THE POLL BLUDGER
Western Australian Legislative Assembly Election 2008

DARLING RANGE Labor 0.8%*
Upper house region: East Metropolitan Federal divisions: Canning/Pearce * Liberal seat made notionally Labor by redistribution
	LISA GRIFFITHS Labor (top) DENISE HARDIE Greens RACHEL CABRERA Christian Democratic Party TONY SIMPSON Liberal (bottom)

Darling Range is the successor to its pre-redistribution namesake in name only, taking most of its area but only 10 per cent of its voters. Half its voters come from abolished Serpentine-Jarrahdale, from which it takes the South Western Highway towns of Byford, Mundijong and Serpentine. The remainder come from the south-east of Swan Hills, from which it takes Chidlow, Mount Helena and Sawyers Valley, and from both the east and west of the old Armadale. Labor's strength around Armadale and the northern hills area balances Liberal support along the South Western Highway, producing the narrowest of notional Labor margins. The populous western end of the old Darling Range now forms the basis of Kalamunda, which will be contested for the Liberals by Darling Range MP John Day. Their candidate for the new Darling Range is Tony Simpson, who won what proved to be the short-lived seat of Serpentine-Jarrahdale in 2005 with a margin of 1.2 per cent. Simpson came out against Troy Buswell at the time of the spill vote in May: according to the West Australian, he “said it appeared the party was 'doomed' either way but he would back (Capel MP Steve) Thomas because he offered a clean slate”. Labor's candidate is Lisa Griffiths, described by the local Comment News as “the only woman in a group of six scientists in WA specialising in electron microscopy”.

Robert Taylor of The West Australian reported in the second last week that Labor hoped to contain its losses to three or four seats, one of which was Darling Range.

ASSESSMENT: LIBERAL NOTIONAL GAIN