The Liberal party in Western Australia could face up to 12 years in opposition after a once-in-a-century wipeout that delivered Labor the biggest majority and the strongest two-party preferred result of any modern Australian government. On Sunday premier Mark McGowan moved to ease concerns about what his government would do with an overwhelming majority in both houses, telling voters there was “nothing to fear”. “People have seen with me and my.
The polling was conducted early this week before Kirkup on Thursday announced his intention to quit politics if he lost his seat, and held a disastrous press conference on his party’s costings.
The 34-year-old pinned much of his campaign as opposition leader on his lifelong ambition to be in politics – an ambition which could be over by 6pm. He would be the first WA Liberal leader to lose his seat in 88 years. The Liberal party has held Dawesville since it was created in 1994.
As of Friday, 653,457 votes – 499,226 pre-poll and 154,231 postal – had already been cast. That’s 38% of total votes, the highest number of pre-poll votes in WA history.
NEW RULES FOR NEW ZEALAND
According to the ABC, Australia’s eastern states have imposed new quarantine restrictions on New Zealand travellers after the number of COVID-19 cases linked to an Auckland high school grew to eight.
While NZ authorities believe the outbreak, which prompted a lockdown on Sunday February 14, is under control, NSW Health has also announced it is contacting travellers who have arrived from the country since Saturday and recommended that, as a precaution, they should get tested and isolate until they get a negative result.
The news comes after private aged care company HealthCare Australia revealed that a doctor who incorrectly gave two elderly Queenslanders a “higher than the recommended dose” of the Pfizer vaccine had not completed the required immunisation training.
Last modified on Sun 21 Feb 2021 21.02 EST The decision that cemented Mark McGowanâs extraordinary popularity came three weeks into the coronavirus pandemic. On 2 April, when the Ruby Princess outbreak was reaching its peak and Australia recorded its 24th death from Covid-19, the premier announced he would introduce a hard border banning all travel into Western Australia, with limited exemptions, turning the state âinto its own island within an island â our own countryâ.
The border was criticised outside WA, but that seemed to only increase its popularity within the state. WA had recorded relatively few cases of Covid-19, and most had been imported via the Ruby Princess and other cruise ships. By closing the bulkhead door, WA was able to make a swift return to normal life. And, with the exception of a five-day lockdown this month, during which Perth residents became one of the last groups in the world to scramble to buy face masks, normality has reigned.