Emotional premier has say on Basil Zempilas after huge Labor election win

Premier Roger Cook has declared he has a clear mandate to put in place Labor’s plans for Western Australia and was humbled by his personal endorsement by the people of the state.

On his first day as premier elected in his own right after Labor’s third successive landslide victory, Mr Cook choked up as he told reporters about the reaction from his wife and children.

He said there was “pride and love and had the opportunity at home to give them a hug … and that was wonderful”.

‘Vindication’

Mr Cook said Labor already had an overwhelming majority in the lower house, despite a current statewide swing against the party of more than 18 per cent.

“This is an emphatic victory for WA Labor and it’s a vindication of the strong government that we have provided for the people of Western Australia,” he said.

“It’s a vindication and a strong endorsement of our plan to keep the state the strongest economy in the country.”

The Liberal seat count remains in the single figures, and Mr Cook said they did not put a case to the people of WA to receive their vote.

He rejected incoming Churchlands MP Basil Zempilas’s claim Labor mounted a massive smear campaign against him.

But the premier did say they made sure to remind people that staffers linked to Mr Zempilas’s campaign team had tried to topple Ms Mettam late last year.

“There was no Basil Zempilas campaign,” Mr Cook said, despite the fact Mr Zempilas, a media personality and now former Perth Lord Mayor, featured in most of Labor’s attack ads.

Liberal leadership up in the air

Liberal Leader Libby Mettam also fronted the media on Sunday morning, after the party’s third disastrous showing in a row, leaving wide open the prospect she would stand down from the leadership.

Ms Mettam again said she would leave it to the parliamentary party to decide the leadership.

Vote counting has resumed, but the results in close seats like Fremantle, where independent Kate Hulett is in a very tight race with Labor MP and minister Simone McGurk, are not likely to be known for several days.

Ms Mettam acknowledged leadership speculation linked to Mr Zempilas at the beginning of the campaign had a destabilising effect.

She would not say whether she would put her hand up to remain in the leader’s role.

But she did urge continuity and clear air until the 2029 election for whoever the party did choose as its leader.

“Whoever the leader is going into the 2029 election they need four years to work as a leader, to build momentum in the community and to have the support of the Liberal Party going forward as well,” she said.

The Liberals have won back the traditionally blue-ribbon Perth heartland seats of Nedlands, Churchlands and Carine, but failed to take back the must-win seats of South Perth, Bateman and Scarborough.

Mr Cook said he was delighted Labor had retained those three seats and said they could no longer be regarded as naturally Liberal seats.

He said the close contest in Fremantle was a sign of how important the environment and conservation were in the port coastal electorate, where Ms Hulett and the Greens campaigned hard on Labor’s “lack of action on climate change” and a promise to ban fracking and stop any new fossil fuel projects.

Nationals seek closer alliance

The Nationals have won four seats and are ahead in Warren-Blackwood from Labor

Party leader Shane Love, who was Opposition Leader in the last parliament, urged a close working relationship between the Nationals and Liberals.

“We need a more united front if we are going to beat Labor,” Mr Love said.

“The Nationals have been suggesting closer working relationships, but we’ve been rebuffed on a number of occasions.

“We need to have a common sense discussion, to maximise the ability of both parties to make a Labor government impossible in 2029.”

Check out our 2025 WA state election page for all of the ABC’s coverage.

Loading