Dawesville

Margin: Liberal 12.7%
Region: South West
Federal: Canning
Outgoing member: Kim Hames (Liberal)

RESULTS AT 2013 ELECTION
HISTORICAL TWO-PARTY RESULTS
PREVIOUS ELECTION RESULTS MAP

Candidates in ballot paper order

DAVE SCHUMACHER Independent ZAK KIRKUP Liberal (top) ADAM WOODAGE Labor (centre) LAWRENCE SHAVE One Nation (bottom) LIAM SPENCE Flux the System AERON BLUNDELL-CAMDEN Greens LUKE PILKINGTON Nationals ALAN SVILICIC Micro Business Party RUSSELL McCARTHY Shooters Fishers and Farmers

Falling vacant at the coming election with the retirement of Kim Hames, the former Deputy Premier and Health Minister, Dawesville covers the southern half of Mandurah, a satellite city located 70 kilometres south of Perth. The electorate accounts for the areas of the city south-west of the Peel Inlet, together with the suburb of Dudley Park on its eastern bank. Its creation in 1996 reflected Mandurah's rapid growth, with the Dawesville end of town being particularly attractive to retirees, making the electorate the state's oldest in terms of median age.

Kim Hames came to Daweville in 2005, returning to parliament after his defeat in the inner northern Perth electorate of Yokine in 2001, which he had held since 1996. He rose to the deputy leadership firstly in opposition from January 2008, and then in government from September 2008 February 2016, when he went to the back bench ahead of his impending retirement. Hames's predecessor in Dawesville was Arthur Marshall, who had held the corresponding seat of Murray since 1993, and whose daughter Dixie Marshall is now Colin Barnett's high-profile director of strategic communications.

The Liberals' new candidate is Zak Kirkup, strategic development manager for building company BGC Residential and a former environment adviser to Colin Barnett. WA Today reports other candidates for the preselection included “Navy veteran Martin Holzberger, Mandurah City councillor Dave Schumacher and local lawyer James Versteegen”.