IT’S a modest little oval tucked away in Leeming; just enough room for a couple of footy goals at each end and a squat, 40-year-old clubroom to serve the Bullcreek Leeming amateur team and their juniors.
But its strategic importance to the Liberals was made obvious this week when they announced a joint $3.6 million state and federal election commitment for an upgrade, the announcement attended by a bevy of the party’s heavyweights.
WA Liberal leader Libby Mettam, WA senator Matt O’Sullivan and recently redeemed MLC Nick Goiran all came along for the photo shoot with Jandakot candidate Nicole Robins and Tangney candidate Howard Ong.
•A little reserve got a big turnout from Liberals, including leader Libby Mettam, Senator Matt O’Sullivan, MLC Nick Goiran and candidates Nicole Robins and Howard Ong.
Margin
With Labor sitting on an 18 per cent margin in the state seat of Jandakot, the oval might not have earned so much largesse, but the Opposition knows it will need to wrest Tangney back from Sam Lim, who holds it with a thin 2.4 per cent margin, if it’s to win back WA and have a chance in the looming federal election.
Tangney had been a Liberal stronghold since 1975 when Labor lost it in the turmoil after the Whitlam dismissal.
And despite what could seem like an unsurmountable margin, Sen O’Sullivan points out that Jandakot was once a safe Liberal seat under Joe Francis, and won’t have an incumbent Labor candidate, with Yaz Mubarakai moving to the new seat of Oakford.
“He’s bailing out,” Sen O’Sullivan says.
“We’re on the record saying we’re in it to win it.
“Libby’s running to be the premier; we need 30 seats and to be very frank, if we don’t win Jandakot, we’re not winning government.”
Ms Mettam says Jandakot will be a “key seat”.
“It’s a key seat we have had before, the boundaries have changed, and we’ve got an outstanding candidate in Nicole Robins, who’s been on [Melville] council since…” she says before her colleagues help her out with an election count-back that reveals its 16 years since her first election win as a 19-year-old.
Meanwhile Cr Robins was talking up the need for the oval upgrade, saying Bullcreek Leeming had shown incredible resilience putting up with substandard facilities; at times players have had to change in the carpark.
“The facilities were built in the 80s and 90s and clearly you can see not much has been done since then,” she said, adding there were some “practical issues” to sort out as well.
“The men’s toilets can only be accessed by walking through the men’s changerooms, which is obvious not very user friendly.
“The umpires changerooms on the other side of the building are very small, almost unusable, and I know there’s been some complaints about those.
“I know that both the senior and junior footy clubs are both growing clubs, with more young people, more young females looking to play football, and so it’s really exciting that they’re going to have the opportunity to do so,” Cr Robins said.
by STEVE GRANT