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Legislative Assembly election, 2005
Party	Vote %		Seats
Labor	41.9	↑4.7	32	0
Liberals	35.6	↑4.5	18	↑2
Nationals	3.7	↑0.4	5	0
Independents			2	↓2
Labor win

A general election was held for parliamentary seats in the Australian state of Western Australia on Saturday February 26 2005. The incumbent Australian Labor Party, led by Premier Geoff Gallop, retained its representation in the Legislative Assembly. The Coalition won two seats at the expense of independents.

Campaign

Despite only needing a small swing to win government, the Coalition under Barnett squandered a 12-point opinion poll lead between December 2004 and election day. Barnett's campaign-trail performance, and in particular his promise to build an enormous—and uncosted—drinking-water canal, was widely blamed.

The Australian concluded that despite the failings of the Gallop government, "Some of policies are pitched to prejudice and economic ignorance, and he has made no convincing case he would be a competent premier." For The Australian, "The strongest case for a second Gallop Government is made by Mr Barnett."

Results

Legislative Assembly

In the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, all three major parties enjoyed positive swings. Labor retained 32 seats on 41.88% of the first-preference vote, and its comfortable Assembly majority. The opposition Liberal Party of Australia picked up two seats for a total of 18 on 35.64%. The National Party of Australia, the Liberals' coalition partner, retained five seats on 3.69%. Two of the four independents lost their seats.

In percentage terms, the Australian Greens polled third behind Labor and the Liberals to take 7.57% of the first-preference vote. Christian Democrats and the Family First Party took 2.93% and 2.02%; the One Nation Party took 1.64%.

When the result was declared:

• the Australian Labor Party won 32 seats
• the Liberal Party of Australia won 18 seats
• the National Party of Australia won 5 seats

Independent candidates (those not affiliated to any party) won 2 seats.

Key seats

Labor won Central Kimberley-Pilbara with the retirement of the sitting independent MP, Larry Graham. Graham had held the seat for Labor before losing preselection in 1999 and retaining the seat without party endorsement. Tom Stephens was elected with a swing of 4.4%. Labor also took the seat of Kingsley from the Liberals, whose sitting MP, Cheryl Edwardes, was retiring, with a swing of 3.6%.

The Liberals took the marginal seats of Bunbury and Murray with swings of around 1%. In Bunbury, local mayor John Castrilli beat one-term Labor MP Tony Dean, turning a marginal Labor seat to marginal Liberal. Murray, a new seat created in a redistribution to replace Liberal-held Murray-Wellington, was notionally a Labor-held seat. Retiring Murray-Wellington MP John Bradshaw was replaced by the Liberals' Murray Cowper.

The retirement of independent MP—and former Liberal—Phillip Pendal in South Perth allowed the Liberals' John McGrath to win the seat despite Labor preferencing high-profile independent candidate Jim Grayden. The Liberals also regained the seat of Vasse from independent Bernie Masters, who had earlier resigned from the party after losing preselection. The Liberals' Troy Buswell was elected.

The Liberals and Nationals lost the seats of Greenough and Roe to one another, respectively. Roe, a staunchly conservative seat, elected the Liberals' Graham Jacobs to replace retiring Nationals MP Ross Ainsworth, with the ALP candidate placing third. In Greenough, one-term Liberal MP Jamie Edwards was defeated by the Nationals' Grant Woodhams with the help of the third-placed ALP candidate's preferences.

Legislative Council

In the Legislative Council, Labor and the Liberals each gained three seats, at the expense of the Greens and One Nation. The latter party saw its parliamentary representation wiped out.

Legislative Council election, 2005
Region	Labor		Liberals		Nationals		Greens		One Nation
	Seats	Quotas	Seats	Quotas	Seats	Quotas	Seats	Quotas	Seats	Quotas
Agricultural	1	1.60	3	2.36	1	1.16	0	0.26	0	0.18
East Metropolitan	3	3.04	2	1.93			0	0.39	0	0.12
Mining & Pastoral	3	2.64	2	2.14			0	0.45	0	0.12
North Metropolitan	3	3.39	3	3.23			1	0.70	0	0.07
South Metropolitan	3	2.79	2	2.16			0	0.47	0	0.07
South West	3	3.02	3	3.12	0	0.43	1	0.61	0	0.17
Change since 2001	↑3		↑3		0		↓3		↓3
Total	16		15		1		2		0

Electoral system

Goverment is formed in the lower house of parliament, the Legislative Assembly. The assembly consists of 57 single-member seats elected through preferential voting. Voters must allocate preferences in order for their vote to be valid.

Western Australia uses a zonal electoral system when drawing boundaries for Legislative Assembly seats. This gives voters in regional centres, rural areas and some outer-metropolitan suburbs substantially greater representation in parliament than their numbers would otherwise merit.

References

• Australian Broadcasting Corporation: Western Australia Election 2005
• Western Australian Electoral Commission
• University of Western Australia: Australian Government and Politics Database

See also

• Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, 2005-2009

• Elections in Western Australia
• Politics of Western Australia
• 2005 elections