Federal election 2022: Canning MP Andrew Hastie sees safe Liberal seat turn marginal

Hannah CrossThe West Australian
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Camera IconLabor candidate for Canning Amanda Hunt. Credit: Hannah Cross

Andrew Hastie has seen his safe Liberal seat of Canning turn marginal.

Mr Hastie’s healthy 11.6 per cent margin was heavily eroded with the Assistant Defence Minister suffering an 8.5 per cent swing against him.

With 66.5 per cent of the vote counted, Mr Hastie had edged ahead of his Labor challenger Amanda Hunt in the two party preferred contest by 54.3-45.7 in a major for the Coalition.

Mr Hastie has held Canning since winning a by-election in 2015 following the death of sitting Liberal MP Don Randall, increasing his margin in 2019.

Ms Hunt said the strong swing against Mr Hastie was indicative of a community that was determined to see change.

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Camera IconLabor candidate for Canning Amanda Hunt at Falcon Primary School with volunteers. Credit: Hannah Cross

“They really want to be heard and regardless of the outcome of who wins, this is a community that is seeking action,” she said.

She paid tribute to her WA Labor colleagues who had helped secure a victory for an Anthony Albanese government.

“Tania Lawrence has worked like a Trojan to win Hasluck and I am so thrilled to see her do that,” Ms Hunt said.

“The seats that have been won, deserve to be won because people have worked very hard.”

Earlier on Saturday, Ms Hunt told The Sunday Times she had encountered many first-time Labor voters.

“What I’ve been really moved and touched by has been women coming up to me and saying, I have voted Liberal my entire life. I cannot do it any more,” Ms Hunt said.

Camera IconCanning is currently held by Liberal Andrew Hastie by a 11.6 per cent margin. Credit: Iain Gillespie/The West Australian

With apathy towards the government at an all-time high, Ms Hunt said she wanted to prove politics “doesn’t have to be dirty”.

“It doesn’t have to be mean. It can be active in our community, not just something that happens to us,” she said.

“Politics needs to be people having the power to say this is what that is in our community.”

Mr Hastie declined to speak to the The Sunday Times.

Elsewhere Labor MPs in the seats of Fremantle and Burt were rewarded with huge swings as WA’s election results turned red.

In Fremantle, Labor MP Josh Wilson increased his hold after a 6.6 per cent swing to the ALP gave him a 66.7-33.3 lead over Liberal Bill Koul.

Labor also comfortably retained Burt where Matt Keogh trounced the Liberals’ David Goode 64.2-35.8 with an 11.6 per cent swing. A new seat created at the 2016 election, Burt was perceived as a Liberal electorate but in fact was easily taken by Mr Keogh who has now won for the third time.

Mr Wilson — who is also hopeful of a frontbench promotion — has represented Fremantle since replacing Melissa Parke in 2016.

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