WA still front and centre despite east coast Labor resurgence: King

Western Australia’s most senior Labor MP has denied WA has fallen off the map in her party’s caucus after its strong results on the east coast ensured it had already snatched government before counting had even started in the west on Saturday night.

Labor’s Tom French staged an upset in Moore, taking that former blue ribbon seat with a 4 per cent swing and increasing the party’s grip on metropolitan Perth – though as of Sunday, Fremantle MP Josh Wilson had a nervous wait thanks to a strong showing by teal independent Kate Hulett.

Labor’s vote delivered Anthony Albanese the keys to the Lodge in 2022 but with 86 confirmed seats already, the state’s presence in the caucus has been diluted.

New Moore MP Tom French with Resources Minister Madeleine King.Credit: Hamish Hastie

Resources Minister Madeleine King rubbished any suggestion it meant the state would have a lesser voice in government.

Clare McNeill and new Moore MP Tom French with children Gabriel French, 3, and Freddie French, 1.Credit: Hamish Hastie

“Absolutely not. Anthony Albanese has always been committed to Western Australia for a very long time as a minister, as opposition leader, and, of course, as Prime Minister,” she said.

“I think he visits Perth more than I do, and I’m in Rockingham.”

King is the only WA minister in the Albanese cabinet and when asked whether there should be another West Australian in there, she said she hoped that would be the case.

“As a West Australian, I always think there should be more of us in cabinet, and I hope that is the case, but we do have to finalise the count so that we can know exactly where we all sit, and that’s going to be a measured process,” she said.

King joined most of her WA Labor colleagues, including French, and Tangney’s Sam Lim, who increased his margin to 6.2 per cent in the formerly blue ribbon seat.

King put the party’s strong result down to governing from the centre and not getting involved in culture wars.

Kate Chaney at her campaign party on Saturday evening.Credit: Colin Murty

“I think the shift in sentiment on the WA Liberals is about going off on crazy culture wars that are just not needed in this country, importing ideas that are just not part of what we are,” she said.

“Preselect some women for God’s sake. Get some better policies.”

The WA Liberals had gone to ground on Saturday, with campaign lead Senator Michaelia Cash unavailable for interviews because she was flying back into the state and shadow defence minister Andrew Hastie not responding to requests for comment.

Liberal Curtin candidate Tom White has conceded defeat to his teal opponent Kate Chaney.

Liberal candidate Tom White speaks after the WA seat of Curtin was retained by teal independent Kate Chaney.Credit: Jesinta Burton

In a message posted to his Instagram on Sunday morning, White said he congratulated her on her “well-earned victory”.

“Kate and I have many differences but this is not the time to dwell on them,” he said.

“She has been an impressive and formidable opponent. I admire her team and the sincerity they have brought to the campaign, even when we disagreed strongly.”

Curtin was one of the most intense campaigns in the nation with both camps spending at least $1 million each on significant digital and outdoor advertising as the Liberals tried to wrest control back of the former blue-ribbon seat from the Climate 200-backed teal.

White said the Curtin electorate had never seen a contest like this one.

“Both sides threw everything at it. I am at peace knowing there’s virtually nothing more I could have done,” he said.

“Defeat stings, but it’s much less painful than the permanent, dull ache of wondering what might have been had I never tried. I have no regrets.”

The current count puts Chaney ahead of White by nearly 6000 votes, which improved her margin in the seat by 2 per cent.

Chaney told ABC Radio on Sunday morning she would rather be in her position than White’s.

The seat of Bullwinkel remains on a knife’s edge with Liberal Matt Moran and Labor’s Trish Cook neck and neck.

As of Sunday morning, Moran edged ahead slightly by 220 votes but by 2pm Cook was back in front by 110 votes.

The seat of Fremantle remained in limbo with the vote count abandoned until Monday where the tally room will start counting based on a two-party race between Wilson and Hulett.

Wilson was stoic when asked about the result, saying his primary vote hadn’t shifted that much but that he would wait and see the final count.

Hulett was optimistic.

“We have already won in so many ways – Fremantle has shown what is possible when we do politics differently,” she said in a statement.