Election heating up

The State election is still 52 days away but the fight for the seat of Kwinana is in full swing.

Kwinana MLA Roger Cook spent Sunday at Wellard Village Markets pitching Labor’s public transport policy, Metronet, and on Monday independent candidate Carol Adams hosted the first of her series of coffee catch-ups at Waikiki Shopping Centre.

The battle between the deputy Labor leader and Kwinana Mayor is set to be crucial in deciding which party forms government, and is tipped to be a nail-biting contest after Mr Cook won the 2008 contest over Ms Adams by just 300 votes.

Ms Adams said her campaign had begun officially in October when and the coffee catch-ups allowed her to speak to residents in a relaxed and low-key way.

“A lot of people don’t want door knocking and they’ve told me that and I’ve done a poll about it so I have to look at other ways to engage with the community,” she said.

“Not everyone’s on social networks, not everybody goes to their local fair or market. But a lot of people come to shopping centres. So if you sit here and put it out there that you’re willing to speak to people, you can leave it up to them whether they want to come and engage with you.

“It’s really about saying to people ‘look I’m willing and happy to meet you in a more comfortable setting to say hello’.”

Mr Cook said he had not stopped campaigning over the past four years and with the election just over seven weeks away, the tempo would be lifted.

He said he had engaged with the electorate through street-corner meetings and community forums and believed Kwinana was better represented by someone who was “in the game” instead of an independent on the sidelines.

“We’ve got a proud record in opposition, imagine what we can get done in government,” he said.

Mr Cook said he had unfinished business and identified social infrastructure issues in Baldivis and the electorate’s stubborn unemployment figures as key priorities if he was elected for a second term.

Monday was a busy day for activity in the seat of Kwinana, with the Greens announcing Medina resident Iwan Boskamp as its candidate for the seat.