Perth Voice Interactive

THE WA senate re-election is a cruel blow for the Liberal party which has every right to be “particularly aggrieved” says Notre Dame University political lecturer Martin Drum.

Western Australians are expected to return to the polls in April or May to elect six senators after the Australian Electoral Commission admitted it had lost 1370 votes during a recount of votes in WA following the September 2013 election.

Mr Drum says the Liberals—who surged in September but who now face an electorate smarting from tough decisions—could lose out: “It is cruel for the Liberal party,” he says.

“Certainly the unpopularity of the state government won’t help the Liberals, but it will largely be a federal affair.”

“Having had three senators elected last time around—none of which were in dispute—they have everything to lose and little to gain from this by-election.

“At the best they can retain the three seats they already won, but there is a reasonable chance they will lose one.”

Mr Drum believes the Greens’ Scott Ludlam—who retained his seat on a knife-edge only after an AEC recount—will fare better second time round.

“Scott Ludlam will do pretty well this time,” he predicts.

“The Greens are less likely to be lumped together with an unpopular Labor government in 2014.

“There’s a range of poignant anti-government campaigns he can run in order to maximise his vote, such as Medicare.”

Swingeing budget cuts and an unpopular shark cull policy by the state Liberal government will not influence the federal re-election, Mr Drum believes.

“I don’t think that the state government shark cull policy will have much of an impact on the vote, nor even many of their other policies,” he says.

“Certainly the unpopularity of the state government won’t help the Liberals, but it will largely be a federal affair.

“Electors will be a little wary of voting for the micro-parties, given the controversy over preferences.

“There is already a greater spotlight on the preferential arrangements than previously, and I expect the preference deals this time around to be highlighted much more during the campaign.”

The re-run cost two senior electoral commission executives their jobs and will cost taxpayers more than $20 million.