THE POLL BLUDGER
Western Australian Legislative Assembly Election 2008

COCKBURN Labor 14.8%
Upper house region: South Metropolitan Federal division: Fremantle
	FRANCIS LOGAN Labor (top) DONALD BARRETT Liberal (bottom) ANDREW SULLIVAN Greens MARY JENKINS Independent

The coastal southern suburbs electorate of Cockburn was created in 1962, and has been extremely safe for Labor at all times. It has been significantly redrawn by the latest redistribution: where previously it consisted of two distinct halves separated by a lightly populated centre, the entire southern half now forms the basis of the new seat of Kwinana. In the north Cockburn gains areas of Coogee, Spearwood and Bibra Lake from Fremantle and Willagee, while losing South Lake to Jandakot. These changes largely reverse those from the previous redistribution ahead of the 2005 election, and have cut the Labor margin by 1.4 per cent. Cockburn is held for Labor by Fran Logan, a former organiser for the Left faction Amalgamated Metal Workers Union, who succeeded Bill Thomas on his retirement in 2001. Logan won preselection ahead of the Centre-aligned Andrew Waddell, who will contest the new seat of Forrestfield at the coming election. He was immediately appointed to a parliamentary secretary position upon entering parliament, and was further promoted to Housing Minister after the 2005 election and to Energy Minister in December 2006. In the wake of the Troy Buswell chair-sniffing revelations, widespread coverage was given to reports Logan had been asked to leave an ABC party for being drunk (confirmed), had made “inappropriate advances” to a reporter at said party (denied), and had propositioned a staffer for a ménage à trois (done “in jest”). The Liberals have scored a minor coup in landing as their candidate Donald Barrett, intelligence analyst with the Corruption and Crime Commission and former senior non-commissioned officer in the army.

In the first week of the campaign, Jessica Strutt of The West Australian reported that “some Labor MPs are simply paranoid about the Barrett factor – more particularly the 'dirt' he may have”. Barrett has taken leave without pay from his CCC position to contest the election.

ASSESSMENT: Labor retain