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WA Labor chalks up 40th seat win

Only one seat remains in the balance as counting for the WA election continues, but Joondalup is predicted to give Labor its 41st seat in a 59 seat parliament.

A seventh Barnett government minister has lost their seat, bringing the total won by WA Labor to 40, while a second frontbencher has criticised the disastrous Liberal campaign.

The metropolitan seat of Kingsley has been won by Labor's Jessica Stojkovski, ousting former mental health and child protection minister Andrea Mitchell from parliament.

The Murray-Wellington electorate south of Perth has gone to Labor's Robyn Clarke, removing first-term Barnett government minister Murray Cowper from the seat he has held since 2005.

The last seat hanging in the balance for Labor is Joondalup in the city's north, where Labor's Emily Hamilton is expected to remove incumbent Liberal Jan Norberger.

Earlier on Wednesday, former police minister Liza Harvey admitted the Liberals ran a "terrible" campaign before their crushing defeat at Saturday's state election.

Ms Harvey said she was happy to retain her Scarborough seat but sad to see so many of her colleagues and their staff unemployed.

She also refused to confirm whether she would take over the Liberal leadership when Colin Barnett goes to the backbench, saying that would be discussed at a party meeting next week, adding several people had expressed interest.

Former corrective services minister Joe Francis - who declared he was interested on Tuesday but then lost his Jandakot seat - said the Liberals should have changed leaders last year when it became clear Mr Barnett would steer the party to defeat instead of a third term.

"At the time, I think the party room were lined up behind the premier," Ms Harvey told 6PR radio.

"I am loyal and I don't believe it's the right thing to, in a party room, depose a leader and I didn't agree with a spill motion or any of that nonsense.

"The one big turn off for people in the community ... is when politicians start talking about ourselves, our leadership issues."

Former treasurer Mike Nahan, who some consider the frontrunner to take over as leader, is out of town for several days and unavailable for comment.

Mr Barnett has not been seen publicly since conceding, while Ms Harvey only took to the airwaves after ABC reporters spotted her having coffee near their studios and quizzed her.


3 min read

Published

Source: AAP



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