Roger Cook seeks to capitalise on bruising week for Libby Mettam as Labor and Libs kickstart election campaign

Roger Cook has sought to capitalise on a bruising week for the WA Liberals, using a pre-election rally on his home turf to spruik his Government’s unity. Mr Cook said the plot to oust Liberal leader Libby Mettam in favour of Perth Lord Mayor and Churchlands candidate Basil Zempilas — which fell flat as most MPs stood behind the current leader — should make the Labor team even more determined to win a third term on March 8. The Premier on Sunday took to the stage in Kwinana to the tune of the INXS track Don’t Change and the roars of party faithful, with pre-election campaigning kicking off early after Parliament rose late last week. There are fewer than to 100 days to the State election, but even though caretaker provisions don’t kick in until February, the Labor and Liberal leaders have started shadow campaigns for the March 8 poll in earnest. “They’ve lost touch with reality so much that at the end of the week, they even tried to claim that their party was unified,” Mr Cook said. “I think with all of us here today, we can give them a lesson in the real meaning of that word. “So I say ‘that’s not unity. This is unity’.” Mr Cook argued the Government deserved to be reelected based on its economic record. “Our economy has grown by nearly a quarter from pre-pandemic levels, unemployment has averaged below 4 per cent for the past three years — the best numbers on record, and friends, more than 320,000 jobs have been created during our time in office,” he said. It was left to the warm up speech delivered by Deputy Premier Rita Saffioiti — who with Housing Minister John Carey are the Government’s fiercest attack dogs— to deliver the sharpest blows against the opposition, describing the Liberals as “at war” with themselves. Ms Saffioti said Ms Mettam was a “constant negative voice” and said Mr Zempilas, a Seven West employee, was a man “whose favourite subject is himself”. “In fact, (his) second and third favourite subjects are himself,” she said. Mr Cook later touted a promise to build 1800 social housing homes in partnership with the Federal Government. The $443m spend will see social houses built near Metronet stations across Perth and then sold to community housing providers. Shadow housing minister and deputy Liberal leader Steve Martin claimed the Labor government had left the issue too late, delivering a net growth of less than 400 new social homes in the eight years it has been in power. “Labor have over promised on housing for years and simply failed to deliver,” he said. “West Australians will take with a very large pinch of salt anything this Government says on housing.” Speaking in Kingsley, in Perth’s northern suburbs, Ms Mettam called focus to her plan to wind back a daily fee Labor doubled on electricity charges . She told reporters on Sunday the move would save households $169 a year. “When WA Labor came to government in 2017 they promised no new taxes, and yet they increased the fixed rate of electricity for WA households,” she said. “This has hit Western Australian households to a tune of about $1,300 since they were elected. “This is about ensuring we have sustainable and strategic cost of living and relief for Western Australian households.” Ms Saffioti, who is also Treasurer, said the Liberals had so far announced $7 billion of uncosted policies and that their electricity promise should not be believed.