The 2025 Western Australian state election was about many things to many people. For the majority, it was about cost of living, housing, appropriate hospital care for mothers and their babies, and youth justice. For Liberal leader Libby Mettam though, it was about one thing, which brought her the most criticism: Aboriginality, culture, and race.
Premier Roger Cook, former federal MP Ken Wyatt AM, and WA's Opposition Leader Mr Shane Love (of the Nationals) united to take aim at Mettam, who appeared to be scraping the bottom of the barrel for a failed exercise in Trump-style politics (following the lead of her federal counterpart Peter Dutton). West Australians appeared to agree with this criticism, with the Liberals only securing five of the 59 seats in the lower house, with a potential three more, at best, as the counting continues.
Mettam's decision to denigrate the Aboriginal flag demonstrates her biggest tactical fault as a reactive politician.
The so called 'stance' to not stand in front of our nation's flags was so unwanted, so shallow, and so out of touch with the thoughts and feelings of West Australians that it became immediately clear she had not consulted with anyone on the matter, let alone Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Her rhetoric was a clear and calculated attack on us as people, on our culture, and of our place in Australian society alongside our fellow Australians. It was vile, witnessing the cowardice in the way she evaded questions about it, and the outright lie she tried to push, that we only have one national flag in Australia.
Nevertheless, it was all short lived, and West Australians demonstrated their disapproval of her lack of a vision for our state. Hopefully, this has been a chastening experience for the Member for Vasse, as her party now teeters on the cliff of irrelevance.
Senior Liberals have hit out since the result, with some truly critical words about Mettam's failure to lead her party or bring any policy ambition nor economic realism to voters.
With an initial challenge from the newly elected Member for Churchlands, it seems Mettam is teetering as close to the edge of relevance as her own party, which some of its alumni now suggest may merge with the Nationals.
Jesse J. Fleay is a Noongar writer and research specialist across major policy areas. His doctoral thesis explores a model for an Australian republic, along with calls to enact a Voice to Parliament for First Nations Australians. He believes in justice, and fairness in society and only works with people committed to First Nations people, and their self-determination. Views expressed are his own.
