{{Short description|Australian politician}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}} {{Use Australian English|date=August 2021}} {{Infobox MLA | name = Anthony Fels | office = Member of the Western Australian Legislative Council for Agricultural Region | term_start = 22 May 2005 | term_end = 22 May 2009 | alongside = Chance, Criddle, Donaldson, Duncan, Ellis, Rowe | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1964|11|19|df=yes}} | birth_place = Esperance, Western Australia | party = Liberal (1980s–2008)<br/>Family First (2008–?)<br/>Katter's Australian (2013)<br/>Mutual Party (2014)<br/>One Nation (2016–2017)<br />Non-Custodial Parents (2017–2018)<br/>United Australia (c. 2018–2019)<br/>WA Party (2021–?)<br/>Independent (as of 2025)| }}
'''Anthony James Fels''' (born 19 November 1964) is an Australian politician. He was a member of the Western Australian Legislative Council for the Agricultural Region from 2005 to 2009, representing the Liberal Party before defecting to the Family First Party in 2008.
Since leaving parliament, Fels has been a perennial candidate for public office and a member of at least six different political parties.
==Early life== Fels was born on 19 November 1964 in Esperance, Western Australia. He is the son of Pauline ({{nee|Anderson}}) and Francis Fels.<ref name=bio>{{cite news|url=https://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/parliament/library/MPHistoricalData.nsf/(Lookup)/5F8B7343664DBA93482577E50028A5E4?OpenDocument|title=Hon Anthony James Fels|work=Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia|publisher=Parliament of Western Australia|accessdate=6 September 2022}}</ref>
Fels grew up on the family farm in Esperance, attending Castletown Primary School and Esperance Senior High School. After leaving university he started a kebab shop in Cottesloe.<ref name=inaug>{{cite speech |last=Fels |first=Anthony |title=Inaugural Speech – Hon Anthony Fels MLC |date=25 May 2005 |location=Western Australian Legislative Council |publisher=Parliament of Western Australia |url=http://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/parliament/memblist.nsf/(MemberPics)/E31FDCE8B573E4C4C825749E000E71B0/$file/Inaug+Fels.pdf |access-date=24 November 2017 |format=PDF}}</ref> He later worked for the Primary Industry Bank of Australia from 1989 to 1994 and was active in various business ventures including PKB Watering Supplies, Rowlands Stockfeeds and Liquid Engineering.<ref name=bio/>
==Parliamentary career== Fels joined the Liberal Party in the 1980s. He was an unsuccessful preselection candidate for the Roe prior to the 1989 Western Australian state election. He was the Liberal candidate in Roe at the 2001 election but was defeated by the incumbent National MP Ross Ainsworth.<ref name=inaug/>
At the 2005 state election, Fels was elected to the Legislative Council representing the Agricultural Region for the Liberal Party.<ref>{{cite news |last=Campbell |first=Kate |date=16 August 2008 |title=Walker, D’Orazio fight as Independents but Omodei quits |url=http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=77&ContentID=91828 |url-status=dead |work=The West Australian |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080820010053/http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=77&ContentID=91828 |archive-date=20 August 2008 |access-date=24 November 2017 }}</ref> In 2007, he was found to be in contempt of Parliament by a select committee report for giving false answers to a parliamentary inquiry.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Archer, Fels apologise to State Parliament |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2007-12-05/archer-fels-apologise-to-state-parliament/978612 |work=ABC News |date=5 December 2007 |access-date=24 November 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Barrett |first=Jonathan |date=16 September 2015 |title=Former Liberal MP banned from going overseas to attend son's wedding |url=http://www.afr.com/news/politics/former-liberal-mp-banned-from-going-overseas-to-attend-sons-wedding-20150916-gjnp4d |work=Australian Financial Review |access-date=24 November 2017 }}</ref> Despite attempts from the Liberal Party to remove Fels, he resigned from the Liberal Party in August 2008, and attempted to form his own party called People Against Daylight Saving. He later joined Family First.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Fels quits Liberal Party |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2008-08-01/fels-quits-liberal-party/460930 |work=ABC News |date=1 August 2008 |access-date=24 November 2017 }}</ref> He was leader of WA Family First before they merged with the Australian Conservatives.
==Later candidacies== Fels was an independent candidate for the Senate at the 2010 federal election and for the state Legislative Council at the 2013 election, a Katter's Australian Party candidate for the Senate at the 2013 federal election, and a Mutual Party candidate at the 2014 special Senate election.
{{As of|January 2017}}, Fels was a member of One Nation. At one stage it was reported that he had been preselected as a One Nation candidate at the 2017 state election,<ref>{{cite news |date=4 January 2017 |title=Rod Culleton in street scrap with One Nation rival Anthony Fels |url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/rod-culleton-in-street-scrap-with-one-nation-rival-anthony-fels/news-story/0ca48d5be72544af0e5cb49c4491cbae |work=The Australian |access-date=1 February 2017 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> but the party later said that he had not yet been endorsed.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Powel |first1=Graeme |last2=Weber |first2=David |date=4 January 2017 |title=Rod Culleton recovers after former One Nation senator involved in scuffle outside Perth court |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-01-04/rod-culleton-recovers-from-scuffle-outside-perth-court/8160170 |work=ABC News |access-date=24 November 2017 }}</ref>
Fels was a nominated candidate representing the Non-Custodial Parents Party (Equal Parenting) in the 2017 Bennelong by-election. He came last of 12 candidates with a primary vote of less than 0.2 percent.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://tallyroom.aec.gov.au/HouseDivisionPage-21379-105.htm |title=2017 Bennelong by-election results: AEC |access-date=18 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171219045408/http://tallyroom.aec.gov.au/HouseDivisionPage-21379-105.htm |archive-date=19 December 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref> He was a candidate for Clive Palmer's United Australia Party at the 2019 Australian federal election.<ref name="uapcand">{{cite news |title=Fels' Indo print job |url=https://thewest.com.au/news/albany-advertiser/fels-indo-print-job-ng-b881178585z |accessdate=4 May 2019 |work=The West Australian |date=2 May 2019 |language=en}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fels, Anthony}} Category:1964 births Category:Living people Category:Members of the Western Australian Legislative Council Category:Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Western Australia Category:Independent members of the Parliament of Western Australia Category:Family First Party politicians Category:Katter's Australian Party politicians Category:People from Esperance, Western Australia Category:21st-century Australian politicians