What can we expect from the final stretch of the election campaign in WA?

West Australians haven’t had a single minute since January without being inundated by election campaigning as the state election rolled right into the federal campaign.

But with the finish line in sight, pre-polling numbers surging, and West Australians coming out of their Easter break slumber, what will the final push look like from the major parties in the state that could hold the key to their hopes of forming government?

Albanese and Dutton on the campaign trail in Perth.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen, James Brickwood

Labor’s strategy will involve Premier Roger Cook as much as possible while the Liberals will drive home its 25 cents a litre fuel excise cut that, according to internal polls, has been resonating with the electorates.

A senior Labor insider who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss party strategy said Cook’s success at the state poll was being used in the federal campaign as evidenced by his presence on the back of some federal Labor how-to-vote cards.

“It was encouraging to see Roger Cook out there on Tuesday at the start of pre-poll. We’ll keep hammering that,” they said.

“Roger Cook is on the how-to-vote cards being handed out.

“He’s been the ultimate team player, and he’s been really supportive of a lot of candidates in a lot of different ways. That’s been really impressive from his operation.”

A Liberal operative who spoke on the condition of anonymity said the party would continue to hammer the promise of halving the 50-cent fuel excise on the first day of the new parliament.

“You’ve got to keep repeating everything until you’re sick of saying it,” they said.

“I think the fuel tax – I’m starting to get sick of saying it now – but I think that’s probably about only when people are actually starting to grab a hold of it so we’ll keep pushing that.

“It’s polling very well.”

After visits this week from both Opposition leader Peter Dutton and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, both operatives are expected to see their respective leaders in WA again next week for some fleeting visits.

By far the biggest single monetary commitment for infrastructure in WA from both parties was the pledge to match state funding for the $700 million Kwinana Freeway widening back in January.

Since then, candidate pages have been rife with smaller commitments around sporting club and community centre upgrades.

Neither operative expected any more major election promises though the Liberals are yet to publicly match Labor’s $225 million funding for the $450 million Erindale Road, Reid Highway intersection upgrade.

Liberal party sources told WAtoday this was a commitment they would match.

The Liberals have also matched the $200 million commitment made by Labor back in March to upgrade the Midland hospital.

The Labor operative said they were surprised the Liberals hadn’t matched their party’s $60 million pledge to build two ferry stops for WA Labor’s ‘Metronet on the Swan’ network or its $100 million pledge to move Scitech.

Likewise, the Liberal operative said they were surprised that Labor hadn’t touched the Shelley Bridge duplication, which their party had committed $125 million to do, given it was a good local issue in the battleground seat of Tangney.

Both operatives agreed Tangney, Bullwinkel and Pearce were the target seats for either major party.

Both were buoyed by separate polling that suggested their respective parties had the edge in Tangney where incumbent Labor MP Sam Lim was taking on Singaporean-born Howard Ong.

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