Tonkin will lose her job come Saturday night but watch the final margin compared with his other western suburbs Liberal candidates to see how Zempilas’ loud personality has resonated with the electorate.
Nedlands and Carine
These affluent electorates will also return to Liberal hands after their shock losses in 2021. Labor’s Nedlands MP Katrina Stratton has hit the ejector button and is running for the party in the upper house while Carine MP Paul Lilburne has also been pretty muted these past four years.
Liberal candidate in Nedlands Jonathan Huston and Carine candidate Liam Staltari are considered future leaders in the new state Liberal party.
Scarborough
After Zempilas’ campaign, Scarborough has perhaps drawn the most public interest of this election. Labor would love nothing more than to keep this formerly blue ribbon seat with their surfy tradie candidate Stuart Aubrey. The Liberal Damien Kelly has plenty of support in the electorate. He also surfs.
Scarborough is up for grabs.
South Perth
Of all the formerly blue ribbon seats the Liberals are hoping to get back South Perth is the hardest to read. Geoff Baker has also been a quiet presence on the Labor backbench but insiders consider him a chance to defend the seat from Liberal and South Perth deputy mayor Bronwyn Waugh.
Riverton
Labor candidate Jagadish Krishnan aka Dr Jags has been a fairly popular member in the seat of former Liberal treasurer Mike Nahan but a bit of bad press recently might eat into his 11 per cent margin.
Fremantle
Water Minister Simone McGurk faces a serious challenge from the Greens and well-resourced independent Kate Hullett who have been campaigning hard on Labor’s inaction on climate change. Fremantle has gone Green before.
An independent has a big chance here.Credit: Getty Images
Regional seats
Labor’s vote will be torched in the regions thanks to its gun laws and federal Labor’s live export ban. Expect to see Warren-Blackwood fall quickly, followed by Geraldton, and potentially Kalgoorlie and Albany despite the hundreds of millions the party has promised in these electorates.
Current opposition leader and Nationals MP Shane Love is also in a fight for the new seat of Mid-West where he is taking on his former Nationals colleague Mem Beard after she defected to the Liberals.
Love would love to win that seat.
