These Western Australian seats could decide who forms the next Australian Government

Western Australia played a critical role in deciding the last election and it is likely to be just as important this time around.

Transcript

00:00Western Australia will be crucial for whoever forms government, with six key seats in play.

00:08Let's start with Bullwinkle, a new seat created in the Perth hills and east to accommodate

00:12WA's growing population.

00:14On paper it's a Labor seat, but it's being hotly contested by all three major parties.

00:20Former State Opposition Leader Mia Davies for the Nationals, journalist turned Army

00:24Public Affairs Officer Matt Moran for the Liberals, and nurse and local councillor Trish

00:29Cook for Labor.

00:30This is the kind of area where the Liberals' promise to cut the fuel excise for a year

00:34could prove particularly popular, with one issue front of mind.

00:38Probably cost of living, it's all to do with cost of living I think for people.

00:42It's expensive for nothing, that's $120 for nothing, that's not going to really feed my

00:48family, that's just the little top up bits and pieces.

00:51The other five electorates to watch had been reliable Liberal seats until the last election.

00:57Four of them went to Labor, Hasluck, Pearce, Swan and Tangny.

01:02Anthony Albanese will need to hang onto them if he wants to be within reach of forming

01:06government.

01:07On the other side, Peter Dutton's path to the Lodge will be much easier if he can win

01:11them back.

01:12In Tangny, the big issue is the same.

01:15Grocery prices are through the roof, health system, I think they should be onto that a

01:19little bit more as well.

01:20Teachers go out of their way, take money out of their own pocket to provide breakfast for

01:25some children.

01:26The last pension increase was insult to pensioners and the last two or three elections has been

01:32very, very little done for the older folk.

01:35The final seat to keep an eye on is the Western Suburb seat of Curtin, which Teal Independent

01:40Kate Cheney holds by just 1.3%.

01:44The Federal seat overlaps with the State seat of Churchlands, which new Liberal leader Basil

01:48Zemplis won, but with the smallest swing in the state.

01:53The sitting member is up against former Uber executive Tom White for the Liberals, whose

01:57campaign was launched by Peter Dutton.

02:00Cost of living is a big issue, but not the only one.

02:04People are saying that we're not going to be able to afford a house until we're 50 years

02:06old and that's just scary.

02:08The lack of housing for young people, a housing issue is a big one for me.

02:13Healthcare is probably my number one.

02:15Complicating all of this is that at the recent state election we saw voters continuing to

02:19move away from the major parties and splinter their votes between the minors and independents.

02:24If that trend continues there could be a few surprises in how all of this plays out as well.