The winners and losers of the State election

THE WINNERS Mark McGowan and his Labor army Split Enz once sang “I see red, I see red, I see red” — and that was what most of WA saw when the election results started rolling in on Saturday night. Premier Mark McGowan was declared the winner in record time, less than 45 minutes after polling closed. Labor cleaned up 52 of 59 seats, giving the red soldiers near-total control of Parliament. Mr McGowan rose to popularity last year after taking a strong stance on WA’s hard border during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. He has since been labelled a hero, a celebrity and a sex-symbol. Robyn Clarke As expected, Murray-Wellington MLA Robyn Clarke retained her seat. Despite the Liberals heavily targetting the once-conservative electorate, Mrs Clarke absolutely blitzed her opposition, Michelle Boylan. Mrs Clarke pocketed two-thirds of the votes on a two-candidate preferred system, while Mrs Boylan only had a third of the support. With almost 50 per cent of the votes counted yesterday, Mrs Clarke was sitting on 8898 and Mrs Boylan was sitting on 4499. Sporting Clubs Mrs Clarke has promised to give between $5000 and $10,000 to every sporting club within her electorate. The move will save many local clubs on the brink of collapse after COVID-19. Mrs Clarke’s committent to keeping young girls in the regions in sport — through her mission to build female changerooms and facilities — could help close the gap. Mrs Clarke became the first woman in history to win the seat back in 2017. Waroona Waroona residents scored a huge election promise just days before the election when Labor matched a $1.3 million commitment by the Liberals to fund a revitalised town centre. The plan would give Waroona a town centre or “heart”. THE LOSERS The Liberals This one is pretty self-explanatory. It wasn’t a just landslide, it was an earthquake, avalanche and tsunami all in one. The party was wiped out almost entirely, with the Nationals winning more seats than the Liberals. The Libs have hit rock-bottom. Murray Cowper Former Murray-Wellington member Murray Cowper was this election resurrected to sit on a Channel 7 panel. The Liberal stalwart lost his safe conservative seat after his shock burial by Robyn Clarke in the 2017 election. Mr Cowper ruffled Zak Kirkup’s feathers and Mr Kirkup called him “old and stale”. Harvey Harvey, where Liberal candidate Michelle Boylan lives and works as a councillor, didn’t get a whole heap promised by Labor. There was just a bit of funding for the Harvey Senior Citizens Centre and the Harvey Senior High School. However, Australind and Pinjarra high schools, which have more students, received a bigger chunk. Harvey got the short straw here.