JOYOUS: A beaming Premier Colin Barnett claims victory and thanks the WA voters and promises four more years of good government. Picture: Daniel Wilkins Source: PerthNow
VICTORIOUS WA Premier Colin Barnett has congratulated his successful MPs and promised "good government for another four years.''
Mr Barnett congratulated his coalition MPs who retained all the seats won at the last election.
``We've also won a further seven seats with a few still up for grabs,'' he told supporters.
He said the coalition deserved re-election as it had been a ``good government'', which was strong on the economy, ethical, principled and had introduced ``fantastic reforms in education and health.''
``This is the moment to enjoy,'' he said.
``And I promise you a good government for another four years.''
Mr Barnett congratulated Mr McGowan on his energetic campaign which he said gave the people of Western Australia a real choice.
GRACIOUS: Labor Leader Mark McGowan concedes defeat. Picture: Stewart Allen Source: PerthNow
Earlier, before 9pm -- less than three hours after polls closed -- Labor leader Mark McGowan conceded defeat after a crushing victory by the Liberal-National coalition, led by Mr Barnett.
At 8.50pm, Mr McGowan, who comfortably won his seat but saw his party decimated, said he had rung the Premier and congratulated him on his victory.
Mr McGowan said he was proud of the values that were reflected in his party's policies, which aimed to support West Australians in the regions as well as in the suburbs.
``I think we did a good job,'' he said.
``We went out there and we were bold in what we stood for.
``I know that we need to provide those basic core services, those basic facilities where people live in an expanding, growing state like Western Australia, and that was the vision we took to the election.
``That was what we wanted to make sure people understood that we stood for and that we strived to achieve in the course of this campaign.
``All of those ideas are ideas that we will pursue into the future.''
News Mark McGowan and wife Sarah voting at the Rockingham High School9.3.2013 Source: PerthNow
Labor had been courageous in putting out its ideas, he said, adding he was proud of the Metronet plan.
WA Labor's election campaign revolved around the Metronet train project but it was seen as an ambitious proposal and competed with the Liberal party's more piecemeal transport plans.
Federal Labor's sinking popularity and ailing image has dragged down the party's WA leader Mark McGowan, who was heading for a massive defeat in one of the state's most swiftly called elections.
Moments after counting began, ABC commentators said the polls that had pointed to a crushing victory to premier Colin Barnett and his the Liberal/Nationals coalition were proving correct and called the result about an hour into the tallying.
A brutally frank defence minister Stephen Smith said federal Labor had not helped Mr McGowan, who, despite a strong campaign, could not achieve an extremely rare defeat of a first term government.
Mr Smith said Saturday's result in the west proved the Labor party had many issues to work on before the federal election on September 14.
``We've had a tough time federally - you don't need to be a rocket scientist to work that out - and there's no doubt we have been a drag on Mark and there's no doubt that we haven't been helpful,'' Mr Smith said.
``We have a range of tough political issues to work through between now and September.
``It will go down to the wire.''
With 56.7 per cent of the vote counted, the coalition had 58 per cent of the vote on a two party preferred basis, with Labor taking 42 per cent, accounting for a swing of 6.6 per cent to the government.
Deputy federal opposition leader Julie Bishop said the WA election results - which very early in counting pointed to a Liberal/National coalition securing an overwhelming majority in the WA parliament - reflected poorly on Labor's brand.
Independent Liz Constable, who is retiring from the seat of Churchlands, said: ``I don't think anyone anticipated such a landslide''.
And WA Labor must have known it, with a very small contingent turning out for the party's gathering in Mr McGowan's home of Rockingham, where the atmosphere was decidedly sombre.
'WHAT A BLOODBATH' - LABOR MP
``It looks terrible. What a bloodbath,'' one Labor supporter lamented at the function.
Deputy leader of the Opposition Roger Cook admitted there had been some damage to the Labor brand from the federal government.
``To what extent it had a role to play in the state election is very difficult to say,'' he said.
WA Treasurer Troy Buswell, who had been attacked by the Labor party in the last week of the campaign, said the tactic had backfired.
``It's pretty un-Australian to play the man - I don't think West Australians have taken too kindly to that,'' Mr Buswell said.
HANNAH BEAZLEY MISSES OUT
Hannah Beazley, the daughter of former federal Labor leader Kim Beazley, looks highly unlikely to unseat sitting member for Riverton, Liberal member Mike Nahan.
The Swan Hills area, the focus of some of the key campaign issues including the Ellenbrook rail line and Perth-to-Darwin Highway, seems certain to remain firmly in the grip of Liberal Frank Alban.
Veteran Midland Labor MP Michelle Roberts and former Labor Transport Minister Alannah MacTiernan conceded early that the election was lost for Mark McGowan.
