Inquiry into WA state election after Labor win

A state governor and barrister will lead an independent special inquiry into the running of the Western Australian election amid allegations of long waits at polling booths and delays in vote counting. Login or signup to continue reading Labor swept to victory in the March 8 poll, winning a third term in office with 46 of 59 seats to the Liberals' seven and Nationals' six. But the decisive third term triumph was punctuated by concerns about the WA Electoral Commission's operation of the election.

These included claims of ballot paper shortages and some voters being turned away from booths, with others forced to queue for hours to cast ballots. Other allegations involved incorrect voting advice, party-appointed scrutineers being asked to assist in the count and staff hired by a Singapore-based firm to help run the election not being paid. The Nationals WA, WA Liberal Party, One Nation WA, the Greens WA, Legalise Cannabis WA, Australian Christians WA and Independent for Fremantle Kate Hulett all called for a full parliamentary bipartisan inquiry into the conduct into the running of the election.



The WA government announced on Wednesday that Malcolm McCusker had been appointed to lead the inquiry. Mr McCusker will work with a reference panel made up of members of each of the major political parties and review all aspects of election and polling place management, resourcing and vote processing. Under-fire Electoral Commissioner Robert Kennedy, who reportedly took leave while the vote count was ongoing, previously announced an investigation.

The comprehensive inquiry will review the planning, management and resourcing of polling booths; ballot paper management; processing and counting of votes and the response on election day as issues arose. Premier Roger Cook said it was vital to maintain public confidence in the democratic process. "Any questions concerning the management of the poll deserve answers," he said.

WA Opposition leader Basil Zempilas said he was "pleased to see the Government has instigated a Special Inquiry into the management of the 2025 Election". "Protecting our state's democratic processes and procedures must be of the highest priority, and the West Australian public deserves to know these failings are identified, addressed, and rectified before the 2029 State Election." WA Nationals leader Shane Love said ballot shortages, postal delays, missing mobile polling stations and widespread voter frustration had contributed to a serious erosion of trust in the electoral process.

"We need to get to the bottom of what went wrong and find out exactly why our election was outsourced to a company that's not only foreign owned but was handed an $86 million contract," he said. The final report is due by June 30. Australian Associated Press Daily Today's top stories curated by our news team.

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