Editorial: Labor launches campaign in WA again, but, wary West Australians want more action, not just words

For the second consecutive time, Labor will launch its election campaign in Perth. It’s an acknowledgement that once again, the road to the Lodge runs through WA. Once again, Anthony Albanese needs to convince West Australians that it is in their best interests that he is Prime Minister. But despite the familiar arena, this will be a very different campaign launch for Mr Albanese. In 2022, all the momentum was in his favour. After nine years in power, the Coalition government had hit its expiration date. Voters were ready to try something new and were prepared to give Labor a go. Then, they bought into Mr Albanese’s optimistic rhetoric about new beginnings and a different way forward. Fast forward three years and that rhetoric hasn’t been matched with action. Australians feel like they’re going backwards. At best, they’re treading water. Mr Albanese and his Treasurer Jim Chalmers can cherrypick all the economic data they want to try to prove things aren’t as bad as they seem. But there is a vibe against them. Still, Labor will be buoyed by new polling that shows the Government has made some headway against the Coalition with Labor just one seat short of governing in its own right. It’s not ideal for Labor, or the country. But it’s an improvement on the shellacking they were headed for a handful of months ago. Labor still has significant ground to make up if it wants to form a majority government after May 3. Choosing to hold the campaign launch in Perth is one thing. Delivering for West Australians is another. It’s an acknowledgement of our political pull but it needs to go beyond that. It’s not only about their electoral chances, but the nation’s continuing prosperity. And as much as WA will welcome the Prime Minister’s presence, he needs to come with more than words. This time, he needs to back it up with actions on the things which matter to West Australians. Mr Albanese knows what those things are. At a household level, it’s meaningful cost-of-living relief for those doing it toughest. Confidence that the inflation crisis is finally in the rearview mirror and we can look forward to interest rates continuing to drop. At a macro level, it’s returning investor confidence to allow WA to do what it does best — power the economy for the good of all Australians. That will require cutting the red tape which is strangling productivity. Unnecessary delays to projects such as the North West Shelf extension, which is tied up in approval limbo thanks to Federal dawdling and could end up at the mercy of a minority government, help no one. Before the last election, Mr Albanese promised changes to industrial relations laws would have no impact in WA. What happened? Disruptive unions have stormed back into the Pilbara. Now he is saying the Canberra bureaucrats’ wet dream — the over-the-top Nature Positive proposals — would be revived, but in a good way. Can WA trust Mr Albanese to match rhetoric with action?