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Federal election 2022: Liberals claim drop in Labor support down to diminishing ‘McGowan factor’

Peter LawThe West Australian
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WA Senator Michaelia Cash says voters understand the election is a choice between Scott Morrison or Anthony Albanese to the lead country.
Camera IconWA Senator Michaelia Cash says voters understand the election is a choice between Scott Morrison or Anthony Albanese to the lead country. Credit: Justin Benson-Cooper/The West Australian

The Liberal Party’s most senior politician in WA believes the diminishing influence of Mark McGowan on the Federal election campaign helps explain a sharp drop in Labor’s primary vote.

A poll for The Sunday Times showed support for Labor was down 14 percentage points in Pearce compared to mid-March (44 to 30), 8 in Swan (46 to 38) and Hasluck (39 to 31) and 6 points in Tangney (41 to 35).

The survey of 1600 voters, by Utting Research, still has Labor ahead on a two-party preferred basis in Pearce(52-48) and Swan (53-47), but suggests the race is tightening with less than a week until election day.

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WA Senator Michaelia Cash said the results showed that as the campaign stretched into its sixth week, voters understood it was choice between Scott Morrison or Anthony Albanese to the lead country.

“When I look at what the clear choice is, people now understand, it’s not about Mark McGowan,” the Federal Attorney General said.

“Mark McGowan remains the Premier of Western Australia the day after the Federal election. What we have now shown is the choice is between Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese.

“When you actually highlight that choice, and in particular when you highlight the fact that Scott Morrison is a true friend of Western Australia, and when you talk to people about why? It’s the GST deal.

“Scott did not need to convince any Western Australian that we were not getting our fair share. He knew that, we knew that. But what he had to do was bring the rest of Australia with him.”

Attorney-General Michaelia Cash.
Camera IconWA Senator Michaelia Cash said the results showed that as the campaign stretched into its sixth week, voters understood it was choice between Scott Morrison or Anthony Albanese to the lead country. Credit: AAP
News. Premier Mark McGowan in his Dumas house office ahead of the 2022 State Budget.
Camera IconThe Liberal Party’s most senior politician in WA believes the diminishing influence of Mark McGowan on the Federal election campaign helps explain a sharp drop in Labor’s primary vote. Credit: Jackson Flindell/The West Australian

A significant proportion intend to vote for the minor parties, with the Greens getting between 8 and 12 per cent of primary support, One Nation at 7 per cent in Pearce and Clive Palmer’s UAP at 9 per cent in Hasluck.

Senator Cash said the research also suggested there was a higher undecided vote at this late stage of the campaign than at previous elections.

”Life has not been what we knew it for the last two years and so I think what we are seeing as we go towards this Saturday is the fact that there are still people who are making up their mind,” she said.

“There’s always a proportion of people who make up their mind on election day. The polls would indicate that that is higher.

“But what that also says to me is, over the next six days there is an opportunity to meet those people.

“Polling booths are a great place to meet them, to talk with them -- and a lot of people are happy to have a chat and to ask you great questions -- and to be able to explain to them what that clear choice is.”

Labor hope to gain Liberal-held Swan and Pearce as part of the net seven seats the Opposition must pick up nationally to form a majority government.

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