Ben Morton (Tangney, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

At the recent WA state election, there was a change of government. I accept the result of the election, and I accept the change of government. Such are the swings and roundabouts of politics. The Barnett Liberals had 8½ strong years of governing Western Australia and left an impressive legacy of new schools, new hospitals, roads, public transport, the new Perth Stadium under construction, and Elizabeth Quay. Investments have improved the lives of locals and visitors. Re-election was always going to be a difficult ask, remembering that WA has not elected the same party to a third term of government since the 1980s, at a time when terms were three years instead of the fixed four years that they are today.

Labor now has a chance to discover the challenges of fair and effective government, and they are very different to the liberties of opposition. I congratulate WA Labor and wish them well. The challenge for Mark McGowan and his team is to take stock of the way the southern suburbs cast their votes at this election. The swings were very strong in some of the seats north of Perth. Electorates and booths around the Roe 8 and Roe 9 projects saw their residents vote differently. Swings south of the city were much more muted, most notably in the seats around Roe 8 and Roe 9 project sites. I do not say this parochially as a southern suburbs federal member. The support for these important projects was clearly demonstrated by the number of people who voted in support of Roe 8 and Roe 9 and in support of hardworking local Liberal candidates—local Liberals like Matt Taylor in Bicton and Rebecca Aubrey in Willagee.

In Bicton, Matt Taylor had a higher primary vote at seven of the nine booths and a below-average swing to Labor. In Willagee, again, there was a below-average swing to Labor. Both Matt and Rebecca focused on Roe 8 and Roe 9 in their campaigns because the facts tell us we must build these important projects. Roe 8 and Roe 9 will create work for up to 10,000 people in WA, improve access to Fremantle port, give drivers freeway access east and west across our city, bypass 14 sets of traffic lights on Leach Highway and Stock Road, and enable better and safer cycling and public transport. In Jandakot, at Leeming Primary School, West Leeming Primary School and Banksia Park Primary School—the Jandakot booths around Roe 8 and Roe 9—there were strong results for the local Liberal, Joe Francis, who won these booths convincingly. I congratulate new WA opposition leader, Mike Nahan, in Riverton. On his campaign in support of Roe 8—his first campaign was in 2008—his local community has shown absolute commitment to getting the project built, with a very modest swing at this election in this seat. Mike won every booth.

Overall, Labor had below-average swings to them in these seats in the southern suburbs, far short of the northern suburbs experience. Labor needs to consider what this support for Roe 8 and Roe 9 means and what it might mean to lose $1.2 billion in federal funding for this important infrastructure. Labor needs to consider and build Roe 8 and Roe 9.