WA election: Preferences, hecklers and The Big Issue dominate campaign trail
Updated
Preference deals, the promise of a new marina and a fierce debate over "fake costings" dominate the WA election campaign trail on Tuesday.
Here's what you need to know:
Hard sell
Labor leader Mark McGowan discovered there are harder things to sell than a political policy in the midst of an election campaign.
He joined Big Issue vendor Sean in Perth's Murray Street Mall, peddling the publication to rushed commuters emerging from the Perth Underground station.
Mr McGowan had a couple of takers but had to be content with watching most people walk on by.
To preference or not to preference
Labor says it won't enter into a statewide preference deal with One Nation.
But it says it won't make any decisions on potential seat-by-seat deals until it sees the full list of One Nation candidates, leaving the door open to individual arrangements.
One Nation preferences could prove critical to the re-election chances of the Barnett Government, which suffered another setback in the latest Newspoll.
The Liberal-National Government trails Labor 54-46 on two-party preferred basis, with Premier Colin Barnett's satisfaction rating languishing at a record low of 32 per cent.
Marina promise
Mr Barnett said a re-elected Liberal Government would put $105 million towards the development of a marina at Ocean Reef.
He said the Liberals would fund the marine-based component of the development, with the City of Joondalup and private developers overseeing onshore construction.
The total cost of the project is estimated at $251 million and Mr Barnett says it would create hundreds of jobs.
Ticket to ride
Labor's riding its Metronet rail proposal hard, with Mark McGowan heading to Joondalup to announce the new line to Yanchep would be complete by 2021.
On the train journey to Joondalup, a reporter suggested the transit officers might like to check the validity of Mr McGowan's ticket.
The Labor leader was first relieved, and then delighted, when the ticket was verified and the only thing he evaded was a campaign misstep.
Facing facts
Labor condemned the Barnett Government's attempt to discredit the costings it released just 24 hours earlier for its Metronet project.
Labor Transport spokeswoman Rita Saffioti labelled Treasurer Mike Nahan a disgrace for claiming the $2.5 billion project would cost up to $10 billion.
She said Dr Nahan had inflated the cost by including items that were not in the Metronet plan, such as removing 30 level crossings and building a rail tunnel from Perth to Morley.
Meanwhile, Transport Minister Bill Marmion was heckled extensively by a passer-by as he fronted the media at Bayswater train station to continue the Liberals' attack on Metronet.
As Mr Marmion tried to argue Labor's Metronet costings had holes in them, he had to compete with the man shouting that the under-construction airport rail line was the "stupidest idea".
Transit guards eventually appeared to ensure the man boarded the next train.
Topics: elections, political-parties, wa
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