 The electoral district of Perth was created as one of the initial 30 single @-@ member districts , and one of only six in the Perth – Fremantle area . Its first member , who was elected on 10 December 1890 , was Dr Edward Scott , a doctor by training who had been elected as Mayor of Perth the previous year . He resigned in December 1891 , and was replaced at the resulting by @-@ election on 12 January 1892 by Thomas Molloy . Molloy became embroiled in a controversy regarding provision of state aid to private schools , which he and fellow Catholic MLAs Timothy Quinlan and Alfred Canning supported . The Catholic Vicar General , Father Anselm Bourke , established the Education Defence League with their assistance . However , the issue became a major one in the 1894 election amongst the voting public , and all three MLAs lost their seats , Molloy losing to George Randell , a prominent Congregationalist who had led the cause against state aid . Randell became the Opposition Leader to Premier John Forrest , but stepped down from that role a year later in July 1895 , and did not contest the 1897 election , which was won by a supporter of Forrest . 
