Albany

Margin: Labor 1.2%
Region: South West
Federal: O'Connor

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

Candidates in ballot paper order

DAVID RASTRICK Greens IAN 't HART Australian Christians ROBERT SUTTON Nationals (bottom) PETER WATSON Labor (top) GREG STOCKS Liberal (centre) ANTHONY GRIFFITHS One Nation

Albany has been held for Labor since 2001 by Peter Watson, who capped a remarkable electoral career with his successful defence of the seat in 2013. While the electorate was keenly contested through much of a history going back to the establishment of self-government in 1891, the Liberals have generally become ascendant in the area over recent decades, scoring majorities of around 64-36 in local booths at the last two federal elections.

The electorate takes its name, and all but a few of its voters, from a city on the state's south coast whose existence predates Perth's by two years. It further encompasses lightly populated rural territories within the 4300 square kilometres of the City of Albany, along with the 6500 square kilometres of the Shire of Jerramungup further to east, which has been gained in the redistribution from the abolished seat of Wagin. This only accounts for 560 new voters, but their conservatism is sufficient to cut 0.9% from the Labor margin.

The Liberals had an uninterrupted hold on Albany from 1974 to 2001, a period book-ended by the election of Charles Court's government and the defeat of his son Richard's. Much of a 24.9% fall in the Liberal vote on the latter occasion was soaked up by One Nation, which was directing preferences against all sitting members. Despite losing this advantage in 2005, Labor member Peter Watson was able to defend his 3.8% margin in 2005 against a 2.3% swing to the Liberals.

Watson has since gained swings against the statewide trend at both the 2008 and 2013 elections, surviving on the former occasion by 89 voters after the one-vote one-value redistribution hampered him by expanding the electorate into rural areas. Labor's relatively strong performance in Albany partly reflected home town support for the then Premier, Alan Carpenter, but the loss of this advantage did not stop Watson gaining a further swing of 1.8% in 2013, in the face of a 5.4% swing in the opposite direction statewide.

Watson finally won promotion to shadow cabinet after the 2013 election in the sport and recreation portfolio, having previously been stuck at parliamentary secretary level since 2005. He had earlier been aligned with a sub-faction of the Right associated with Joe Bullock, former Senator and Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association powerbroker, but parted ways after Ben Wyatt's abortive challenge to Eric Ripper's leadership in January 2011, which Watson supported in the face of Bullock's opposition. Watson supported Mark McGowan's move on the leadership a year later, and helped derail the Stephen Smith scheme in February 2016, when he angrily denied suggestions from Smith's backers that he was a likely source of caucus support.

The Liberals have endorsed Greg Stocks, deputy mayor of Albany and part owner of employment and training company Skill Hire. Another Albany councillor, Rob Sutton, is running for the Nationals. Sutton was also the party's candidate in 2013, when he increased its vote from 13.3% to 20.7%. The Nationals have not held the seat since 1956, but came close to winning in 1993, when their candidate narrowly failed to overtake Labor and win the seat on their preferences.