Former Western Australian premier Peter Dowding has launched a blistering attack on Labor’s Secret Harbour by-election campaign, describing the party’s performance as “bizarre” and “stupid” after it suffered a historic defeat.
Labor candidate Georgia Tree was defeated by One Nation’s Luke Herdegen in the Perth southern suburbs seat on 29 August, producing an 18.8 per cent swing against the party and handing One Nation its first lower-house seat in Western Australia.
The result overturned a Labor advantage of more than 11 per cent and ended the party’s hold on the seat, which had been regarded as a safe stronghold before the poll.
Mr Dowding’s criticism represents a rare public rebuke from a former Labor premier, with his comments focused on the way the party ran its campaign rather than simply the result itself.
Labor’s efforts in Secret Harbour had attracted scrutiny over a series of government funding announcements made during the campaign, including commitments linked to Karnup railway station, Lakelands Youth Park and the expansion of Rockingham TAFE.
The Western Australian Electoral Commission confirmed that 16 candidates contested the by-election, with Ms Tree representing WA Labor, Mr Herdegen standing for One Nation and Ryan Robertson contesting the seat for the Liberals.
Mr Herdegen’s victory was called by the ABC on election night, despite the electorate having been considered a comfortable Labor seat. The scale of the swing has prompted wider questions about the party’s appeal among outer-suburban voters and the effectiveness of its campaign strategy.
