Western Australia by-election to test support for One Nation
The by-election in the Secret Harbour electorate in Western Australia, scheduled for next Saturday, is set to become the first notable test of whether the rise in popularity of the One Nation party is spreading from the country’s east coast to the west. The Labor Party risks losing a seat in an electorate it has held for a long time.
As reported by ABC News Australia, early voting began on Monday. Secret Harbour is a rapidly growing electorate home to older voters and young families facing rising living costs.
Competition for votes
Western Australia’s Deputy Premier Rita Saffioti accused opposition leader Basil Zempilas of allegedly wanting One Nation to win. Zempilas denied this and said the Liberals’ main goal was to elect their candidate, Ryan Robertson. At the same time, he said that Labor losing a seat it had always held would also be a success for his party.
The Liberal Party did not criticise One Nation candidate Luke Herdegen on its social media accounts. According to ABC News Australia, the Liberals may need One Nation preferences to win, so they are not interested in a conflict with this political force.
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Parties’ reactions
Western Australian Premier Roger Cook acknowledged that One Nation would take votes from Labor and that his party could quite possibly lose the electorate. He also referred to the usual by-election trend of declining support for the party in government.
Former Labor state treasurer Ben Wyatt linked One Nation’s appeal to voters’ disappointment in governments’ ability to solve all social problems. Some voters interviewed outside the early voting polling place spoke about the need for change and new people in politics.
One Nation’s leader in Western Australia, Rod Caddies, called Labor’s campaign “smears” and “dirty politics.” For the Liberals, the voting result will also serve as a guide in determining their future strategy toward One Nation: whether to cooperate with the party for its preferences or oppose it.
