North West Central by-election: Carnarvon voting centres remain quiet as final count nears for electorates MP

UPDATE: Nationals candidate Merome Beard is on track for a comprehensive victory in the early counting of the North West Central by-election tonight. The Carnarvon publican — an unbackable favourite over Liberal Will Baston — had won 43 per cent of the first preference vote shortly before 7pm on Saturday. Mr Baston, a a sixth generation Gascoyne pastoralist, had 25 per cent of the first preferences with just under 8 per cent of the votes counted. A two-party preferred result was not yet available. Labor’s decision not to contest the by-election, which was triggered by the shock resignation of long-serving Nationals MP Vince Catania, sucked much of the intrigue out of the contest. That was reflected in a relatively quiet day at Carnarvon’s two polling stations, with voters filing through the booths in a trickle rather than a stream. The Gascoyne Growers Market at Carnarvon’s town hall was bustling on North West Central by-election day, but the polling booths at the same place remained quiet in a lower than expected turnout to decide WA’s newest MP — widely tipped to be Beard. Both Nationals Leader Mia Davies and her Liberal counterpart David Honey were in Carnarvon for the day, joining Ms Beard and Mr Baston as they attempted to sway voters still wavering as they arrived to cast a ballot. The booths in the Gascoyne town had a slow and steady trickle of voters throughout the morning. Ms Beard said the town hall was flooded with tourists but local voters would know to avoid the high-traffic area. Sources estimate 40 to 45 per cent of the primary vote would go the Nationals way, with Liberal Mr Baston expected to come second best. A likely Nationals win will keep the party and its leader Mia Davies in official opposition status, keeping four seats in the Lower House compared to the Liberals’ two. A victory for Ms Beard will ensure the Nationals hold on to four seats in the Legislative Assembly and retain official opposition status — and that leader Mia Davies keeps the mantle of Opposition Leader. The Liberals were hoping to square ledger at three seats apiece but last night appeared destined to remain stuck with just two MPs in the Lower House. Speaking with members of the community at the polling centre had cemented what Ms Beard said she already knew were local issues and challenges in the electorate, including crime, health and housing. “Hopefully, I can take those issues to Parliament,” she said. Ms Davies said it was an unusual election with Labor skipping out on the contest, and there seemed to be “voter fatigue” in the electorate this year. Mr Baston said whatever the outcome, there needed to be a strong voice for housing, health and at-risk youth in electorate. The Liberals recorded a dismal primary vote of just 8 per cent in North West Central at the 2021 election. Mr Honey said the goal coming into the by-election had been to increase that to above 20 percent “at the very least” with victory difficult given the Nationals had the “inside running” on the seat. “It will be up to the voters in North West Central and I think that until the last vote is counted, who would know.” Ms Beard, a Carnarvon publican, said people were upset and surprised Labor abandoned the electorate by not running a candidate, which might have contributed to fewer voters turning out. “I can’t say, but maybe there’s an element of that,” she said. Regardless of the result, Ms Beard said she would accept the people’s decision, and celebrate the hard work and kilometres put into the campaign across the massive electorate. “Even those who didn’t vote for me, I hope they would understand my goal is to represent everyone in the region,” she said. “Either way, whatever happens, it will be fun.” Mr Baston, a sixth-generation Gascoyne pastoralist, said the low turnout was the result of a two-week pre-poll which stretched out the voting. He said whatever the outcome, there needed to be a strong voice for housing, health and at-risk youth in the electorate and he looked forward to thanking those who helped in the process. “It’s a long journey until this point, and I can say I’ve really enjoyed the stories that have been shared,” he said. “There’s some great things happening in the electorate, there’s also some quite disturbing and concerning issues across the electorate. Which is why I’m keen to take those stories to Parliament.” Nationals WA leader Mia Davies and WA Liberal party leader David Honey both made an appearance showing support on the day. Ms Davies said it was an unusual election with Labor skipping out on the contest, and there seemed to be “voter fatigue” in the electorate this year. Speaking to voters on Saturday, it was clear those living and working in the rural electorate were after a strong voice and action rather than empty promises, despite the fact that whoever wins will be part of a threadbare opposition party. Tracey Tonga said local issues couldn’t be fixed easily but hoped whoever won the election would help by creating solutions. “I hope they do something for Carnarvon,” she said. “It’s hard. Two locals, they’re both there for the same reasons. . .I think it will be a close race.” Samantha Turton said she would cast her vote at the last minute and continued to toss up the two main candidates. “They’re the two I will choose from. Mem because she’s a local, but that could also backfire. Just because you’re local doesn’t mean you’re going to invest back into the community,” she said. “Will on the other hand is a station owner, so that might benefit us. However, he’s a bloke. It’s that hard question of where do you cast your vote.” The count began at 6pm tonight.