Stacey Hearn, Scott Ryan, Dimity Torpy, Chris Gibbons, Phil Scott, Asta |Morton, Jade Gray and Janet Parker tried to win over voters on Saturday, handing out how-to-vote cards for their respective parties. d407503
Camera IconStacey Hearn, Scott Ryan, Dimity Torpy, Chris Gibbons, Phil Scott, Asta |Morton, Jade Gray and Janet Parker tried to win over voters on Saturday, handing out how-to-vote cards for their respective parties. d407503 Credit: Supplied/Louise White

Melissa Parke retains Fremantle

Staff ReporterMelville Gazette

Fremantle is one of three Labor seats in WA that the party retained, with Ms Parke now having to work with a Liberal government for the first time in her federal political career.

As of yesterday, 41 of the 44 polling places in the Fremantle electorate had been returned, with just over 72,000 votes counted.

Preferences helped Ms Parke, who won 54.93 per cent of the vote on a two-party preferred basis, while Liberal candidate Matthew Hanssen won 45.07 per cent of the vote.

However, there was a small swing to the Liberal Party, with Mr Hanssen gaining 0.77 per cent from the 2010 election.

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In a contest with 11 candidates, only the Greens and Palmer United Party managed to get a vote count that went into the quadruple figures.

The change of government means Ms Parke will lose her two-month-old International Development portfolio.

WA Greens Senator Scott Ludlam, who has an office in Fremantle, was returned for another term.