Crayon-drawn ‘poll’ invoked by John Carey to parody week of Liberal chaos

Housing Minister John Carey delivered a comedic skit in Question Time, suggesting his dog Betty Confetti was behind secret polling that showed he was more popular than the Premier. The routine — replete with a crayon-drawn booklet with the results of the “poll” — parodied the week of chaos sparked by a leaked survey, which suggested the Liberals would improve their vote share under Perth Lord Mayor Basil Zempilas but go backwards under current leader Libby Mettam. Ms Mettam’s leadership was overwhelmingly backed by Liberal MPs in a partyroom on Tuesday. Mr Zempilas, the party’s candidate for Churchlands and a Seven West employee, insisted he was not aware of the poll until it was published in The West. But it later emerged a company run by his campaign manager for the seat of Churchlands, Cam Sinclair, had commissioned the poll — which was funded by an unknown businessman. After being asked in parliament Thursday if he was aware of any recently leaked “data”, Mr Carey said data released in recent weeks showed he was more popular than Premier Roger Cook. “I know colleagues, you will be shocked,” the minister said before showing a piece of paper that had the world “polling report” drawn in crayon. “Don’t let the crayons fool you, it talks about the ‘John Carey effect’. And through this incredible graph it says; ‘we love John Carey’.” Mr Carey said he could not say who the “businessman” was who funded the poll, but said his dog Betty Confetti was involved. “Despite seeing Betty every day, not once, have we discussed about the polling,” he said. The minister said the “serious point” was that no one believes Mr Zempilas was not involved in the polling. The Lord Mayor maintains he had no involvement in the poll or the attempt to oust Ms Mettam. The performance was part of the last Question Time before the 2025 election, which began with bipartisan support for the community of Champion Lakes and the firefighters bravely confronting the blaze. Opposition leader Shane Love attacked the Government’s record on first home buyers, highlighting a sharp decline in the number of people receiving stamp duty exemptions. Ms Mettam cited a report from the Australian National University to accuse the Government of not doing enough on cost of living. Mr Cook was boisterous as his Government used most of their Dorothy Dixers to highlight the Liberals’ recent leadership turmoil. The election is 100 days away on March 8.