Westpoll: 59-41 to Liberal in WA

The latest semi-regular Westpoll survey of 400 respondents, published in today’s West Australian, has given the Barnett government its best result yet: a two-party lead of 59-41, up from 57-43 in March. Colin Barnett leads Labor’s Eric Ripper as preferred premier 55 per cent (up one point) to 13 per cent (steady). It’s also just come to my attention that a Westpoll survey from April found only 17 per cent supported the abolition of the Legislative Council, compared with 60 per cent favouring its retention.

Author: William Bowe

William Bowe is a Perth-based election analyst and occasional teacher of political science. His blog, The Poll Bludger, has existed in one form or another since 2004, and is one of the most heavily trafficked websites on Australian politics.

39 comments on “Westpoll: 59-41 to Liberal in WA”

  1. Westpoll really are going to have to stop conducting their polls at the monthly Cottesloe Liberal Party branch meeting.

  2. Sweet 😀 even if it is bloated it is still good for us Libs out west…

    Looks like after the next election we wont have to give the Nats squat.

  3. Oh look – notice the absence of a flurry of silly little gloating posts when the boot’s on the other foot?

  4. Isn’t that interesting…

    If a poll shows ALP up near 60% TPP, its a case of “grow up Libs” and “the libs are soooo irrelevant”

    if a poll shows Libs near 60%, its obviously a rogue poll!!!

  5. I think that the Democrats increased the support for upper houses because they gave them a useful function.

  6. Mr Squiggle,

    While my post was in gest I don’t see why Liberal Partly supporters should be the only people allowed to indulging selective poll recognition/denouncement!!

  7. [Oh look – notice the absence of a flurry of silly little gloating posts when the boot’s on the other foot?]
    What a ridiculous post. So you think Labor and Green supporters should be gloating over such a poll?
    Still, there isn’t a complete lack of gloating posts here. Read the conservative supporters’ efforts.

  8. [If a poll shows ALP up near 60% TPP, its a case of “grow up Libs” and “the libs are soooo irrelevant”
    if a poll shows Libs near 60%, its obviously a rogue poll!!!]
    Ok, so which is it Squigg, those polls showing Fed Labor and WA Liberal are accurate or not rogue or are they all inaccurate or rogue?
    Are the Fed Libs and WA Labor irrelevant or are both relevant despite these polls?
    I must admit I don’t understand your “grow up Libs” comment.

  9. G B:

    No, moron. I was making light over the fact you guys have ridiculous 70:30 Essential Research Poll posts saturated with 1500+ posts and when something like this comes up, William’s website is mysteriously, even eerily quite.

  10. Patrick Fogarty – Oh I see, we have aloud mouth, name calling conservative with a chip on his shoulder here.
    I’ve obviously joined the “moron” club. Are you the president Pat?

  11. What’s the MOE on a sample of 400? (I think this is roughly equivalent to The West’s circulation figures).

    Electricity charges will increase by a massive 26 per cent next month, and there is a hint of other bad news to be released by the Barnett govt. He has promised he will never be Premier with a budget in deficit -could be his “never ever” moment and may come back to haunt him big time. It may be that A-G Christian Porter’s confected “ALP slush fund” story is a pre-emptive strike aimed at distracting voters from the bad news to come. Three years out from an election and with a seat-warming Opposition Leader in Eric Ripper, this is not such a bad result for Labor.

  12. Patrick,

    If you follow those Essential Research blogs you’ll see they are usually general discussion posts in which many and varied matters are discussed. Some of which connect with the actual post. You’ll find most of the state specific posts are less well discussed. Probably because the parochials only tend to get involved. I think also, that William prefers it this way.

    Calling people morons is hardly a way to endear yourself to other posters.

    If you have some insight into why the WA poll figures are where they are, perhaps you can inform us all.

  13. This doesn’t surprise me all that much. Barnett comes across well, hasn’t done anything drastic, and is up against the most hopeless opposition anywhere in Australia in about the last thirty years. Labor would be wise to hurry up, dispense with Ripper and get a real leader if they don’t want Barnett to cruise to re-election.

  14. [This doesn’t surprise me all that much. Barnett comes across well, hasn’t done anything drastic, and is up against the most hopeless opposition anywhere in Australia in about the last thirty years. Labor would be wise to hurry up, dispense with Ripper and get a real leader if they don’t want Barnett to cruise to re-election.]

    This poll was taken PRIOR to last weeks revelations of Chris Ellison’s Conflict of Interest debacle.