LIBERALS CELEBRATE EARLY
Pizzas by the hundreds were ordered, the balloons were standing proudly to attention, and the mood at the Sea View Golf Club in Colin Barnett's heartland of Cottesloe was a combination of New Year's Eve and a raucous 70th birthday party.
With the polls predicting a landslide, and the analysts saying similar within minutes after the polling booths closed, any Liberal nerves that may have existed on the morning of March 9 had dissipated long before the sun had set over the Indian Ocean.
The blue waves lapping against the nearby Cottesloe beach were being mirrored on the tally boards, as the seat of Churchlands fell first and many more followed.
Mr Barnett's advisers, who had spent the first weeks of the campaign playing catch-up to Mark McGowan's Metronet express, had the tired, relieved looks of those that would still have a job on Monday morning.
And when the numbers came through that there was an eight per cent swing toward Liberal enfant terrible Troy Buswell, who had become the target of Labor's bile in the final days of the campaign, the party really got started.
Mr Barnett had begun the day casting his vote next to a fellow constituent wearing his budgie smugglers.
As WA goes to vote, Premier Colin Barnett says he's confident he will be reelected and continue on as the state's leader.
And such was the astonishing tide of votes flowing the way of the Liberals, that the sight of a few of the more elderly supporters donning similar apparel running across the 18th green would not have been out of the question.
Balcatta, Kimberley, and then the seat of the Midland - parliamentary home of former Labor Police Minister Michelle Roberts - all swung violently, and the gasps of astonishment from the staunchest of Liberal supporters told the story.
Not only was Colin Barnett going to win, he was going to annihilate Labor, and secure himself a mandate to power ahead with his big vision for WA, while also sending a significant message to Prime Minister Julia Gillard, and a major boost to her September opponent Tony Abbott.
Take a graphical look at the entire state's seat-by-seat vote count so far, here.
SOMBRE MOOD AT LABOR HQ
By Angie Raphael
It was such a sombre mood among the WA Labor camp on election night that one of the only cheers from the crowd came when an image of the party's leader appeared on the television.
Less than 100 people gathered in Mark McGowan's electorate of Rockingham on Saturday night.
Heading into the state election, it looked like Labor was going to lose.
But no one expected political experts to begin calling the result before 7.30pm (WST).
``It looks terrible. What a bloodbath,'' one Labor supporter lamented.
Deputy leader of the Opposition Roger Cook was the only Labor politician to front the venue early in the evening and admitted to reporters that it was looking like a tough night ahead for his party.
``We need to just wait and see how the night develops,'' he said.
Mr Cook said there was still a sense of anticipation because it was early in the count.
He said there was a sense of pride in how the election campaign had been run by Labor.
``We believe we've run a very competitive campaign for a party that obviously doesn't have the resources to draw upon that the Liberal party does,'' he said.
``We've brought forward bold policies, bold visions for Western Australia.''
Mr Cook also admitted there had been some damage to the Labor brand from the federal government.
``To what extent it had a role to play in the state election is very difficult to say,'' he said.
They may be headed for a whitewash in the election, but at least there is plenty of good food to eat while Labor supporters drown their sorrows.
Mr Barnett maintained that at least a dozen seats hung in the balance, and that the Liberals would form another coalition with the Nationals even if the conservatives won the election outright.
Labor leader Mark McGowan, who holds the seat of the working-class suburb of Rockingham, said he'd run the best campaign he could have.
``You can't get down, you can't get distracted - you have to focus on what matters to the people in the community and not be deterred by whatever comes along,'' Mr McGowan said.
LEADERS CAMPAIGN TO LAST MINUTE
Both leaders spent the day visiting polling booths around the city in a bid to drum up last-minute support.
The WA Electoral Commission (WAEC) said voters surged to the polls early in the day, but a new computerised voter checking system at many centres kept waiting times to a minimum.
In the regions, WAEC staff in the Pilbara town of Karratha were stretched to their limit with the early turnout.
``We were hammered,'' local returning officer Jill Johnson said.
``And in all my time working on elections I have never seen so many party officials and volunteers working so hard to canvass people's votes.''
On top of the strong morning turnout, there was a 30 per cent increase in early voting, with 140,000 votes ready for tallying as soon as booths closed.
There were some light moments, including a raft of fancy-dressed superhero and fantasy fans who attended the Oz Comic-Con convention casting their votes in the Perth city polling place.
And a complete bridal party arrived at the Riverton district's Shelley Primary School centre before kicking on for festivities.
Deputy federal opposition leader Julie Bishop was full of praise for Mr Barnett, saying he would continue to stand up for the state's interests.
Ms Bishop said Mr McGowan had tried to distance himself from federal Labor, but that was futile because there was a deep distrust of the Gillard government that the state party couldn't shake.
Sportsbet called the election winner on Friday, almost 24 hours before polls opened.
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