Year after Labor poll win WA voters still seeing red

Polling shows that if a State Election was held this weekend, Labor would still romp it in.

Twelve months on from Roger Cook’s emphatic victory, securing a third term of government, the political dial hasn’t moved a lot.

And that’s mainly because the Opposition, under new leader Basil Zempilas, has not yet prosecuted the case to be an alternative government.

Labor went to the election with $3.4 billion in commitments. It has plenty of cash to deliver.

Already, in the first six months of this financial year, Labor has recorded an operating surplus of $2.3 billion – on track for its eighth consecutive surplus since winning office in 2017.

This is courtesy of billions in iron ore and gold royalties as well as annual GST distributions, which, since 2019, have totalled $43b.

On the plus side, Labor is moving full steam ahead to deliver. On the “to do list” this term is completing the new $1.8b Women’s and Babies Hospital at Murdoch, as well as the expansion of the Osborne Park Hospital and new emergency departments at Sir Charles Gairdner, Royal Perth and Midland hospitals.

Labor is also proceeding with contentious projects such as the $217 million racetrack and sport and recreation precinct at Burswood and more ferries on the Swan River.

But housing and health remain huge problems in WA.

There are now 23,168 people on the public housing list, and for anyone who doesn’t qualify, the number of available properties for sale in Greater Perth is under 3000 and median house prices are about $1 million.

Rents - if you can find a rental - are now upwards of $700.

In health, ambulances carrying patients are still having to wait hours for a bed and treatment at the Royal Perth ED.

St John WA figures show 4892 hours of ambulances and patients stuck outside hospitals last month.

The Cook Government again opened its bulging wallet just a few weeks ago, announcing a $140m winter strategy which included contracting more beds from the private sector and free flu jabs.

Sure: the cavalry is coming — the Cook Government has allocated another $1.5b hospital ED redevelopments and a new Peel Health Campus and fixing festering maintenance problems at public hospitals.

But sick West Australians and those struggling to find somewhere to live can’t wait for the calvary to arrive.

The other increasingly large dark cloud is construction.

Building things requires labour, and WA is crying out for skilled and unskilled labour.

Shortly after the election win, Mr Cook sent a SOS to Anthony Albanese asking for help in attracting skilled labour to WA.

WA asked for 5000 skilled migrants in 2026-2027, under a Commonwealth scheme. It will get 3400.

The Cook Government has now turned to heavy hitters in the WA business community for help, scheduling a series of roundtables for this and next month to try and find solutions to the workforce crisis.

On the leadership front, Roger Cook has committed to contesting the 2029 election, trying to end bed speculation he would pull a Mark McGowan and retire from politics.

Rita Saffioti and Amber-Jade Sanderson however, still badly want the Iron Throne, and hungry backbenchers want ministerial gigs.

Party unity could be a problem for Labor this year and beyond.

Mr Zempilas has done a good job of putting the once laughable Liberal-National Alliance on the 6pm news.

He knows how to get a headline, but polling indicates Mr Zempilas is yet to be seen as an alternative Premier and his Opposition yet to be seen as an alternative government.

He needs to find an exciting policy, or vision — and fast, given the scale of Labor’s win means the Liberals can’t rely on Labor fatigue alone to win.

Signature Labor policy Metronet has been completed, at $12.5b — well over budget and over time.

Though Labor continues with its massive infrastructure agenda, the third-term government in its first 12 months of new office dropped the ball on important domestic issues, only introducing long awaited tobacco legislation and fixing hospital spending after media furores.

If Labor is to achieve the Holy Grail of politics by winning a fourth term government, it will need to be sharper and quicker on addressing the immediate needs of the State.