Country seats may take the shine off Cook’s coronation

Polling has Labor on track to lose at least half of its seats across regional WA.

WA Premier Roger Cook, second from right, at Unique Metal Works in Wangara on Friday. Labor candidate for Landsdale Daniel Pastorelli is on the left, with deputy premier Rita Saffioti. Picture: Paul Garvey

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Labor is bracing for an Anthony Albanese-inspired voter backlash in regional Western Australia that could take some of the gloss off what is expected to be an emphatic re-election of the Cook government on Saturday.

Polls on election eve have all pointed to Labor achieving its internal goal of replicating its landslide 2017 triumph, when Labor won 41 of 59 lower house seats.

But the party’s stranglehold on regional WA could be at risk, with voter anger about the Albanese government’s live sheep export ban and on-again, off-again nature positive laws stronger in those country electorates.

The Cook government has also introduced a series of decisions that have disappointed some regional voters, including its gun reforms, native logging ban, fishing and crayfishing restrictions, and its since-repealed Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act.

Labor also dismantled the upper house voting system – which had previously given a disproportionately large presence to the regions – in one of its first acts after its record 2021 win gave it both houses of parliament.

Projected losses

On the current swing projected by Newspoll, Labor would lose the regional seats of Warren-Blackwood, Geraldton, Albany and Kalgoorlie: half the party’s seats outside Perth.

But a pronounced backlash against Labor in the regions could also bring the seats of Murray-Wellington and Pilbara into play, despite both being held on margins of more than 17 per cent.

Mr Cook has visited several regional seats in the final days of the campaign, including Kalgoorlie on Thursday, but denied he was particularly concerned about the party’s standing outside the city.

He said the government’s plans to develop strategic industrial areas in regional areas across the state would spur regional economies. “We govern for all Western Australians, and our strong economic policies and leadership has created jobs right across this vast state,” he said.

But Liberal leader Libby Mettam said many issues of concern to metropolitan voters, such as WA’s groaning health system, were even more acute in the regions.

“Roger Cook has not stood up for regional WA,” she said.

WA Liberal leader Libby Mettam. Picture: Colin Murty

Regional WA ‘let down’

“He has not stood up for Western Australians in general when it has come to fixing or addressing the challenges that have happened across our health system, which have the worst outcomes now in the country despite the biggest boom.

“Regional WA has been let down by this government, Roger Cook has failed to stand up to Canberra when it has come to the live export ban, they’ve gutted royalties for regions … and they’ve removed regional representation from the upper house.”

Nationals leader Shane Love said there was a strong sense of “voter regret” across regional WA after eight years of Labor.

“There’s a great deal of anger and fatigue in regional Western Australia,” he said.

“They are feeling fatigued by a government which doesn’t seem to be listening to them, and instead is almost weekly coming up with new ways to make them feel that they’re under pressure from their government.

“So whether it be the fishing, whether it be farmers feeling that they haven’t been supported on the live exports, whether it be people just feeling that they haven’t been given the level of services that they should have in health and education, the police are unable to stem the crime situation in many areas … all of these factors have been laid at the feet of the government.”

Mr Love said the level of voter disquiet towards Labor in the seat of Albany was at a level he had not seen for many years, while there was a good chance the seat of Pilbara could return to the Nationals.

‘Viable opposition’ push

Liberal insiders who have been working at pre-poll booths said there was a strong cohort of voters who wanted to see the return of a viable opposition to WA.

Asked if he recognised the importance of a viable opposition to the democratic system, Mr Cook said the Liberals had not done the work to deserve a greater parliamentary presence and had assembled what he has labelled a “rogues gallery” of candidates.

WA Premier Roger Cook says the Liberals have not done the work to deserve an increased parliamentary presence. Picture: Colin Murty

“The effectiveness of our parliamentary system isn’t just a question of numbers,” he said.

“It’s a question of working hard and the Liberals over the last eight years haven’t demonstrated the right to ask for the votes of the West Australian people.

“What have the Liberals done to deserve your vote?

“They haven’t worked hard enough. They haven’t come up with the policies. And look, quite frankly, they’ve re-preselected some of the strangest people I’ve ever seen in WA political history.”

Neither Mr Albanese nor Opposition Leader Peter Dutton visited WA during the official month-long campaign.

Asked about the latest poll results, Mr Cook said he was pleased that Labor’s hard work was being recognised.

“If these polls are an indication of the outcome on Saturday, well obviously we’ll be delighted,” he said.

Ms Mettam said “we are encouraged by the enthusiasm and the feedback that we’re hearing on the ground across the state”.

“Western Australians feel let down by a Labor government who have their priorities all wrong.”