The battle to win back the West is shaping up with the Liberals preparing to roll out a WA-specific election campaign for the first time, including brainstorming a big policy offering in resources and infrastructure for the State.
Labor is also prepping for the looming campaign with the WA branch appointing its first federal campaign organiser aimed at replicating the success of 2022.
The election can be called anytime between now and mid-May, with most insiders tipping an early 2025 poll on the back of recent economic data.
One Liberal MP said they were determined not to get caught out again after Labor attributed its big victory in the State to having run standalone WA messaging alongside the national campaign.
Labor’s ads in WA in 2022 heavily featured Mark McGowan and Clive Palmer while those across the rest of the country focused on Anthony Albanese and Scott Morrison.
Mr Albanese formally launched his campaign in Perth and offered specific pledges to the State including a promise to visit 10 times a year.
A senior Labor source said the party would again mount a campaign with WA-specific messaging.
“We’re confident that approach will work for us like it did last time,” they said.
There’s a wide acknowledgement within the Liberals that the party has a lot of ground to make up.
The Liberals lost half their federal seats at the last election, with four going to Labor plus Curtin to independent MP Kate Chaney.
Dissatisfaction with the progress bubbled over earlier this month, with Liberals telling The West Australian that leader Peter Dutton was not cutting through in the State and that they lacked clear answers to people’s concerns about the high cost of living.
Now the WA branch has had the go-ahead to tailor its national messaging in the State, as Labor did last time.
MPs are also in the early stages of developing a policy proposal, including a mining and resources package and probably some major road projects, to help sell to parochial voters.
“We will have a package for Western Australia that will be announced prior to the election, and we will ensure that we do exactly a) what is consistent with our principles, but b) what the stakeholders have actually been asking for, which is to get the fundamentals right,” senior frontbencher Michaelia Cash said.
Mr Dutton flagged a similar package on the sidelines of last week’s Diggers and Dealers conference.
Both were responding to questions about the Coalition opposing Labor’s planned production tax credits for critical minerals processing.
The Liberals have been road-testing the tagline “WA deserves better” for Libby Mettam’s State campaign and Federal MPs such as Melissa Price have adopted it too.
The party expects to have chosen all its federal candidates by the end of the month; the three-way fight to run in the new seat of Bullwinkel will be resolved this weekend.
A WA Liberal source flagged it would seek to mount an argument the government’s policies combined were bad news for the State, as well as offering something concrete and positive.
“The poor performance of the Albanese Labor Government is giving the people of WA much to be concerned about,” the party insider said.
They also pointed to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s failure to add any more ministers from WA to cabinet in his recent reshuffle.
“This means that WA’s perspectives on things like live exports and the impact of Nature Positive on the resources sector will continue to be drowned out by ministers from other states,” they said.
Labor is in the research phase of shaping its federal campaign message for WA voters.
The party has just appointed Gareth Thomas to coordinate the federal campaign for its state office, although State secretary Ellie Whiteaker will still lead the messaging and strategy.
Mr Thomas was working for Hasluck MP Tania Lawrence until this week and ran the campaign leading to her surprise victory over Liberal minister Ken Wyatt.
The party headquarters wants to replicate that planning rigour across all seats for the federal campaign, as well as ensuring MPs and candidates have someone focused on their needs given the State election period is likely to overlap.
Labor sources said the party was not panicking about WA but it was not complacent either, and there was plenty of prep work to be done between now and the election.