❓ Premier Gallop addresses concerns about low voter turnout in the Nedlands by-election, attributing it to the recent general election outcome and perceived lack of impact. He uses the opportunity to criticise the Liberal Party and their leader, particularly regarding their stance on old-growth forest logging.
AnsweredQoN 110Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
NEDLANDS BY-ELECTION
Does the Premier have any concerns about the low voter turnout in Saturday’s by-election for the seat of Nedlands? Dr GALLOP
Does the Premier have any concerns about the low voter turnout in Saturday’s by-election for the seat of Nedlands? Dr GALLOP
AnswerView source ↗
Concern always exists when almost one in three voters fails to exercise his or her democratic right in an election. The Electoral Commission will conduct an inquiry into that matter. At one level, the turnout is probably not surprising because an important decision was made in Western Australia on 10 February; that is, to vote out the previous Government. Many of the electors in the seat of Nedlands would have concluded that the by-election would not impact on the future of government in the State and, therefore, would not have been concerned about the result. We await that result, which will be announced this afternoon. This is the bluest of blue Liberal Party seats and the party’s heartland, but for the second time its primary vote has decreased. We have heard much from the Leader of the Opposition about how he intends to rebuild the Liberal Party, reconnect it and make it relevant to the public. He has been sent a clear message from his heartland in two elections in a row that, rather than arrogantly defending everything that occurred when he was in government, he should be rethinking his party’s policies and strategies. Saturday’s by-election sent a clear message: the people of Western Australia support the current Government’s policy of ending the logging of old-growth forests in this State. The message from the Liberal Party’s heartland is that the Labor Party’s policy has overwhelming support. The leader has an opportunity to join the Government in supporting the cessation of logging of old-growth forests in Western Australia so that both sides of the House can work together to make that transition. What is the leader’s policy? Does he support the Labor Government’s policy? This is the new-look Liberal Party connecting to the people of Western Australia, who are sending a clear message, but the leader will not answer my question. If that is the new look Liberal Party, I think the next by-election will see the primary vote go down even further.
Dr GALLOP replied: Concern always exists when almost one in three voters fails to exercise his or her democratic right in an election. The Electoral Commission will conduct an inquiry into that matter. At one level, the turnout is probably not surprising because an important decision was made in Western Australia on 10 February; that is, to vote out the previous Government. Many of the electors in the seat of Nedlands would have concluded that the by-election would not impact on the future of government in the State and, therefore, would not have been concerned about the result. We await that result, which will be announced this afternoon. This is the bluest of blue Liberal Party seats and the party’s heartland, but for the second time its primary vote has decreased. We have heard much from the Leader of the Opposition about how he intends to rebuild the Liberal Party, reconnect it and make it relevant to the public. He has been sent a clear message from his heartland in two elections in a row that, rather than arrogantly defending everything that occurred when he was in government, he should be rethinking his party’s policies and strategies. Saturday’s by-election sent a clear message: the people of Western Australia support the current Government’s policy of ending the logging of old-growth forests in this State. The message from the Liberal Party’s heartland is that the Labor Party’s policy has overwhelming support. The leader has an opportunity to join the Government in supporting the cessation of logging of old-growth forests in Western Australia so that both sides of the House can work together to make that transition. What is the leader’s policy? Does he support the Labor Government’s policy? This is the new-look Liberal Party connecting to the people of Western Australia, who are sending a clear message, but the leader will not answer my question. If that is the new look Liberal Party, I think the next by-election will see the primary vote go down even further.
