Basil Zempilas is expected to announce his intention to join the Liberal Party

ABC NEWS (Australia)

In 2021, Labor won the usually safe Liberal seat of Churchlands by a razor thin margin and now it's shaping up to be one of the key electorates to watch ahead of next year's state election.

Transcript

00:00 Years on radio and television and now as Perth Lord Mayor, Basil Zemplis regularly generates

00:08 headlines.

00:09 I'm very sorry for the comments that I made.

00:12 Commonwealth Games.

00:14 Now attention's turned to Monday's looming deadline for Mr Zemplis to join the Liberal

00:18 Party if he's to be pre-selected in Churchlands.

00:22 Basil Zemplis just three months ago said that he was going to be the City of Perth Lord

00:27 Mayor for the next four years.

00:29 Without wishing to be pedantic, I'm not sure that I ever said that.

00:32 What I did say was I'm absolutely committed to one election and one election only and

00:37 that was the election of Lord Mayor back in October.

00:40 Basil Zemplis says if he tries for state politics, he could also manage his duties as Mayor up

00:46 until the election in March 2025.

00:49 And for now, that remains a question of if.

00:52 I think I'm almost there and locked away in my mind.

00:56 But I'm going to let these few days play out.

00:59 Labor's sitting MP for Churchlands has made up her mind.

01:03 They will have a fight on their hands from me and I think I have a lot of support, particularly

01:09 among women voters.

01:11 Christine Tonkin will be up against Basil Zemplis's large profile.

01:15 To be honest, not a big fan of Basil.

01:17 I think he's worth a shot.

01:19 I think he's worth a shot.

01:20 I like Basil and he'll stir things up.

01:23 I think Basil Zemplis would be an absolute disaster.

01:25 Why's that?

01:27 The guy is a showboat first and foremost and a politician second.

01:32 And what about Libby Metham?

01:33 How's she going as opposition leader?

01:34 Invisible.

01:35 Who?

01:36 Yeah, nah.

01:37 Many suspect Basil Zemplis has his eyes on Libby Metham's leadership position.

01:46 But political analyst Peter Kennedy says regardless, the pair will need a good working relationship.

01:51 The WA Liberal Party needs Basil Zemplis more than Basil Zemplis needs the WA Liberal Party.

01:57 An announcement is expected by Monday.

02:00 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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