KEY POINTS IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA STATE ELECTION
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STATE OF PLAY
* Voters head to the polls on March 13 under WA's four-year fixed term system, with an eight per cent swing needed for Labor to lose office
* Polls are predicting a strong Labor win which could reduce the Liberals to a handful of seats.
CURRENT LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY (LOWER HOUSE) SEATS
* Labor 40 (+19 from 2017)
* Liberals 13 (-18)
* Nationals 6 (-1)
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL (UPPER HOUSE) SEATS
* Labor 14
* Liberals 9
* Nationals 4
* Greens 4
* Pauline Hanson's One Nation 2
* Shooters, Fishers and Farmers 1
* Liberal Democrats 1
* Western Australia Party 1
BACKGROUND
* 1.7 million eligible voters
* 788 candidates and 19 political parties contesting the election
* More than a million votes expected to be cast before polling day.
MAIN PLAYERS
* Incumbent premier and Labor leader Mark McGowan. Has enjoyed record approval ratings for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
* Opposition and Liberal leader Zak Kirkup. First-term MP who has held the top job for just four months and is battling to save his own seat.
WHAT DO THE POLLS SAY?
* A Newspoll published by The Weekend Australian on February 20 showed WA Labor leading 68 to 32 per cent on a two-party preferred basis - a result which, if replicated on March 13, would reduce the Liberals to as few as two seats.
KEY ISSUES
* The government's strong COVID-19 response, which has prevented any community transmission of the virus since last April.
* Concerns about when borders will reopen and what restrictions might remain beyond the pandemic.
* Creating jobs and diversifying the economy.
* Climate change and renewable energy.
SEATS TO WATCH
* Dawesville (LIB) - Held by Liberal leader Zak Kirkup on a margin of just 0.8 per cent.
* Hillarys (LIB) - The most at-risk Liberal seat, held by Peter Katsambanis on a 0.4 per cent margin.
* Scarborough (LIB) - Former leader Liza Harvey's seat could fall to Labor for the first time in 30 years.
* Geraldton (NAT) - Three-way race with Labor and the Liberals challenging the Nationals incumbent.
* Bateman (LIB) - Fairly safe Liberal seat targeted by Labor during the campaign.
Australian Associated Press