Concern always exists when almost one in three voters fails to exercise his or her democratic right in an election. The Electoral Commission will conduct an inquiry into that matter. At one level, the turnout is probably not surprising because an important decision was made in Western Australia on 10 February; that is, to vote out the previous Government. Many of the electors in the seat of Nedlands would have concluded that the by-election would not impact on the future of government in the State and, therefore, would not have been concerned about the result. We await that result, which will be announced this afternoon. This is the bluest of blue Liberal Party seats and the party’s heartland, but for the second time its primary vote has decreased. We have heard much from the Leader of the Opposition about how he intends to rebuild the Liberal Party, reconnect it and make it relevant to the public. He has been sent a clear message from his heartland in two elections in a row that, rather than arrogantly defending everything that occurred when he was in government, he should be rethinking his party’s policies and strategies. Saturday’s by-election sent a clear message: the people of Western Australia support the current Government’s policy of ending the logging of old-growth forests in this State. The message from the Liberal Party’s heartland is that the Labor Party’s policy has overwhelming support. The leader has an opportunity to join the Government in supporting the cessation of logging of old-growth forests in Western Australia so that both sides of the House can work together to make that transition. What is the leader’s policy? Does he support the Labor Government’s policy? This is the new-look Liberal Party connecting to the people of Western Australia, who are sending a clear message, but the leader will not answer my question. If that is the new look Liberal Party, I think the next by-election will see the primary vote go down even further.
At one level, the turnout is probably not surprising because an important decision was made in Western Australia on 10 February; that is, to vote out the previous Government. Many of the electors in the seat of Nedlands would have concluded that the by-election would not impact on the future of government in the State and, therefore, would not have been concerned about the result. We await that result, which will be announced this afternoon. This is the bluest of blue Liberal Party seats and the party’s heartland, but for the second time its primary vote has decreased. We have heard much from the Leader of the Opposition about how he intends to rebuild the Liberal Party, reconnect it and make it relevant to the public. He has been sent a clear message from his heartland in two elections in a row that, rather than arrogantly defending everything that occurred when he was in government, he should be rethinking his party’s policies and strategies. Saturday’s by-election sent a clear message: the people of Western Australia support the current Government’s policy of ending the logging of old-growth forests in this State. The message from the Liberal Party’s heartland is that the Labor Party’s policy has overwhelming support. The leader has an opportunity to join the Government in supporting the cessation of logging of old-growth forests in Western Australia so that both sides of the House can work together to make that transition. What is the leader’s policy? Does he support the Labor Government’s policy? This is the new-look Liberal Party connecting to the people of Western Australia, who are sending a clear message, but the leader will not answer my question. If that is the new look Liberal Party, I think the next by-election will see the primary vote go down even further.
This is the bluest of blue Liberal Party seats and the party’s heartland, but for the second time its primary vote has decreased. We have heard much from the Leader of the Opposition about how he intends to rebuild the Liberal Party, reconnect it and make it relevant to the public. He has been sent a clear message from his heartland in two elections in a row that, rather than arrogantly defending everything that occurred when he was in government, he should be rethinking his party’s policies and strategies. Saturday’s by-election sent a clear message: the people of Western Australia support the current Government’s policy of ending the logging of old-growth forests in this State. The message from the Liberal Party’s heartland is that the Labor Party’s policy has overwhelming support. The leader has an opportunity to join the Government in supporting the cessation of logging of old-growth forests in Western Australia so that both sides of the House can work together to make that transition. What is the leader’s policy? Does he support the Labor Government’s policy? This is the new-look Liberal Party connecting to the people of Western Australia, who are sending a clear message, but the leader will not answer my question. If that is the new look Liberal Party, I think the next by-election will see the primary vote go down even further.
If that is the new look Liberal Party, I think the next by-election will see the primary vote go down even further.
Dr GALLOP replied: Concern always exists when almost one in three voters fails to exercise his or her democratic right in an election. The Electoral Commission will conduct an inquiry into that matter. At one level, the turnout is probably not surprising because an important decision was made in Western Australia on 10 February; that is, to vote out the previous Government. Many of the electors in the seat of Nedlands would have concluded that the by-election would not impact on the future of government in the State and, therefore, would not have been concerned about the result. We await that result, which will be announced this afternoon. This is the bluest of blue Liberal Party seats and the party’s heartland, but for the second time its primary vote has decreased. We have heard much from the Leader of the Opposition about how he intends to rebuild the Liberal Party, reconnect it and make it relevant to the public. He has been sent a clear message from his heartland in two elections in a row that, rather than arrogantly defending everything that occurred when he was in government, he should be rethinking his party’s policies and strategies. Saturday’s by-election sent a clear message: the people of Western Australia support the current Government’s policy of ending the logging of old-growth forests in this State. The message from the Liberal Party’s heartland is that the Labor Party’s policy has overwhelming support. The leader has an opportunity to join the Government in supporting the cessation of logging of old-growth forests in Western Australia so that both sides of the House can work together to make that transition. What is the leader’s policy? Does he support the Labor Government’s policy? This is the new-look Liberal Party connecting to the people of Western Australia, who are sending a clear message, but the leader will not answer my question. If that is the new look Liberal Party, I think the next by-election will see the primary vote go down even further.
