Mettam remains ‘comfortable’ on Liberal leadership as polls draw to a close in WA

WA Liberal leader Libby Mettam has batted away continued speculation about the future of her party leadership, maintaining she is “comfortable” while standing next to the star candidate at the centre of last year’s failed leadership coup.

“There’s no fatigue,” she told the waiting media only two hours before the close of polls.

Liberal leader Libby Mettam flanked by candidates Damien Kelly and Basil Zempilas. Credit: Colin Murty

“I’m very comfortable in my position, and we will wait to see what the outcome of tonight’s results are, but we’re working hard,” she said.

Flanked by Scarborough candidate Damien Kelly – who stands a good chance of toppling Labor’s Stuart Aubrey – and candidate for Churchlands and Seven West Media personality Basil Zempilas – who will likely take a seat in parliament – Mettam stopped at Yuluma Primary School to greet campaign staff and members of the public.

The WA Liberals are almost certain to regain Churchlands, the blue-ribbon seat Labor’s Christine Tonkin secured at the last election and holds with a razor-thin 1.6 per cent margin.

But independent Lisa Thornton said she was optimistic, telling WAtoday Zempilas was a “divisive” character and the seat was “hard to predict”.

Scarborough was also among the once-safe Liberal seats to fall to Labor at the last election, with Kelly hoping to wrangle it from Aubrey, who holds the seat in Perth’s north-west with a margin of 9.3 per cent.

Seats in the western suburbs, and others including Carine and Kingsley plus South Perth, Bateman and Riverton are likely to turn to blue tonight.

Surveys are predicting a 12-13 per cent swing that could put upwards of 11 seats within reach of the Liberal Party.

Kalamunda is shaping up as one of the most interesting contests in this election, but there is more positivity emanating from the Liberals’ camp.

With a margin of 15.1 per cent it is on the tougher end of the scale for the Liberals to snatch back from Labor if the polls are to be believed. But if the Liberals do get Kalamunda, it could signal good things for the party more broadly.

Liberal candidate Adam Hort told WAtoday from the sidelines of the campaign trail on Saturday “it feels close”.

Polls will close at 6pm, but the WA Electoral Commission is warning the high number of early votes cast before Saturday means the count could take longer and a delay in returning a result.

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