Anxiety for both sides over Newspoll swing

There is angst from both sides of politics in Western Australia over a Newspoll showing a 12.5 per cent swing to the McGowan Labor government.

WA Liberal leader Zak Kirkup (pictured) has avoided criticising Premier Mark McGowan personally in recent weeks.

There is angst from both sides of politics in Western Australia over a Newspoll showing a 12.5 per cent swing to the McGowan Labor government. Even though the Liberals already switched almost all campaign efforts to warnings about what Labor could do with control of both houses of parliament, polling showing WA Liberal leader Zak Kirkup had a 10 per cent approval rating rattled the WA Liberals.

The Australian has been told Mr Kirkup has carefully avoided criticising WA Premier Mark McGowan personally in recent weeks as it became clear voters were overwhelmingly devoted. Instead, the WA Liberals have chosen to focus on the risks associated with a government that would no longer need to negotiate legislation through the upper house.

“We will keep talking to the people of Western Australia about what it might mean if there is total control,” Mr Kirkup said at the weekend.

While the party has known for some time it was headed for defeat at the state election on March 13, the poll showing the Liberals could be left with just two seats in the lower house came as a shock. Mr Kirkup on Saturday indicated he did not believe things were that bad, but the party has since amped up its message about the dangers of a government with absolute power in parliament.

The poll showing Mr McGowan is the most popular premier in Newspoll history — 83 per cent said he would make a better premier — is clearly welcome and not a surprise to party campaigners, who say they are routinely stopped by voters who want to tell them how much they “love Mark McGowan”, but one Labor source said the party knew the margin would narrow as the election drew closer and it did not want voters to grow complacent Labor would win in their electorate regardless of who they cast their vote for.

At the weekend Mr McGowan urged voters to take the poll “with a grain of salt”.