Latest news with #Bullwinkel
ABC News
11-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Liberal Party's Matt Moran concedes defeat in new WA seat of Bullwinkel
The Liberal candidate for Western Australia's new federal seat of Bullwinkel, Matt Moran, has officially conceded defeat. The Army veteran released a statement to his followers on social media on Saturday night, a week after the federal election. "The result in Bullwinkel is now clear, and while it's not the outcome we had hoped for, I called Trish Cook today to congratulate her," he wrote on Facebook. It was a tight race in the newly formed electorate on Perth's eastern fringe, with Labor's Trish Cook winning the seat by just 990 votes. Bullwinkel is made up of parts of six existing electorates and covers suburbs in eastern Perth and rural areas of the Avon Valley. Western Australia now has 16 federal seats in the House of Representatives. Mr Moran thanked his supporters and said he was proud of his campaign, which attracted a swing of 2.9 per cent towards the Liberal Party in the notionally Labor held area. "To my campaign team, thank you for your tireless dedication and belief in me," Mr Moran said. "It was an honour to be the first Liberal candidate for Bullwinkel and a pleasure to meet passionate people in our community, listen to your concerns and offer pragmatic solutions. "Thank you to the Liberal Party for backing me." Mr Moran ended the post alluding to a future in politics, adding that he would "continue to fight for the people of Bullwinkel". "I will remain active in the community, and I hope to seek elected office again in the future." Labor claimed victory in Bullwinkel on Friday. Ms Cook had been neck-and-neck with Mr Moran for much of the count, and at one point there were fewer than 100 votes separating the front-runners.
ABC News
09-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Labor's Trish Cook claims victory in Bullwinkel in final WA vote count
Labor has claimed victory in the seat of Bullwinkel, on Perth's eastern fringe, six days after Saturday's federal election handed a landslide victory to Anthony Albanese's government. Trish Cook had been fighting it out with the Liberals' Matt Moran for the right to represent the newly created seat, and at one point there were less than 100 votes separating the front-runners. The vote had initially been split with a third candidate, former Nationals WA leader Mia Davies, but she conceded on Saturday night and her preferences were likely to have heavily favoured Mr Moran.
West Australian
06-05-2025
- Business
- West Australian
Federal election 2025: Wave of red washes over WA as Labor flattens the once influential Liberal power base
A wave of red has washed over WA, with Labor flattening the once influential Liberal power base. Labor's win in the northern Perth seat of Moore and a potential victory in the new seat of Bullwinkel could be a knockout blow for the Liberals in the Perth metropolitan area. It's a mighty fall from just 12 years ago, when the all-conquering Liberals held nearly every seat in the State. At the 2013 Federal election prominent Liberals in WA included Julie Bishop, who had a healthy margin in Curtin and was deputy leader of the Liberal Party, Christian Porter and Mathias Cormann. Fast forward to 2025 and the Liberals now have just four seats, with Bullwinkel still to be decided. It's part of a shift towards Labor at all levels, with Roger Cook's Government earning a momentous victory at the State election in March. WA was historically a Coalition stronghold at the Federal level before the 2020s, especially during the John Howard years, with Labor's presence primarily confined to inner-metropolitan areas like Fremantle and Perth. While Labor made some gains in the 2000s during the Rudd-Gillard era, the State's sharp shift began in 2022, when the Liberals lost five seats — four to Labor and one to independent Kate Chaney in the once-safe Liberal seat of Curtin. Perth MP Patrick Gorman attributed the transformation to the party listening to WA's needs and doing 'practical things that help Western Australians', such as support for energy bills, free TAFE, and tax cuts. 'We've definitely seen a shift. We've seen really strong support for Labor under Anthony Albanese at the last two elections,' Mr Gorman said. 