THE POLL BLUDGER
Western Australian Legislative Assembly Election 2008

ROCKINGHAM Labor 11.3%
Upper house region: South Metropolitan Federal division: Brand
	MARK McGOWAN Labor (top) DAVID SIMPSON Liberal ROB TOTTEN Citizens Electoral Council JAMES MUMME Greens

Based on a coastal regional centre 50 kilometres south of Perth, the electorate of Rockingham has been held by Labor since its creation in 1974. The redistribution has detached 3115 voters around Waikiki to Kwinana, taking 1.0 per cent off the Labor margin. Rockingham has been held since 1996 by Mark McGowan, a Right faction member said to be closely aligned with Alan Carpenter. McGowan was a parliamentary secretary during the Gallop government's first term, winning promotion to Tourism Minister after the 2005 election and thence to Environment Minister after Alan Carpenter became leader in January 2006. Another promotion to Education Minister the following December further encouraged talk of McGowan as a future leader, although he put noses out of joint in April when he accused Labor-turned-independent MP John D'Orazio of “ethnic branch stacking”: a statement no-one would bat an eyelid at in Sydney, but which drew censure from the Ethnic Communities Council in Perth. Liberal candidate David Simpson is described by the local Weekend Courier newspaper as a father of eight and “manager of a Naval Base earthmoving hire business”.

ASSESSMENT: Labor retain