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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
ABC News
29-04-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Three-way contest in Bullwinkel heats up between Liberals, Labor and Nationals
It's the only new federal seat in the country this election – and it's anyone's guess who will win the semi-rural seat of Bullwinkel in WA, as each of its high-profile candidates struggle to resonate across the seat's vastly different demographics. WA's 16th seat covers a whopping 9,508 square kilometres, from the outskirts of Perth to the outer edge of the Wheatbelt region, where Perth's farming fringe collides with the metropolitan area. A notionally held Labor seat on a margin of 3.3 per cent, Bullwinkel is considered up for grabs, as Labor's nurse and local councillor Trish Cook, former WA Nationals leader Mia Davies and Liberal journalist-turned Army public affairs officer Matt Moran battle it out. But given the seat's diverse mash-up, there's an even bigger list of issues for candidates to cover — and the clock is ticking to win them over. The rural Wheatbelt Picturesque landscapes, a line out the door for sausage rolls at the local bakery and murals of sheep on old brick buildings — this is the rural town of Beverley. Bullwinkel stretches from Perth's metro fringe in the west to country towns like Beverley in the east. ( ABC News: West Mateeussen ) In the Wheatbelt part of the seat, it's not hard to guess who has the upper hand of the three high-profile candidates. Almost every person the ABC spoke to indicated they were voting for Mia Davies and had the Keep the Sheep campaign front of mind. Sheep at a property in Beverly, in WA's Wheatbelt region, where the 'Keep the Sheep' movement has been campaigning hard. ( ABC News: Courtney Withers ) The movement took off last year in response to Beverley Tyre Service owner Daniel Henderson fears ending the live sheep export trade would be "an epic cost to the economy", and said it provides a lifeline for locals. Beverley Tyre Service owner Daniel Henderson wants the live sheep trade to stay. ( ABC News: Courtney Withers ) "If it gets ripped out upon us, then a lot of farmers which are my customers, my clients around here ... get money taken off them," he said. Beverley local Jenny Broun also indicated Keep the Sheep is influencing who she'll be voting for on May 3. Beverley local Jenny Broun wants farmers to be looked after. ( ABC News: Courtney Withers ) "We have a farm in the district and I do feel concerned that the major parties aren't looking after the farmers as they should, so obviously the Nationals will be my vote," she said. There's no doubt the movement has aided Davies' quest for Bullwinkel, but her decision to "Matt Moran's doing a fantastic job in Bullwinkel and I believe he'll be elected as the next member," Mr Dutton said on the campaign trail. Voters in the rural part also identified cost of living, access to healthcare and rural neglect as issues they're thinking about in the lead-up to the poll. "We've got great doctors but the hospitals are just hopeless," Beverley local Dalene Davies said. Beverley local Dalene Davies is unhappy with the state of the area's hospitals. ( ABC News: Courtney Withers ) "My friend and I drove over [to Northam Hospital at Easter] ... that's a 150-kilometre round trip." The Hills In the Perth Hills, a different kind of cost-of-living pressure is being felt among primary producers. Willow Springs Orchard owners Davin and Kate Harris are in their third season at their Bedfordale property, but are struggling with increased business costs. Bullwinkel encompasses numerous orchards and farmlands. ( ABC News: Courtney Withers ) "Since COVID, the cost of fertiliser, chemical input, electricity input, your packaging ... fuel," Mr Harris said. "Instead of being able to get ahead and save, we're pretty much spending everything we earn." Stay updated: Catch the latest interviews and in-depth coverage on The pair have turned their orchard — which grows a variety of novelty fruits including persimmons, pomegranates and kiwis — into an agriculture-tourism mix with a coffee shop and fruit picking in a bid to drive more profit. Willow Springs Orchard owners Davin and Kate Harris. ( ABC News: Courtney Withers ) Mr Harris also worries about the housing crisis and how his children — aged 14, 10 and 9 — will be able to afford a property of their own. "I'm thinking $1 million is going to get them a unit in a suburb 30 kilometres out of Perth," he said. Perth suburbs In the part of the seat closest to the city, cost of living and housing pressures are at the fore for voters. The area includes suburbs like Forrestfield and High Wycombe — which held up for Labor at the recent state poll — and make up the most populous third. Read more about the federal election: Want even more? Here's where you can find all our 2025 High Wycombe local Teriane Herald, 33, has cost-of-living concerns and plans to vote for Greens candidate Abbey Bishop. High Wycombe local Teriane Herald is struggling to pay her rent. ( ABC News: Courtney Withers ) "Before I could do it easily by myself as a single mum, rented by myself, worked full-time ... now there's no way I could do it by myself, the rent in six years has jumped by $250 per week easily, it's hard it's really hard," she said. Three-horse race Labor's working hard to win over areas closer to the city with flagship policies like The Nationals and Liberals are both leaning into Keep the Sheep, the Nationals promising to overturn the live export ban as a first priority if elected. The ABC asked the three candidates during pre-polling the same question — how do you reach voters across such a large and diverse seat? Labor candidate for Bullwinkel Trish Cook. ( ABC News: Courtney Withers ) "It is diverse, it's the three distinct regions but overwhelmingly people have the same issues: access to affordable healthcare, cost of living relief," Labor's Trish Cook said. Nationals candidate Mia Davies took a grassroots approach. Mia Davies is the Nationals candidate in Bullwinkel. ( ABC News: Courtney Withers ) "In a nutshell, we are people and community first, politics a long way back," she said. And Liberals candidate Matt Moran was focused on practicalities. Matt Moran is the Liberal candidate for Bullwinkel and a former journalist. ( ABC News: Courtney Withers ) "The number one issue is cost of living ... and that's why we're offering 25c off every litre of fuel, a tax cut of up to $1200, helping first home buyers get into houses," he said. Having trouble seeing this form? Try Loading
