‘The Baz effect’: Liberal Party reflects as Labor is handed another emphatic victory

She emerged from the sea of flashing cameras donning a brave face, but the magnitude of the task before Liberal leader Libby Mettam loomed large as she took to the stage in the party’s heartland.

Despite being primed for a David and Goliath battle, there had been an air of optimism among party faithful as they gathered at Anderson Pavilion in the affluent suburb of Cottesloe on Saturday evening.

Liberal leader Libby Mettam conceding defeat at her function in Cottesloe on election night.Credit: Colin Murty

But the mood shifted as the ballot count began, and it became clear the 12 to 13 per cent swing tipped to hand the Liberal Party almost a dozen seats had failed to materialise.

The return of Carine was little consolation as the sea of red that reduced the Liberal Party to just two lower house seats in 2021 washed over the formerly blue-ribbon seats the party was convinced it could wrestle back, from Scarborough to Bateman and South Perth.

It was not lost on those present that even Mettam’s concession speech took place in the shadow of the booming Labor voices that had drowned out the opposition for the past four years.

“The people of Western Australia have cast their vote, and the result is certainly very clear,” Mettam told supporters shortly after 9.10pm, as premier Roger Cook’s televised victory speech played over her right shoulder.

“Is this what we have been working for? Absolutely not. The rebuild of the WA Liberal Party continues.”

Mettam branded the night one of reflection and deemed it too early for the post-mortem, declining to be drawn on what went wrong in a campaign fought with few resources and marred by candidate controversies.

With just two additional seats and the future of high-profile candidate Basil Zempilas’ seat of Churchlands hanging in the balance, she told the media it would be for her parliamentary colleagues to determine whether she should continue as leader.

“She’s so tough,” a Liberal Party stalwart told another as the Member for Vasse darted between campaigners and supporters before slipping out of the venue just 30 minutes after she arrived.

Several senior party figures exited minutes later, expressing their shock and disappointment at what appeared to be the second-largest loss in the party’s history.

Libby Mettam lost big on Saturday night.Credit: Colin Murty

About 35 kilometres south of Perth, the mood couldn’t have been more different.

Roger Cook arrived to a robust media scrum and a raucous crowd of about 200 party faithful all clamouring to get a glimpse of the man who secured leadership of the state in his own right.

He talked up his Made in WA green industry manufacturing plan and thanked his family and a raft of Labor luminaries like Mark McGowan and party secretary Ellie Whitaker.

But it was a jubilant Reece Whitby, member for Baldivis and Energy and Environment Minister, who offered perhaps the most incisive analysis of the result.

It all came down to Basil.

Whitby said Zempilas was his mate after working with him for years while they were both reporters at Channel Seven, but he did not help the Liberals this campaign.

“You had two leaders of the Liberal Party, not one, and I think this election, you’ve had the Baz effect,” he said.

“I think he’s a very polarising figure. He’s a mate of mine. I used to work with him at Channel Seven.
He’s a good bloke to hang out with and have a beer, and was great in his role as a sports reporter but for some reason, he’s polarising the community.”

Whitby said Labor used this polarisation to great effect during the campaign.

“Normally, you don’t talk about your opponents. You just ignore them. You don’t name them. Never name your opponents. And Baz, after all, was simply a candidate.

“But obviously, he was a polarising figure.”

Strip back the glitz of the night, however and there were other trends that Labor may want to keep an eye on.

The upset of the 2025 state election is unfolding in Fremantle, with the independent Kate Hulett building a sizable lead over the incumbent, Labor minister Simone McGurk.

Hulett is struggling to comprehend her impending victory, which on Sunday morning she told WAtoday was probably a bridge too far.

“This is what happens when the community come together to express their anger at being ignored by the government,” said Hulett at Ode to Sirens in Fremantle’s historic West End, where her supporters have gathered in anticipation of a famous victory.

“Kate ran a remarkable campaign,” said Sarah Booth, one of the army of Freo professionals who got behind Hulett with the sole purpose of unseating the sitting member.

“Her use of social media to reach those unhappy with the status quo is a masterclass in how to achieve a victory in contemporary politics. She was authentic, engage and channelled the emotions of the community.”

At the time of writing this Water Minister Simone McGurk looks set to lose her seat to Hulett, and the Greens statewide will likely gain a swing of 5 per cent.

This suggests discontent with both major parties’ environmental policies – which did not feature prominently this campaign except from Greens hopefuls.

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