Don't blame Julia, blame Labor

Voters in Western Australia appear to have been mostly voting for the Liberals, rather than against Labor. Interestingly McGowan had a positive approval rating from our participants, so it is hard to see the election as a personal repudiation of him.

So what is it that voters were voting for?

Economic development mostly. They see Barnett as competent, and Labor, at a state and federal level, as incompetent. There were concerns about infrastructure, which Labor had capitalised on with their promise of the Metronet.

However mention was made of the fact that Labor had under-costed the price of this project by $1 Billion, meaning it had a downside, so that while infrastructure and growing pains were an issue, the Labor solution tended to emphasise Labor's weakness in administration and delivery, rather than its ability to deal with the problems.

Western Australian voters were also voting for a government that would fight for WA rights against the federal government. This is a common theme in WA elections, and one that could present challenges to Barnett should Abbott win the next federal election. It could also present challenges to Abbott.

In the end, it appears that voters at the moment are looking for performance, not promises, from their governments. Barnett appears to have won because he has delivered.

Whether he can keep delivering when the mining boom runs out of steam, and what this might mean for Labor, is another set of questions.