Electorate: Cannington

Margin: Labor 9.0%
Region: South Metropolitan
Federal: Swan/Hasluck
Click here for electoral boundaries map

The candidates

Electorate analysis: The south-eastern suburbs electorate of Cannington was created at the 2008 election from strong Labor territory which had formerly been constituted the south-east of Victoria Park (providing the new seat with 36% of its voters, from Cannington itself west to Wilson and east to Queens Park), the west of abolished Kenwick (34%, from East Cannington south through Beckenham to Langford), the north of Southern River (17%, from Lynwood) and the east of Riverton (13%, from Ferndale). The notional Labor margin in the new seat was 13.3%, which was pared back to 9.0% at the election. The seat has not been changed by the latest redistribution.

A claim to the newly created seat was promptly made by Bill Johnston, then the party’s state secretary and a former official with the Right faction Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association. Johnston had earlier expressed interest in Victoria Park when Geoff Gallop vacated it in January 2006, but was persuaded not to run by his own faction which was concerned the state secretary position might be lost to the Left. This came shortly after plans for a Senate seat fell through when factional colleague Mark Bishop went back on his decision to retire. Despite the SDA forces having been marginalised when Right faction exiles united with the Left to secure Mark McGowan’s ascension to the leadership in January 2012, Johnston was subsequently elevated to the shadow ministry, taking on the state development and energy portfolios.

The Liberals have preselected Jesse Jacobs, a Chinese language interpreter.

Analysis written by William Bowe. All post-redistribution margins are as calculated by Antony Green at ABC Elections. Read William’s blog, The Poll Bludger.

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