State Election 2021: Libby Mettam addresses Liberals’ WhatsApp leak, responds to queries on leadership dreams

Deputy Opposition Leader Libby Mettam reckons Premier Mark McGowan has “issues”. Based on recent polls, many might say the only issue McGowan will have is memorising the names of all the new Labor MPs likely to get elected on March 11, but the Member for Vasse told The West Live the Premier wasn’t perfect. “The WA Labor Premier is focused on one thing, and that is the last 12 months under COVID, and there are real issues in the way that this Government has managed COVID,” Mettam said. The South West MP acknowledged the McGowan Government did “deserve credit” for keeping WA largely COVID-free but said last month’s hotel quarantine breach proved the Premier had not heeded the lessons of similar breaches in Queensland and Melbourne. Ahead of the first and only leaders debate between McGowan and Opposition Leader Zak Kirkup on Channel 7’s Flashpoint tomorrow night, Mettam said Kirkup would not be disadvantaged by the recent leak of a WhatsApp group message chain in which former Liberal Leader Mike Nahan referred to the party’s marquee green energy policy as an “embarrassing joke”. “Look, that WhatsApp group was set up by the former Leader, and we have another WhatsApp group that’s operating now that’s obviously the group led by Zak that will be leading us into this Election,” Mettam said. How much of that group is remaining after votes are cast is the big question, with a poll on the weekend suggesting Mettam and Cottesloe MP David Honey could be the only two of 13 Libs to hold onto their Lower House seats. The Member for Vasse refused to be drawn on this scenario, and whether she would assume the leadership role for the WA Liberals. “That’s certainly not something that I’m focused on at this point in time,” she said. “We’re very much focused on pushing out what it means and what the risk is of a Labor majority, or a Labor Government with too much power ... that’s very much my focus.”