor Party – a recommendation supported by the Party's Administrative Committee," she said.
Dawkins will reappear in Perth Magistrates Court on May 19 for sentencing on 35 charges and a mention for seven.