'We've shown respect to the people of Western Australia. We've also put forward really excellent candidates.' The Prime Minister has also been on a charm offensive in the west, visiting 10 times in a year, bringing Cabinet here, making Brand MP Madeleine King Resources Minister, and launching his 2022 and 2025 election campaigns in Perth. An insider said Labor's rise was due to a blend of State popularity, Federal strategy and Coalition decline. They said the Party had managed to find a sweet spot for broad-based appeal by 'winning from the centre'. As a centre-left party, the insider believed focusing on social policies like health care and education while also embracing economically responsibility was reaching more voters in the centre. Wildly popular former WA premier Mark McGowan's more centrist approach proved popular from 2017 onwards, but the insider said the Federal Labor Party only began to embrace this after Bill Shorten's 2019 election loss. However, the Liberals grew more conservative under Scott Morrison and Peter Dutton after the more moderate Malcolm Turnbull was turfed out in 2018. The party has increasingly seemed out of touch with some voters, in particular young voters, have been fractured by internal dysfunction, and deserted by women and moderates. 'We've also seen the Liberal Party really lose touch with Western Australians,' Mr Gorman said. 'One of their senators, Linda Reynolds, said yesterday that they had lost touch with mainstream Australian values. I think that analysis tells you a lot.' Mr Gorman said he looked forward to welcoming Labor's new Moore MP Tom French to Canberra on Friday. He remained tight-lipped on whether WA could hope to secure a second Cabinet position after the State's increased representation. A Labor insider, however, said it was unlikely the State would get another spot in Cabinet, with Queensland, Tasmania and South Australia also delivering more seats. Ms King is the only WA-based minister in Federal Cabinet, overseeing critical portfolios tied to WA's mining and regional development sectors. Burt MP Matt Keogh and Cowan MP Anne Aly are in the outer ministry, and Mr Gorman is an assistant minister to the PM. 'I probably wish that the majority of the Cabinet were West Australians,' Mr Gorman laughed, when asked about its make-up and whether it would be back in WA. 'The Prime Minister decides where Cabinet meets. I'll just note that the Prime Minister has on a number of occasions chosen to hold cabinet in Perth and hold it in Port Hedland. And twice now he's chosen to launch the Federal campaign here in WA. And I think we saw the benefits of that in the results we saw on Saturday night.' Asked if he had Cabinet ambitions, Mr Gorman said he had 'ambitions for the country'.
ABC News
04-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Fremantle and Bullwinkel the two seats to watch in Western Australia post-election
As counting in Western Australia continues, everything has come down to two seats that are neck-and-neck — Fremantle and Bullwinkel. Unlike 2022, WA won't determine the outcome of the election — that is done and dusted — but both seats give unique insight into what voters were thinking about. As election night drew to a close, there were five seats yet to be resolved. Voters elected Kate Chaney to a second term in parliament. ( ABC News: Jake Sturmer ) But as Sunday morning unfolded in the west, it was confirmed the seat of Curtin would remain in the hands of teal independent Kate Chaney after she fended off close competition from Liberal candidate Tom White. The seat, which encompasses Perth's affluent western coastal suburbs, was taken off the Liberals in 2022 for only the second time in its long history. Ben Small is taking over from Liberal retiring MP Nola Marino. ( ABC News: Kate Forrester ) The seat of Forrest, which encompasses most of WA's South West region, was also decided on Sunday afternoon for the Liberals' Ben Small, who took over from retiring MP Nola Marino. But the big surprise was electrician-turned-lawyer Tom French snatching the northern Perth coastal seat of Moore for Labor from the Liberals. In fact, Labor's primary vote increased across key seats many thought were in play this election. But whether Moore will be an overall gain in representation for the ALP in the west comes down to what happens in the two seats left down to the wire. Fremantle The federal seat of Fremantle was historically a safe Labor seat, held by a pantheon of famous Labor names including John Curtin and Kim Beazley Sr. Kate Hulett is proving to be a challenge for Labor's hopes in Fremantle. ( ABC News: Courtney Withers ) That is until Climate-200 backed independent and Fremantle businesswoman Kate Hulett came onto the scene, firstly at the state election just two months ago, when she almost defeated a Labor minister. On election night, Labor's Josh Wilson looked set to soar through based on first preference votes – but that has drastically changed with preferences kicking in and boosting Ms Hulett's considerable vote, which was much higher than her Liberal challenger. Labor incumbent Josh Wilson is hoping for a fourth term as the member for Fremantle. ( ABC News: Courtney Withers ) As of Monday morning, Ms Hulett was leading by just a handful of votes. Bullwinkel Meanwhile, across the other side of the city, another story