ABC News
21-04-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Dispute over proposed parkland near planned Perth children's hospice in Swanbourne
A proposal to transform a "dust bowl" into an oasis for terminally ill children has drawn the ire of some who want the site to remain in local government hands. The planned park is to be located on an A-class reserve near Western Australia's new $34 million children's hospice in Swanbourne, which is due to open at the end of the year. The project is being led by the Perth Children's Hospital Foundation and funded by community donors. An artist's impression of the planned Perth children's hospice in Swanbourne. ( Supplied: Perth Children's Hospital Foundation ) Designs are yet to be finalised, but will include the planting of 10,000 plants, boosting tree canopy at the site to 62 per cent. But not everyone is on board. The Allen Park site in Swanbourne earmarked for the Perth children's hospice. ( Supplied: Perth Children's Hospital Foundation ) Council plans own park In March, the City of Nedlands made a submission objecting to the proposed parkland, saying it wanted to develop and maintain the area itself. Mayor Fiona Argyle said on Monday the council was best-placed to manage the development. Fiona Argyle said council would this week vote on a proposal to build its own nature parkland. ( ABC News: Courtney Withers ) "Taking Class A reserve from the community into a private foundation does not work," she told ABC Radio Perth. "This has a Whadjuk Noongar trail running through it, a 40,000-year Aboriginal trail, it is the only public access to the beach, and it is for all people." Cr Argyle said council would this week vote on a proposal to build a nature parkland of its own at the site. "We want to be friends, we have the support of all the community in the area, and the community don't want to lose this park," she said. " Whether you are dying, whether you are a sick child, whether you are a healthy child … this land is for all people. " A report estimates the council's project cost to be about $400,000. The report suggests public donations could contribute to landscaping and ongoing maintenance costs. Hospice park 'open to all' Perth Children's Hospital Foundation chairman Ian Campbell said the council had "totally neglected" the reserve for decades and had missed its chance to develop it. "We didn't really want the children, many of whom will be in the last days of their lives, looking out across that dust bowl," he said. An architect's concept of the Perth children's hospice project. ( Supplied: Perth Children's Hospital Foundation ) Mr Campbell said the foundation proposed to fund the construction of the park, and suggested to council it could pick up the responsibility of maintaining it. "[The city] said 'we have no budget to maintain it'," he told ABC Radio Perth. "This land has been in their hands for 20 years and it is a disgrace. It hasn't been looked after at all. "The government has lost faith in the City of Nedlands, and we've lost faith in them." He said the park would be open to the public at all times, not just hospice users. City's objection 'strange': minister Police Minister, and former environment minister, Reece Whitby said it was disappointing the dispute had yet to be resolved. "This is a children's hospice, this is for kids in their final weeks and months of life, can we stop fighting about this issue?" he said. "That hospice is an important service for the most needy of children in their final hours and weeks and months. Reece Whitby says he can't understand why council is still objecting to the plan. ( ABC News: Keane Bourke ) "They need to be surrounded by peace and tranquillity and they need to be supported." Mr Whitby agreed that land parcel had been neglected, and said it was "strange" the City of Nedlands continued to object to the parkland. "If the council is so concerned about it, why haven't they done something before now to beautify that area?" he said. "This is a good positive thing to do, it's the least we can do for those children." Digital billboard under fire It's the latest in a series of debates about the project, with the city recently coming under fire over a digital billboard located on Stirling Highway which read "Class A Reserves are for future generations. Hands Off." Photo shows A portrait of blonde toddler with a pink clip in her hair, white top, smiling slightly. Suzy Sadler says the proposed new hospice is needed because terminally ill children should not have to spend their last days in a clinical setting like a hospital. The billboard included the City of Nedlands logo, but was said to have come at no cost to ratepayers. Four councillors voted against the wording of the statement, with Cr Argyle using her casting vote to determine the outcome. Cr Argyle on Monday said she was not — and had never been — opposed to the hospice itself, and was only concerned about the adjacent land development. Loading
Yahoo
13-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
5th Street Hardware hosts fundraiser for Western NC
GREENVILLE, NC, (WNCT) — People across Eastern North Carolina are still working to help out the Western part of the state. Months after Hurricane Helene, Western North Carolina is still feeling the impacts. 5th Street Hardware hosted a fundraiser Saturday with live music, a dunk tank and a silent auction. Ten percent of food sales and all other money raised is going directly to WNC relief efforts. 'We're doing this because back in the fall, everybody was really thinking about western North Carolina and all the damage that happened after Hurricane Helene, but going past Christmas and into January, we just felt like we wanted to do something to come back together and raise some money for them so that we can donate into the spring in the summer months,' Operations Manager at 5th Street Hardware Courtney Withers said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
