Tricia takes Albanese for a ride while Dutton hits the coast as leaders descend on battleground Perth

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton have cosied up to some Perth icons during their visit west this weekend.

Ahead of Labor’s national campaign launch in Perth tomorrow, Albanese joined Premier Roger Cook on the Tricia ferry, named after the late great Perth Zoo Asian elephant, to announce a commitment to fund half of the WA government’s ‘Metronet on the Swan’ ferry network dream.

WA Deputy Premier Rita Saffioti, WA Premier Roger Cook, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Jodie Haydon riding Tricia on the Swan River in Perth, Western Australia.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Dutton meanwhile was in the electorate of Curtin on Saturday morning after having met up with Perth’s own world boxing champion Danny Green to announce a $1.5 million pledge to support Green’s Stop the Coward Punch campaign against violence.

The leaders’ visits west signal the importance of the state to both parties at the next election where Labor’s results in Swan and Tangney in Perth’s south and the outer metro electorates like Pearce, Hasluck and the new electorate of Bullwinkel could determine whether they govern with a majority or not.

Likewise the Coalition’s hopes to return to government runs through WA and their ability to regain Curtin from teal independent Kate Chaney and Labor’s metro seats it won in 2022

Albanese, his partner Jodie Haydon, Cook and Deputy WA Premier Rita Saffioti caught the ferry across the Swan River to highlight the Commonwealth’s promise of $60 million to build two more ferry stops and plan for a future expansion of the system.

They boarded at Mends Street Jetty on the regular 9.18am ferry service along with bemused families and commuters.

As the PM headed down the jetty wearing a blazer, polo shirt and Rabbitohs hat, a man at the cafe on the wharf called out, “Alboooo! Chicken nuggey!“

“Go the Bunnies!” Albanese replied.

While chatting to Cook on the ferry, Albanese said: “NSW has the worst example of building things overseas,” and went on to discuss the purchase of ferries for Parramatta River that were too tall to fit under the bridges.

Gathered at Elizabeth Quay after his ferry ride with most of the WA Labor caucus Albanese lavished praise on the state that could make or break his chances at reelection.

Dutton met boxer Danny Green as he pledged $1.5m to stop the coward punch.Credit: James Brickwood

“I’m back in Perth. I launched my campaign here in 2022 people said, ‘Why are you doing that?’ I said, ‘because I want to represent the whole country, and WA is really important’,” he said.

“I’m back here again in WA because, guess what, WA is not just still important. It’s more important than ever, given the changes in the economy and the opportunity that is here in WA.”

Dutton pressed the flesh in Curtin with candidate Tom White Vans in Cottesloe this morning where they looked over plans to redevelop Perth’s Cottesloe foreshore.

Curtin is a former blue ribbon zone for the Liberals, and regaining seats lost to the teals will be essential for the Coalition to have a chance at majority government.

Local resident Tory stopped with 18-month-old Poppy to stay hello, and question Dutton on his policies for young people.

Dutton told Tory about his housing policy as his main offering for young people.

Former Howard government minister and Notre Dame University chancellor Chris Ellison also stopped to greet Dutton, and briefly joined him at the table.

One young woman yelled out “I hate you” from the window of a moving car. But residents seemed largely positive about Dutton’s presence.

Dutton with Liberal candidate for Curtin Tom White in a Cottesloe cafe.Credit: James Brickwood

Dutton arrived in Perth on Friday where he pledged to make WA’s economy “boom” at a business breakfast through a range of changes and incentives aimed at improving efficiencies and cutting red tape for the resources sector.

That included abandoning the Albanese government’s Nature Positive environmental reform agenda which included a federal Environmental Protection Agency.

He also pledged to improve federal environmental assessment timeframes by restricting the use of ‘stop the clock’ provisions by regulators assessing projects and accrediting state and territories to provide approvals.