Concern always exists when almost one in three voters fails to exercise his or her democratic right in an election. The Electoral Commission will conduct an inquiry into that matter. At one level, the turnout is probably not surprising because an important decision was made in Western Australia on 10 February; that is, to vote out the previous Government. Many of the electors in the seat of Nedlands would have concluded that the by-election would not impact on the future of government in the State and, therefore, would not have been concerned about the result. We await that result, which will be announced this afternoon. This is the bluest of blue Liberal Party seats and the party’s heartland, but for the second time its primary vote has decreased. We have heard much from the Leader of the Opposition about how he intends to rebuild the Liberal Party, reconnect it and make it relevant to the public. He has been sent a clear message from his heartland in two elections in a row that, rather than arrogantly defending everything that occurred when he was in government, he should be rethinking his party’s policies and strategies. Saturday’s by-election sent a clear message: the people of Western Australia support the current Government’s policy of ending the logging of old-growth forests in this State. The message from the Liberal Party’s heartland is that the Labor Party’s policy has overwhelming support. The leader has an opportunity to join the Government in supporting the cessation of logging of old-growth forests in Western Australia so that both sides of the House can work together to make that transition. What is the leader’s policy? Does he support the Labor Government’s policy? This is the new-look Liberal Party connecting to the people of Western Australia, who are sending a clear message, but the leader will not answer my question. If that is the new look Liberal Party, I think the next by-election will see the primary vote go down even further.
At one level, the turnout is probably not surprising because an important decision was made in Western Australia on 10 February; that is, to vote out the previous Government. Many of the electors in the seat of Nedlands would have concluded that the by-election would not impact on the future of government in the State and, therefore, would not have been concerned about the result. We await that result, which will be announced this afternoon. This is the bluest of blue Liberal Party seats and the party’s heartland, but for the second time its primary vote has decreased. We have heard much from the Leader of the Opposition about how he intends to rebuild the Liberal Party, reconnect it and make it relevant to the public. He has been sent a clear message from his heartland in two elections in a row that, rather than arrogantly defending everything that occurred when he was in government, he should be rethinking his party’s policies and strategies. Saturday’s by-election sent a clear message: the people of Western Australia support the current Government’s policy of ending the logging of old-growth forests in this State. The message from the Liberal Party’s heartland is that the Labor Party’s policy has overwhelming support. The leader has an opportunity to join the Government in supporting the cessation of logging of old-growth forests in Western Australia so that both sides of the House can work together to make that transition. What is the leader’s policy? Does he support the Labor Government’s policy? This is the new-look Liberal Party connecting to the people of Western Australia, who are sending a clear message, but the leader will not answer my question. If that is the new look Liberal Party, I think the next by-election will see the primary vote go down even further.
This is the bluest of blue Liberal Party seats and the party’s heartland, but for the second time its primary vote has decreased. We have heard much from the Leader of the Opposition about how he intends to rebuild the Liberal Party, reconnect it and make it relevant to the public. He has been sent a clear message from his heartland in two elections in a row that, rather than arrogantly defending everything that occurred when he was in government, he should be rethinking his party’s policies and strategies. Saturday’s by-election sent a clear message: the people of Western Australia support the current Government’s policy of ending the logging of old-growth forests in this State. The message from the Liberal Party’s heartland is that the Labor Party’s policy has overwhelming support. The leader has an opportunity to join the Government in supporting the cessation of logging of old-growth forests in Western Australia so that both sides of the House can work together to make that transition. What is the leader’s policy? Does he support the Labor Government’s policy? This is the new-look Liberal Party connecting to the people of Western Australia, who are sending a clear message, but the leader will not answer my question. If that is the new look Liberal Party, I think the next by-election will see the primary vote go down even further.
If that is the new look Liberal Party, I think the next by-election will see the primary vote go down even further.
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