Source : Perth Now news
A victorious One Nation candidate has been accused of hubris after claiming the right-wing party could snatch power in a mining state.
Luke Herdegen delivered an historic Western Australian by-election win for One Nation on Saturday in the formerly safe Labor-held seat of Secret Harbour, south of Perth.
In the wake of the poll, which resulted in a double-figure swing away from Labor, Mr Herdegen told ABC radio on Monday One Nation would aim to form government at the next WA state election.
WA Premier Roger Cook was quick to pounce on the claim at an early morning press conference.
“That’s the sort of arrogance which trips you up in this game,” he told reporters.
“Hubris is usually served up with a double helping of humble pie when you go around with that sort of attitude.
“We’re not taking that attitude. We’ve never have, and we continue to make sure we treat the community and the electorate with respect.”
Mr Herdegen, a 39-year-old businessman, admitted it was a big call.
He said voters felt neglected by Labor and he would hold the party accountable for “infrastructure they’ve overpromised and underdelivered for so long”.
“We’ve seen the beginning now, a huge shift and I expect that to keep going,” he said.
On the back of One Nation’s win, Mr Cook also took aim at the WA Liberal party and its leader Basil Zempilas.
“I’ve talked about the toxic coalition,” he said.
“Basil Zempilas essentially throwing in the white flag … saying, “I can’t do this. I can’t be opposition. I’m now going to support One Nation to be the opposition.”
Mr Zempilas said the WA Liberals remained a major party and the official opposition with the National Party, as he fended off assertions the party had underperformed in Secret Harbour.
“This is one result in one seat in the southern outer metropolitan suburbs of Perth, an area that I think analysis will show was almost a perfect storm for One Nation,” he told ABC radio.
“This is a seat that we have never done well in … and Labor have lost it for the first time in living memory.”
