FORMER Vincent Mayor John Carey has swept to power in the seat of Perth on the back of a strong swing against the Barnett Government.
The writing was on the wall early tonight, with early booths showing the incumbent Eleni Evangel in trouble.
Mr Carey said a backlash against the Liberal deal with One Nation was just one factor among many in the win.
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READ NOW“Number one, people were consistently telling me, by email, by phone, and on the booths, that they were going to vote for me based on my record as Mayor of Vincent,” he said.
“They said ‘we know you, we trust you, we like the values you represent.’”
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Mr Carey said education was a key issue.
“We need an inner-city school for Perth. I was disappointed to see Perth Modern parents actually handing out how to vote cards telling people to vote Liberal,” he said.
“As a group of that nature it is fine to lobby on an individual issues but to hand out how to votes is… disappointing.
“Jobs; definitely an issue, the need for economic diversification and to champion small business; that was the message I got repeatedly on door steps.”
Mr Carey looks set to secure 63 per cent of the two-party preferred vote.