The Poll Bludger - Australian State and Federal Elections

SWAN Liberal 2.6%
Inner Southern Perth, Western Australia
	KIM LISSON Greens DAMON FOWLER Family First TASMAN GILBERT Christian Democratic Party LINDA ROSS Independent STEVE IRONS Liberal (bottom left) MARK DIXON Liberty and Democracy Party KIM WILKIE Labor (top left) NORMAN R GAY Citizens Electoral Council JOE LOPEZ Socialist Equality Party JOY HARRIS One Nation WA


Booth results at the 2004 election, with size of numbers varying to reflect number of votes cast. Click on image to toggle between two-party vote and swing.

In its modern incarnation, Swan has been bounded to the north by the Swan River and to the west and south by the Canning River, extending from South Perth and Como north-east through Victoria Park to Belmont and east through Bentley to Cannington. It is unrecognisable as the seat that existed at federation, when it covered the state's non-metropolitan south-west. It was drawn into the metropolitan area when parliament was enlarged in 1949, continuing to extend east to Midland, and has since shrunk westwards into the area defined by the rivers. The seat's inaugural member was John Forrest, explorer, colonial Premier, founding father of federation and senior minister in early non-Labor governnments. Labor first won the seat when he died in 1918, but it fell to the Country Party soon afterwards and for the next half-century was won by Labor only in 1943 and 1954. Adrian Bennett won the seat for Labor in 1969 and held it until his defeat in 1975 by Liberal candidate John Martyr, who in turn lost the seat in 1980. It was then won for Labor by 32-year-old Kim Beazley Junior, future party leader and son of the Whitlam government Education Minister and long-serving Fremantle MP, who picked up consecutive swings of 8.1 per cent and 8.6 per cent in 1980 and 1983. The subsequent loss of the inner eastern area around Bassendean to Perth in 1984 cut 4.1 per cent from the margin, which was further whittled away by sharp swings in 1984 and 1990. By now a senior minister, Beazley began casting around for a safer seat after surviving the 1993 election by 294 votes. A safety hatch opened when Wendy Fatin retired in the somewhat safer seat of Brand at the 1996 election, which Beazley was nonetheless able to retain by just 387 votes. Swan meanwhile fell to Liberal candidate Don Randall, who was tipped out by a 6.4 per cent swing in 1998 before returning in 2001 as the member for Canning. The new Labor member for Swan was former farmer and prison officer Kim Wilkie, who has narrowly held the seat against slight swings at the subsequent two elections. He was considerably assisted on the more recent occasion by the troubles of Liberal candidate Andrew Murfin, who was hit by revelations his campaign office had written bogus letters to local newspapers. Murfin was forced to admit that one letter, signed by an elderly local Salvation Army member, had originated from his office after the distressed woman was publicly dragged into a messy political controversy.

The third week of the campaign saw Swan and Hasluck targeted by Labor with a promised $180 million contribution to an upgrade of the Great Eastern Highway from Graham Farmer Freeway to Perth Airport.

A poll of more than 400 voters published on polling day pointed to a cliffhanger, with the Coalition ahead 44 per cent to 41 per cent on the primary vote and Labor leading 50.25-49.75 on two-party preferred.