THE POLL BLUDGER
Western Australian Legislative Assembly Election 2008

CARINE Liberal 7.7%
Upper house region: North Metropolitan Federal divisions: Stirling/Moore Outgoing Member: Katie Hodson-Thomas (Liberal)
	WAYNE THOMPSON Independent BILL STEWART Independent TONY KRSTICEVIC Liberal (top) JAMES BENSON-LIDHOLM Labor (bottom) HENRI CHEW Christian Democratic Party ROSS COPELAND Greens PETER ROSE Family First

Carine was created at the 1996 election in place of abolished Marmion, which in turn replaced Karrinyup in 1983. Karrinyup and Marmion were held for the Liberals by Jim Clarko from 1974 until his retirement in 1996. The subsequent election produced a contest between Liberal candidate Katie Hodson-Thomas and independent Peter Kyle, whom Hodson-Thomas had defeated for Liberal preselection, with Hodson-Thomas prevailing by 2.2 per cent. Carine recovered its naturally safe Liberal orientation in 2001, although a move southwards with the abolition of Innaloo at the 2005 election cut the margin from 10.0 per cent to 5.1 per cent. This has been largely reversed by the one-vote one-value redistribution, which gave the margin a 3.0 per cent boost by transferring Doubleview, Innaloo and Trigg south of Karrinyup Road to a re-created Scarborough, while adding Marmion and parts of Duncraig from Hillarys.

Katie Hodson-Thomas was appointed Shadow Tourism Minister after the Court government's defeat in 2001 and won further promotion to environment after the 2005 election, but was bumped back down to tourism and small business in February 2006. Shortly before Troy Buswell's ascension to the leadership in January 2008, Hodson-Thomas complained he had subjected her to “inappropriate” remarks in the presence of male colleagues, and on the morning Buswell's leadership was confirmed she announced she would not contest the election. The following month the Liberals preselected Australian Taxation Office accountant Tony Krsticevic, who had earlier been set for the less attractive prospect of Scarborough.

As the campaign began, there was speculation that Tony Krsticevic might be forced to stand aside to accommodate Deidre Willmott, who had been forced to abandon the nomination for Cottesloe when Colin Barnett returned to the leadership the day before the election was called. Nothing came of the move, which would have left Krsticevic in the cold after abandoning his position with the Australian Taxation Office to run. Katie Hodson-Thomas reacted to events by admitting she regretted her decision to retire now that her old ally Barnett was back at the helm.

ASSESSMENT: Liberal retain