What about us, say west Australia's big earners

THE west may well be won in the countless McMansions that pock Perth's marginal seats.

THE west may well be won in the countless McMansions that pock Perth's marginal seats.

Here, big-earning tradesmen, fly-in, fly-out miners and aspirational businessmen and women have equally big opinions on the issues of the day.

Asylum-seekers, interest rates, and that despised mining tax, both Mark 1 and 11, top their worries.

While the jury may still be out on Julia Gillard, Kevin Rudd, whose hard-headedness over the resource super-profits tax -- seen here as nothing more than a Canberra tax grab -- made him unpopular in Western Australia.

But it was more than that, WA boasts the lowest unemployment rate in the nation, combined with one of the highest mortgage repayment rates. Many people earn good money, but they are more vulnerable than most Australians to job cuts and interest rate hikes because of their big commitments.

Veronica Mayne, a senior manager in a global marketing company, is typical of the sentiment coming to the surface in key WA seats. She and her small businessman husband Lindsay have a high income but have a "very big" mortgage, having just built their McMansion in the marginal Liberal-held seat of Stirling.

The mother of three said Mr Rudd "just didn't get" that you had to sell a new tax to the mining industry and voters rather than just impose it on them.

There was also a feeling the state was missing out.

"You only have to travel -- and West Australians travel a lot -- to see that other states get a far better deal when it comes to infrastructure -- I think of things like sporting stadiums, transport systems and entertainment precincts -- yet we are the ones that are driving the national economy," she said. "We seem to be penalised for our success, and I think most people over here are sick and tired of it."

The issue of asylum-seekers was a contentious one, even in her family. Her husband was far more trenchant in his views, which she believed were more indicative of the general community.

But she believed both sides were using the issue as a negative. "There are doctors and nurses and various skilled people who are just languishing away in detention. Why aren't these skilled professionals doing refresher courses and re-education courses so they can get up to speed with what's expected of them professionally, so they can get into work in much needed areas as soon as they are processed?" she asked.

She admired the Prime Minister more than her predecessor and considered her a much stronger leader, but the reality was she was a part of the Rudd team.

"She's not just Julia; she's Wayne Swan as well and all the others behind Rudd. They just can't walk away from their past decisions. Labor just can't handle the economy," Ms Mayne said.