Brendon Grylls shows the way

August 23, 2008, 5:13pm,  182 views

The Western Australian election will be much closer than it should have been thanks to the Liberal Party installing Colin Barnett as leader.

Premier Alan Carpenter was right to call an early election. It caught the Liberals off guard and gave Barnett no chance to establish his authority.

If Carpenter had waited a few more months there would have been a real possibility of the Liberals winning.

Western Australia has been crying out for a serious challenge to the inept Labor Government.

The Liberals have shuffled leaders like a deck of cards before calling on the man who should have been there all along.

Like Victoria, the Nationals have done a better job in opposition than the Liberals.

Ironically, the late baton change to Barnett won’t help the Nationals, who would have surged ahead on polling day on September 6 if Buswell had been in the Libs non-sniffable chair.

They should still perform well. I respect Brendon Grylls and his strategy on country independence. It’s the vision I always had for the Nationals, but he’s the only Australian leader who has articulated it and promised to deliver.

The Nats should be a party that’s socially conservative but economically pragmatic (read interventionist). They should be arguing for government investment in regional infrastructure, hence Grylls’ “royalties for regions”.

If the WA Nats perform well it could be a signal for Peter Ryan in Victoria, who I think made a mistake by joining a Coalition in Opposition.

I assume that decision was made to avoid three-cornered contests and an Upper House free-for-all.

Unfortunately, it limits the party’s chances of winning any new seats. By rights, they should hold Benambra and South West Coast if they are serious about representing rural Victoria.

I’ll be watching Kalgoorlie and Eyre closely on WA’s election night. I think the Nats are a chance to win Kalgoorlie and could surprise in Eyre if they get Labor preferences.