Liberal confidence grows WA ministers will hang on

Bill Shorten’s chances of becoming prime minister could rest on four knife-edge seats in Western Australia.

Hasluck MP Ken Wyatt. Picture: AAP

Bill Shorten’s chances of becoming prime minister could rest on four knife-edge seats in Western Australia, where Coalition ministers Ken Wyatt and Christian Porter are fighting to retain their seats.

As polling shows a 50-50 spilt in several seats in play in WA, the Liberal Party is gaining confidence it can avoid losses in Mr Wyatt’s seat of Hasluck and Mr Porter’s seat of Pearce.

At the start of the election, both parties agreed Hasluck and Pearce were among five WA seats in play.

But Mr Wyatt, the Aged Care Minister, said he was quietly confident of holding Hasluck in Perth’s eastern suburbs.

Mr Porter’s chances of retaining the rapidly expanding suburban and commuter belt seat of Pearce have also increased.

The Australian revealed this week that Labor’s plan to win five seats in WA had been revised down and insiders suggested a more realistic aim was one or two seats.

Scott Morrison, who has been spruiking his role in delivering GST reform and a $4.7 billion bonanza to the state, campaigned in Swan and the Labor-held marginal seat of Cowan, which the ­Coalition sees as a potential gain.

The high personal profiles of both ministers may get them over the line, according to election commentator Martin Drum from Notre Dame University.

But he predicts a Liberal loss in Swan to Labor’s Hannah Beazley, seen as a natural fit for the seat held for 16 years by her father, former Labor leader Kim Beazley.

A Galaxy poll published yesterday shows Ms Beazley is neck and neck with the Liberals’ Steve Irons, whose primary vote has fallen. It says Mr Porter in Pearce has improved his primary vote to 51-49.

Mr Drum said the Perth Labor seat of Cowan, held on a margin of 0.7 per cent by Anne Aly, was still in play but even a modest Labor swing nationally could win it.

The Liberal-held seat of Stirling was held by the retiring Michael Keenan on a margin of 6.1 per cent. Early in the campaign, it was seen as winnable for Labor if large swings appeared across the nation.

But political commentator William Bowe said Labor had scaled back its ambitions. He said: “I’d be surprised if Labor won Stirling or even a majority of the marginal seats in play. Everyone is going to be hanging on the first votes to ­arrive from WA.”