The election wipe-out in WA has led to a devastating phenomenon for the Liberal Party that hasn’t happened in 88 years.
The 34-year old held his seat of Dawesville by a wafer-thin 0.8 per cent margin, but was unseated by Lisa Munday as Labor enjoyed a historic surge.
He described losing Dawesville as “devastating” and confirmed it spelled the end of his political career.Zak Kirkup has become the first leader of a major WA party to lose their seat in 88 years. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Tony McDonough“I think it’s important to recognise the people of Western Australia have had their say.
“We lose incredibly good local members of parliament and it means that we lose very good candidates who could have been part of the Liberal Party.Mr Kirkup was criticised for conceding the Liberals could not win during the campaign. “Everyone said ‘If they don’t believe in themselves how can you believe in them?’ I got a bit of that feedback at pre-poll, I got it again today,” she said.“He can take a lot of the credit for it, absolutely,” she said.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Polling shows Zak Kirkup may be first WA party leader to lose seat in 88 yearsWA Liberal leader Zak Kirkup is set to make history for all the wrong reasons tomorrow, with a poll suggesting he is on track to become the first WA party leader to lose his seat since 1933.
Read more »
Zak Kirkup will be 'fighting hard' right through to 6pm in WA election | Sky News AustraliaWA Opposition Leader Zak Kirkup says his party will be “fighting hard” right through to 6 PM tonight as Mark McGowan's Labor looks set for a landslide victory in the state’s election. \n\n“The best way that we can make sure the Labor Party doesn’t get too much power and doesn’t get too much control after this election is by making sure we get as many Liberals elected locally as possible,” he said. \n\nAn election-eve Newspoll showed Mr Kirkup's disapproval rating had increased from 41 per cent to 49 per cent following his early concession he would not win this state election.\n\nMeanwhile, Premier Mark McGowan enjoyed a 10.5 point swing in the two-party preferred poll, placing Labor ahead of the Liberals 66 per cent to 34 per cent.\n\nMr Kirkup said he and his team would be “fighting … right through till 6 PM tonight” to ensure the people of WA know how important it is to have a strong opposition providing checks and balances for the next four years. \n\n“I am feeling confident about the prospect of us getting out there as much as we can and fighting very hard through to 6 PM today,' he said.\n\n“That’s what I’m focusing on. I don’t have any regrets at all about our campaign.\n\n“I’m very proud of our team and our members and candidates who’ve been out there fighting hard.”\n\n
Read more »
WA state election 2021 LIVE: Antony Green calls election for Labor after only 43 minutesWith a Liberal leader who has already conceded defeat and a Premier enjoying unprecedented popularity, the state election seems an open and shut case. Can Zak Kirkup keep his seat in Dawesville?
Read more »
WA Election: Liberal's unclear costings confuse voters | Sky News AustraliaThe West Australian Liberal Party is facing scrutiny over their spending commitments as they reveal their costings in the lead up to the March 13 state election.\n\nThe party left questions about its energy and social housing policies unanswered. \n\nThe Liberals have committed to closing coal-fired power stations in the next 5 years- dedicating $260 million to the measure. \n\nTheir social housing policy campaigned the construction of 4,600 homes with a total spending commitment of $248 million- putting the average cost of each home at $96,000.\n
Read more »