Downhearted Liberals told to ‘stand up and fight’ at Labour Day campaign launch

“And when the question is asked of you in 2021 with the future of our state at stake, where were you? Were you fighting with us, were you standing up on behalf of the people of Western Australia, were you standing alongside our Liberal candidates on behalf of the people of WA, the answer needs to be yes.

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“You need to join us now in 2021, it is unprecedented, it will be difficult but we have the opportunity to make history here and now, join us.”

There were no new policies launched at the event – a few hundred metres down the road from one of the last Liberal government’s crowning infrastructure achievements, Optus Stadium – with the focus firmly on building Roe 8 and stopping Labor from getting ‘total control’.

Mr Kirkup acknowledged how his recent rhetoric that Premier Mark McGowan was going to win had been a tough pill to swallow for Liberal supporters.

“I’ll tell you this: if it means we need to make sure that the people of our state understand what it is at stake; if it is important for us to make sure that we get as many Liberals across the line as possible; if it is important to make sure that what stands between total control from the Labor party and the future of our state; and this is the sacrifice that I need to make, then it is worth it,” he said.

“The Liberal Party represents a thin line that stands between Labor’s desire for total domination, election without accountability, no checks and balances, and the very threat of our democracy at stake, there’s a thin line that will stop them and that is you.”

There were no elder statesman such as former Premier Colin Barnett at the event nor did Mr Hastie make an appearance.

Federal Liberals at the launch included Ben Small, Ben Morton, Vince Connelly, Ian Goodenough, and Michaelia Cash.

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Senator Cash led an all-women line-up of lead-in speakers – which included Deputy Leader Libby Mettam, Darling Range MP Alyssa Hayden, and Bicton candidate Nicole Robins – ahead of Mr Kirkup’s main address and said Mr McGowan needed to be held to account.

The Prime Minister was the most noted absentee from the launch but Mrs Hayden tried to channel Mr Morrison circa his 2019 ‘how good is Australia?’ victory speech as she revved up the crowd.

“How good is the local Liberal blue team, how good is our local Liberal volunteer team, how good are we,” she said.

The Liberals infamously grooved to Daft Punk’s One More Time at the 2017 campaign launch and dipped back into the early 2000s music catalogue with the Junior Senior dance track Move Your Feet as the Monday event’s main song.

‘Monstrous scare campaign’

Mr McGowan was in the safe Liberal seat of Nedlands for a policy announcement on Monday when he said the opposition was engaging in a monstrous scare campaign and the people of WA should just vote how they wanted to.

“We live in a democracy, people can vote in accordance with what they think,” he said.

“If they support the government, if they think we kept the state safe and strong, if they like our program for the election, well I’d urge people to vote for us.

“All the Liberal Party is doing is engaging in a monstrous scare campaign.

“I just think people should be able to vote, it’s a democracy.”

The Premier said the Liberal Party did not believe in itself and questioned why West Australians should vote for them.

“They’re acting in a very non-West Australian away, this giving up, surrendering, throwing in the towel, cutting and running, it’s not the West Australian way,” Mr McGowan said.

“We [Labor] believe in ourselves, we believe in WA, we believe the state has a strong future and we want to guide that future.”