Stunning win returns to Labor power

After just one per cent of votes from a single polling booth in Premier Mark McGowan’s Rockingham electorate were counted, he had 89.8 per cent of the primary vote “which is quite remarkable”, political guru Antony Green said.

Moments later, Mr Green called the whole election, confirming expectations of a massive Labor win.

“We can safely say the McGowan government has been returned to office,” he said.

“A number of the seats we’re not prepared to call officially … but there is nothing to indicate anything other than Labor will win these seats.

“I mean, this is just history-making stuff … a second landslide to Labor.”

Police Minister Michelle Roberts said: “It’s an incredible result for Mark McGowan”.

“He can take a lot of the credit for it absolutely,” she told the ABC election night panel.

“I think it’s a choice people have made between an experienced responsible government and a very inexperienced Opposition Leader and team opposite us.

“I think this contrast was pretty stark, and whilst those of us in politics see that, the community clearly have seen it as well.”

Retiring Liberal MP Mike Nahan spoke with his trademark honesty.

“I’m going speak my mind: I think he’s (Mr McGowan) done a remarkable job … he works hard,” Dr Nahan said.

“He is a team player, which is absolutely essential.

“He has a pretty good team behind him.

“He’s losing (Treasurer) Ben Wyatt – that will be a loss … this is a remarkable victory.

“Yes, he’s been extremely lucky, right? But you make your luck. You make your luck. And so I’ll just say to my colleagues, learn from him.”

POLLS TIPPED BLOODBATH FOR THE LIBERALS

Polls had pointed to a dire result for the Liberals, the worst tipping its lower house seats could be smashed from 13 to just two, although political analysts don’t believe the result will be quite that bad.

Newly minted Liberal leader Zak Kirkup shocked everyone by conceding the Liberals would be defeated weeks ago.

He also admitted he could lose his seat of Dawesville, which he won in 2017 with a margin of only 0.8 per cent, and says that would spell the end of his political career after just one term.

Early vote counts show it’s looking grim for Mr Kirkup – who appears set to be the first conservative leader to lose their seat in WA since 1933.

On Saturday when he cast his vote, Mr Kirkup reiterated previous comments it was “obviously always going to be very tough, tough election”, replying “probably not” when asked if this one was ever winnable for the Liberals.

SOCIAL MEDIA HIT

A TikTok video of WA’s rock star-popular Premier losing it giggling went viral as people cast their votes in the election.

In the clip, Mr McGowan stands next to the owner of the Spud Shed chain, Tony Galati, who is known for his trademark bushy eyebrows and bricklayer-style attire, referring to him as a “well-known fashion icon”.

Also in the shot is Labor’s candidate for Scarborough, Stuart Aubrey, who is trying to unseat one of only three Liberal women in the lower house, former party leader Liza Harvey.

“It’s fair to say it’s a mash made in heaven,” Mr McGowan says before laughing, saying “please don’t use that”.

It’s reminiscent of the giggling fit Mr McGowan had last year after a reporter asked about a man who was fined for stopping to eat a kebab while out for a run during lockdown.

“But what is at risk now is a Labor landslide majority and I think that would be a very big risk to the people of WA,” he told reporters.

Mr McGowan, who has repeatedly insisted he wouldn’t assume anything, said he was “more a beer sort of guy” when asked if he would celebrate a victory with a beer or champagne, but insisted polls were “notoriously inaccurate”.

Asked if he was feeling confident, he told reporters: “I’m confident we’ve put forward the plans and the policies that will take the state forward”.

LAST MOMENTS ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL:

After controversy over a spat on Friday night between Liberal and Labor volunteers over campaign posters in Joondalup — the most marginal seat in the state at just 0.03 per cent — Mr Kirkup was all class, righting a Labor sign that had blown over in the wind.

Mr McGowan went to a primary school in the seat of Hillarys with his parents Mary and Dennis, who recently drove from NSW to Perth in their caravan, and the Premier helped out frying democracy sausages, as did Mr Kirkup.

Hillarys is held by Liberal Peter Katsambanis with a margin of just 0.4 per cent.

Another seat considered at risk of falling to Labor is Mr Kirkup’s Dawesville electorate, which he won in 2017 with a margin of only 0.8 per cent.

Seats to watch in the WA election

It’s been a presidential-style campaign for Labor, with some posters featuring Mr McGowan alongside candidates and others by himself as the party capitalises on his huge popularity, which soared due to his handling of the pandemic.

FINAL PITCHES

Mr McGowan said it was “one of the most important elections, if not the most important election, in living memory”.

“It’s very important that Western Australia stays the course and sticks with the team that has kept our state safe and strong over the last four years,” he told reporters.

“We’ve obviously been through a very traumatic last year.”

While Mr McGowan argued it was too risky to change teams during the health crisis, the Liberals tried to save the furniture, saying Labor seeks “total control”, which would be bad for democracy.

On Facebook, Mr Kirkup again urged West Australians to vote Liberal locally, saying it “looks after your community first and keeps important checks and balances”.

HUGE EARLY VOTING TURNOUT

People were encouraged to vote early in a bid to reduce polling booth queues and maintain social distancing on election day, with more early voting centres opened than usual.

The WA Electoral Commission reported on Friday that more than 755,000 votes had already been cast, including postal votes, from an electoral roll of more than 1.7m.

Mr McGowan and his wife Sarah McGowan were among the early voters.