is playing out in the seat of Bullwinkel — the only new electorate added this election. Bullwinkel encompasses farming towns, the luscious Perth hills communities and the Perth metropolitan urban fringe. The three-way race in Bullwinkel is now down to two, with Labor's Trish Cook against the Liberal candidate. ( ABC News: Courtney Withers ) It was touted as a three-way tie between the Liberals Matt Moran, Labor's Trish Cook and the Nationals Mia Davies, who is a former leader of her state party. Photo shows A mural of two sheep painted on a brick wall. The three-way contest for Bullwinkel — Australia's newest electorate — is shaping up as a fiercely fought battle. But it was clear on election night Ms Davies wasn't going to make it, and preferences have put Mr Moran and Ms Cook neck and neck. As of Monday morning, Labor was ever so slightly ahead, but with an overall swing to the Liberals. "As a midwife, I'm used to waiting," Ms Cook quipped. The heat is being felt on the other side too. "I've done a fair few things in my life and I can tell you this has been the toughest,' Mr Moran said. Labor celebrates Despite those two races, there was certainly a lot for Labor to celebrate in the west. Leading the party's celebrations in Perth on Sunday morning was a jubilant Madeleine King, the resources minister. "It's a remarkable day … what a great gang it is," she said. The party was also stoked to fend off a key seat in Perth's south the Liberals were vying for, the marginal seat of Tangney, held by dolphin trainer-turned MP Sam Lim. Results so far show Labor increasing its primary vote in Tangney by 4.9 per cent — with a cumulative swing from 2022 and 2025 now at 15 per cent. Other seats some predicted were in play this election — Hasluck and Pearce — stayed in Labor's hands, with only slight swings to the Liberals recorded in Pearce and a swing to Labor in Hasluck. Andrew Hastie — touted to be a potential future leader in the Liberals — convincingly held his seat and increased his margin to 4.7 per cent. Madeleine King is the only Labor cabinet minister from WA. ( ABC News: Lauren Smith ) Given the state's influence, Ms King — who is the sole WA representative in cabinet — thinks its high time another West Aussie joined her. "There should be more of us in cabinet," she said. With those results, she'll be arguing she has a compelling case. Read more about the federal election: Want even more? Here's where you can find all our 2025 Catch the latest interviews and in-depth coverage on Loading
West Australian
30-04-2025
- Politics
- West Australian
Anthony Albanese promises to keep up the WA visits during fleeting trip to pre-poll
Anthony Albanese has promised to keep visiting WA 10 times a year if he remains prime minister after arriving in the State to kick off his 72-hour pre-election blitz of the country. The Prime Minister made a flying visit to a prepoll station in Midland, which is in Hasluck but is also taking Bullwinkel votes. While the appearance started off in the usual way — Hasluck MP Tania Lawrence and Labor's Bullwinkel candidate Trish Cook were also on hand, along with Senate President Sue Lines — there was a chorus of heckling which ensued. The politicians were greeted with adulation and jeers from the various party volunteers, and bemusement from voters who were queued up to cast their ballot in the hour before the booth closed. The Prime Minister cooed at five-and-half-month-old Annabelle, who was intent on trying to eat Labor's how-to-vote card as mum Kyra lined up to cast her vote. 'It's an enormous privilege to meet you,' David Leith said as Mr Albanese greeted queuing locals. One woman lining up to vote told Mr Albanese, as she shook his hand, that she 'believed in his values'. 'It's all about that, what you say, no one left behind and no one held back,' she said. Mr Albanese quipped she had evidently watched his National Press Club address earlier that day. But the situation quickly devolved. Liberal volunteers began yelling to 'keep the sheep' which kicked off a chain of chants from party supporters. Labor's army began repeating their party name and using their campaign posters to block the Liberals, and a lone Greens supporter yelled 'stop AUKUS' repeatedly. This is his 33rd trip to WA and, asked if he would continue to make 10 visits a year, Mr Albanese said: 'You bet.' Wednesday marked a small victory for the Prime Minister as he surpassed Gough Whitlam's time in office. Mr Albanese said he was determined to become a leader with a long legacy. 'The problem (with Whitlam) was that yes he introduced Medibank, but he wasn't there long enough and a lot of his reforms disappeared,' he said, as he ducked and weaved volunteers around the local polling booth. 'A long term Labor government, like (under) Bob Hawke, his reforms entrenched a lot of change.'
