Tony Crook to quit federal politics WA Nationals MP Tony Crook is to quit parliament and won't stand for the rural seat of O'Connor. WEST Australian Nationals MP Tony Crook is to quit federal parliament after just one term. Mr Crook won't stand again for the rural seat of O'Connor, which he snatched from Liberal Party stalwart Wilson Tuckey at the 2010 election. "The people of O'Connor have been a great support over the past three years, particularly as a new member, in what has proven to be a very unique federal parliament," he said in a statement. Mr Crook wrestled the seat from Mr Tuckey who had held it for 30 years. An ardent critic of Labor's mining and carbon taxes, the MP initially sat on the crossbench, where he used his position to garner strong outcomes for his electorate. In 2011, he cast the deciding vote in support of the federal government's flood levy, but later that year helped scuttle Labor's controversial Malaysia people-swap deal. He voted more than 30 times for Labor before deciding to join his party's colleagues on the opposition benches in May last year. His move bolstered the coalition by giving them 72 seats to Labor's 71 in the lower house. But even there, Mr Crook's support was never guaranteed. He crossed the floor to vote with Labor on a bill to fully deregulate the wheat industry, sparking a bitter feud with the WA Liberal Party. Mr Crook said he was especially proud of attracting federal funding for the vital PortLink project in his electorate. But he was expressed disappointment at the "close-minded mentality" of the federal government when it came to regional Australia. He criticised the deal struck between Labor and key independent MPs to form a parliament after the 2010 election. While the agreement called for a greater greater focus on regional Australia, that outcome never really eventuated. "This was an absolute missed opportunity by the Labor government and those independent MPs who gave the government power," Mr Crook said. The MP said there was a need for regional West Australia to have its own voice in parliament outside of the two major parties, and urged The Nationals to continue filling that role. WA Nationals president Colin Holt thanked Mr Crook for his service and said the party would run a candidate in O'Connor at the September 14 federal election. The Liberal Party has endorsed Katanning farmer Rick Wilson.