Landslide not a win for ordinary voters: Redman

COVID-19 will not spare voters at next month’s election, though the campaigning season has started later than normal. Labor and the Liberal Party this week announced candidates to take on Warren-Blackwood incumbent Terry Redman, whose nominally safe seat includes Augusta and Margaret River, almost as far north as Cowaramup. The Greens — who hit town at a shindig at The River on Wednesday night, bringing in the star power of Senator Jordon Steele-John — listed Balingup regenerative farmer Jeff Pow as their candidate last month. Denmark-based Jane Kelsbie will represent Labor, while Mt Barker businesswoman Marie O’Dea will represent the Liberals. Privately, candidates have talked up the ructions of COVID-19 and the popularity of Premier Mark McGowan as potential game changers for Nationals veteran and former party leader Mr Redman’s hold on the local job. In 2017, Mr Redman won 63.41 per cent of the vote against Labor’s 36.59 per cent in the two-party preferred distribution. Speaking to the Times, Mr Redman said he worked hard across a broad electorate with many differing issues, and any forecast “landslide” for Labor carried risks for ordinary voters. “Strong support for Labor … in both the Lower and Upper Houses leaves the State without a system of review, and regional people without a voice,” he said. “Our democracy works best when there are checks and balances, and one party is unable to dominate all decision making.” Mr Redman said the Nationals had worked well with the Government during the pandemic, with party politics set aside “to focus on the best outcomes for our State in the shortest possible timeframe”. But the Premier’s popularity was not a sure-fire indicator of strong government, he said. “A Government needs more than one or two leaders and we have seen very little commentary from ministers or candidates other than the Premier and Minister (Roger) Cook,” Mr Redman said. “Even the Minister for Emergency Services (Fran Logan) was absent during the recent bushfire crisis.” Mr Redman listed his representation of short-stay accommodation providers, worker shortages, support for tourism, road safety and the region’s power supply issues, as well as Nationals-backed historic Royalties for Regions funding in the bypass, main street upgrade, and redeveloped cultural centre, as key creden-tials.