Cost-of-living relief will win votes in Pearce

Like most homeowners around the country, voters in Perth’s northern suburban seat of Pearce have nervously awaited each Reserve Bank meeting over the past three years.

The seat holds the unenviable title of the most indebted electorate in Australia, with more than half of homes mortgaged.

In an election dominated by cost-of-living pressures, Pearce has become the frontline for both parties’ major pitches on relief.

Pearce takes in two distinct communities — the southern suburbs around Wanneroo, east of Wanneroo Road up to Burns Beach Road, is home to establishes suburbs on larger blocks.

The seat then hugs the coast, taking in Perth’s northern suburbs stretching from Kinross north to Two Rocks, taking in some of the city’s fastest-growing areas with families eager to be minutes from the beach in newer, albeit smaller homes.

Won by Labor in the 2022 election after the retirement of Christian Porter, first-term MP Tracey Roberts is facing off against Liberal challenger Jan Norberger.

Both have long service backgrounds, and both represent a key demographic of the quick-growing, sprawling outer suburbs — Australians born overseas. Two-in-five locals were born overseas — one of the highest proportions of all WA seats.

Mrs Roberts moved to Australia from the UK in the 1980s, while Mr Norberger came from his native Germany with his family when he was seven.

The West Australian spent a day on the ground with both the major contenders, joining Mr Norberger for a door-knock in Eglinton, 44km north of the CBD.

The former State MP says the area is suffering from tyranny of distance for healthcare. The top third of Pearce — Yanchep, Two Rocks, Alkimos — are more than 30 minutes from the nearest hospital: the already overwhelmed Joondalup Health Campus.

The party has promised money to plan for a Yanchep hospital.

But, he says what’s cutting through on the doors is the plan to cut the fuel excise by 25 cents for a year — with the Liberals targeting roads and petrol stations around the community with signs spruiking the change.

“The national message definitely resonates up here. I found when I’m talking to people, the 25 cents per litre absolutely resonates, because we do do a lot more driving up here,” he said. “This is dual-cab ute city — Pearce is the home of the dual-cab.

With high levels of mortgage and rental stress, residents have been exposed to the nation’s cost-of-living crisis, and the 13 straight interest rate rises since 2022.

“Pearce is the most financially stressed electorate in all of WA when it comes to mortgage stress, rental stress, you know, financial stress,” Mr Norberger said.

“(Aspirational) people might have really gone that little extra step to get into an area close to the beach, and then they’re now being caught up with the interest rate increases that have happened. The cost increases are really hurting.”

On the doors, one voter blasts State Labor’s firearm changes, and bemoans the Federal Government’s waste of money, vowing to vote for Mr Norberger.

Another older woman, who is caring from her husband, says they are close to homelessness if their rent rises any further and asks what the Liberals will do for pensioners.

Both raise the cost of living.

Former police officer Hyrom Jones says he voted Liberal for most of his life, until the pandemic, where he shifted to Labor, and is set to stay. He praises the State Government’s electricity bill credits for allowing him to keep the air conditioner on during hot days.

“I’m looking out for number one,” Mr Jones says, pointing to himself

“Dutton is OK,” Mr Jones says, but then speaks against the Liberals’ plan for nuclear energy.

Liberal sources say the seat is close, on a knife’s edge, and point to the 18 per cent swing against Labor at the State election, with concerns about health care and cost of living.

Labor insiders remain confident they can hang onto the seat, flagging Mrs Roberts’ own local profile and a positive response to the Albanese Government.

The West Australian joins Mrs Roberts for a campaign event at a Burns Beach cafe, where cost of living again dominates discussion.

Mrs Roberts said voters had told her they believed the cost-of-living pressures had largely been out of the Government’s control, saying she had been talking about it as an issue since she was first elected.

“It’s not something that started because the Albanese Labor Government was in power. It’s the fact that this has been occurring for quite a while prior to COVID,” she said. “It started when before we got into government.

“It’s something that people are aware of. It’s been something that accumulated over the time. So you can’t fix it immediately.”

The former City of Wanneroo mayor shocked many earlier this year when she revealed she had been diagnosed with multiple systems atrophy — a rare degenerative disease.

It has affected her voice and movement — and Mrs Roberts said she had to be more deliberate and slower with her pace of speaking, in order to be clearer. But, she said, voters hadn’t raised the condition as a concern.

“They’ve been really good,” she said.

“I love campaigning. I just do. I love getting out there. And always talk of communicating. I can talk with marbles in my mouth at the best of times.”