Peter Dutton is proving more popular than Scott Morrison in Western Australia, according to the state’s Liberal leader Libby Mettam, who says the party will run “parallel and complementary” campaigns in the looming state and federal elections.

Ms Mettam said she was confident Western Australians were warming to Mr Dutton after voters abandoned the Liberals in droves at the 2021 state and 2022 federal elections, in what she described as a challenging period for the party.