Labor defends in WA – but did anyone notice?

Western Australia slunk back into the electoral shadows on Saturday night as Labor’s unassailable lead on the east coast blew the wind out of the sails of candidate parties across the state.

There was plenty to cheer about for Labor, however, when candidate Tom French denied the Liberals’ Vince Connelly entry to parliament in Moore, north of Perth.

Michael Chaney with daughter Kate Chaney MP, the independent Member for Curtin with supporters at UWA Tavern after the Federal Election.Credit: Colin Murty

French’s win gives Labor 10 of sixteen seats in WA.

By 9.30pm, Curtin independent Kate Chaney looked to have overcome a significant challenge from Liberal Tom White to retain her seat of Curtin, while in Fremantle independent Kate Hulett nipped at the heels of Labor’s Josh Wilson.

The nation’s newest seat Bullwinkel is yet to be called, with a nail-biting count continuing into the night as Liberal Matt Moran changed lead with Labor’s Trish Cook several times.

As in the March state election, Labor’s primary vote was lumpy.

By the end of the night, the vote count suggested a statewide swing away from the party of 2.6 per cent, but it varied wildly on a seat-by-seat basis.

Cook in Bullwinkel saw a 5.1 per cent vote away from Labor, while in Tangney former dolphin trainer and 2020 WA Police Officer of the Year Sam Lim strengthened his lead over the Liberals with a 5.5 swing toward him.

Chaney wins in Curtin

The mood was buoyant as Curtin independent Kate Chaney darted through the crowd of the hundreds of supporters gathered in the tavern of the University of Western Australia.

Attendees – including her father, prominent Perth businessman Michael Chaney – roared as the incumbent thanked her 1000-strong army of volunteers who she said had been motivated by a broken political system they were adamant was not beyond repair.

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

It was a stark contrast to the atmosphere at Liberal candidate Tom White’s party in the heart of the affluent western suburbs, as the initial count indicated Chaney would hold on to the blue-ribbon seat she wrested from the Liberals in 2022 as the teal wave swept the country.

One party faithful dripping in campaign gear mouthed expletives as he strolled past a Sky News broadcast of Labor claiming victory.

“It’s not looking good, is it?” one party member said.

“It’s a debacle. A complete debacle,” said another, as a friend shook their head.

White entered to a round of applause shortly before 9pm, beginning his speech by paying his respects to his formidable opponent and shutting down a heckler who accused Chaney of being a “liar”.

At the time, Chaney had 53 per cent of the two-party preferred vote, but White was adamant victory was still possible and vowed not to discuss concession until the results of pre-poll were clearer.

White declined to engage in a post-mortem of the national campaign, and said he had no regrets about waging his battle on local issues, but the former Uber executive conceded the party’s result warranted introspection.

“The Liberal Party clearly has some work to do to define itself in a way that appeals to people, particularly young people – and as a relatively young person myself, I feel that quite acutely,” he said.

“Let’s let the dust settle.”

The battleground electorate, which Chaney held by a 1.3 per cent margin, has been dubbed the “seven-figure seat” amid reports both candidates have spent at least $1 million over the course of the campaign.

Bullwinkel on a knife’s edge

At Liberal candidate for Bullwinkel Matt Moran’s party in the Perth hills, the 40 or so party faithful took more interest in the sausage rolls than the federal result, with the ABC coverage playing in the background calling the election for Labor early in the night.

One couple there to support Moran were flabbergasted at the result in Peter Dutton’s seat of Dickson.

Liberal Bullwinkel candidate Matt Moran with his partner Kama at the Lesmurdie Club.Credit: Hamish Hastie

“He lost it? You’re joking. I can’t believe it,” the woman said.

“Labor wins the election. Bugger,” another punter said reading the caption on the big TV playing the election coverage.

By 9.30pm, Labor’s Cook was 0.3 per cent ahead of Moran.

Bullwinkel was billed as a three-way contest, but Nationals candidate Mia Davies only received 16.2 per cent of the vote, conceding to a sea of yellow-shirted supporters at the Kalamunda Tap House that it was mathematically difficult for her to snatch victory.

The former state opposition leader said she was OK with the prospect of defeat.

“Because a big part of this when I made the decision to put my hand up for the role … was that I was prepared to make sure that our brand of politics was spread beyond the boundaries that we had,” she said.

Neither Moran nor Cook had claimed victory by the end of the evening, with both conceding it was too close to make any firm call.

Speaking at Moran’s after party retiring Liberal Senator Linda Reynolds said there was no way of sugar coating it – it had been a tough night for the Liberals.

“We’ve lost a lot of really fabulous members, including our leader in Peter Dutton, who did a mighty job for us all, and he came and did a mighty job for us here in Bullwinkel,” she said.

Moran said the eyes of Australia watched the Bullwinkel campaign.

“We fought this on local issues, about issues that local people wanted to talk about, and that means a lot to me. So thank you once again for your time. I am committed to this community, and let’s bring it home,” he said.

Teal’s strong showing in Fremantle

Fremantle community independent Kate Hulett had another strong showing at this election after her surprise result in the state election.

By the end of the evening, Hulett matched her state result in attracting 24.5 per cent of the primary vote, putting her behind Labor’s Josh Wilson.

Independent Fremantle candidate Kate Hulett after the election on Saturday night.Credit: Mark Naglazas

“It feels like Groundhog Day all over again,” Hulett said at Victoria Hall in Fremantle, where her teal-clad army of workers and supporters gathered.

“Here we are again looking up at the screen and fighting for our lives. We are once more exceeding everyone’s expectations. We are within reach of unseating Labor in an electorate they have held forever.”

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