    So I wouldn’t be gloating too hard 🙂

    Oh and The Western Patriot has summed up Christian Porter’s obvious stunt of Hypocrisy perfectly.

    http://westernpatriot.com.au/2009/06/this-weeks-stupid-media-stunt-even-stupider-than-last-weeks-1804

  15. [I think this is a great day for the Labor Party and us the supporters. ]

    I think you posted this in the wrong thread 🙂

  16. [Oh look – notice the absence of a flurry of silly little gloating posts when the boot’s on the other foot?]

    This is Westpoll. They’re known to be the dodgiest polling company around.

    I see you’re still sucking on sour grapes though. Opposition federally and in all states and territories bar one, and the only one you are in government in you have less seats than Labor, and are forced in to a “non formal coalition” with the Nationals.

    What a sorry state of affairs the Liberals are everywhere. If they can’t run a decent party, how on earth can they be expected to run Australia’s one trillion dollar economy…

  17. #25

    The last few Westpolls have all been in the same ballpark, and the Newspoll was 55-45; a bit lower but still within margin of error if the true result is around 57-43. So it can’t be that “dodgy”.

  18. Did anyone see the Four Corners show tonight about the tragic death in extreme heat of an Aboriginal man being transported in a van with failed air conditioning after being denied bail for a minor drunkenness offence? While many are clearly at fault for such a systemic failure to occur, it was not a good look for the (Labor) former Minister. After watching it I thought 59/41 was deserved.

  19. [Did anyone see the Four Corners show tonight about the tragic death in extreme heat of an Aboriginal man being transported in a van with failed air conditioning after being denied bail for a minor drunkenness offence? While many are clearly at fault for such a systemic failure to occur, it was not a good look for the (Labor) former Minister. After watching it I thought 59/41 was deserved.]

    But as the interview showed, Margaret Quirk has at least said she was reponsible, which as I said on the other thread the Libs wouldn’t have been so candid – oh and the Privatisation of Prison Transport by the Libs didn’t help either.

  20. [No 31

    Frank, there are none so blind as those who refuse to see.]

    What a load of Toff, I did not say that it wasn’t Labor’s Fault, I’m pointing out that it is a combination of factors and at least Ms Quirk had the Gumption to come out and say so.

    But that is history, and it is now in the Lberal’s Court – will they act on the recommendations ?

    Somehow I feel there will be some minor tinkering, but you will NOT see a return to Prison Transfers being done in house.

  21. The poll numbers are justified. The Barnett government gets hardly any negative press. The still pro liberal west bury articles that point out Barnetts incompetence. Mainstream news would rather run with non-issue things like MP’s pay and perks or populist crap like laws to jail anyone who assaults a cop. ABC Perth news is a huge disappointment when it comes to state politics.

    They’ve been given a free ride by the media, how could anyone hate them.

    As for labor, it seems that they’re content with staying on the sidelines. No coverage is good coverage for now.

    Liberal hacks like GP- The aboriginal death in custody is bad but its a non-issue for the voting public. It’s hardly the ministers fault when something so far down the bureaucracy goes wrong. By all means, hold the drivers and their bosses to account for this unfortunate and preventable incident but to say the minister is at fault is just wrong.

  22. [Liberal hacks like GP- The aboriginal death in custody is bad but its a non-issue for the voting public. It’s hardly the ministers fault when something so far down the bureaucracy goes wrong. By all means, hold the drivers and their bosses to account for this unfortunate and preventable incident but to say the minister is at fault is just wrong.]

    But had this occoured during the Liberal’s watch he would be defending the Minister and pointing out that the poor bugger should’ve known better about Drink/driving – he is only expressing outrage because the Minister is Labor.

  23. [up against the most hopeless opposition anywhere in Australia in about the last thirty years]

    Really? That’s a big call. More hopeless than the New South Wales or Tasmanian opposition thirty years ago, or the Western Australian or South Australian opposition twenty-two years ago, or the Victorian opposition nineteen years ago, or the Queensland opposition seven years ago?

  24. [Liberal hacks like GP- The aboriginal death in custody is bad but its a non-issue for the voting public. It’s hardly the ministers fault when something so far down the bureaucracy goes wrong. By all means, hold the drivers and their bosses to account for this unfortunate and preventable incident but to say the minister is at fault is just wrong.]

    Oh dear. Another Labor voter so intractably blind, it’s embarrassing.

    The Minister authorised the re-purchase of vehicles it knew were not up to the job. The Minister was in possession of several reports indicating that the vehicles were unsuitable. Of course the bloody minister is at fault.

  25. The aboriginal death in custody is not going to make a jot of difference to anything. To be brutally honest, about half the people I talk to at university seem to actually dislike Aboriginals in general. There is a significant portion of the population which is either racist or disinterested towards Aboiginals – which means the issue is hardly like to have much effect.

  26. I have to say that anyone defending the Labor minister over the death of Mr Ward and then calling someone else a party hack of the opposite stripe causes my irony alert to sound loudly.

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