Canning in national spotlight ahead of by-election

Polls have long favoured Hastie over Labor candidate Matt Keogh to win the by-election, which was triggered by the death of sitting Liberal MP Don Randall in July.

But with the federal leadership spill that saw Malcolm Turnbull usurp Tony Abbott to be Australia’s 29th Prime Minister, it seems Labor hopeful Mr Keogh has been pushed even further out of the spotlight.

Mr Hastie was also reportedly critical of Labor’s 2012 decision to introduce “force ratios”, requiring 50 per cent Afghan soldiers and 50 per cent Australian troops when going into action.

Canning, a district with about about 100,000 voters, includes the working-class southern fringes of Perth, farmland and the coastal city of Mandurah.

“I think that the 10 per cent swing has been turned into 6 per cent. As for Shorten, I’d be surprised if he’s still Labor leader next year”.

“There’s a bit of hostility towards the federal government by Western Australians, who often feel ignored by Canberra on the other side of the country”, Dr Drum said.

Labor candidate Matt Keogh told 6PR on Friday that he and serving military personnel who he’d spoken to around the West Australian electorate found the comment by the former SAS captain to be “very offensive”.

Mr Hastie’s odds significantly shortened this week to $1.07.

Mr Keogh denied approaching the poll as a dry run.

BOTH Liberal and Labor’s Canning by-election candidates have announced plans to address the impact of ice in the community.

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton told Sky News the Canning by-election would be tough, but he thought the Liberals should win well, “but not if we’re talking about ourselves”.

While local issues will be a big factor in determining whether the Liberals retain the seat, the result will be scrutinised for signs of a honeymoon bounce for the party since Mr Turnbull took the leadership.

Sportsbet’s Ben Pulmer said customers who bet on a Liberal victory would get their cash back in time for the weekend, which they could reinvest on the Canning race, back a Derby Grand Final or simply on a sausage sizzle as the line up to vote on Saturday. That buffer may be eroded to 52 percent to 48 percent, according to a Fairfax-Ipsos poll of voters in the seat published September 14, before Turnbull won the leadership later that day.

Mr Turnbull, who worked as a political journalist, lawyer and investment banker before entering politics, has about a year to turn around the fortunes of the government before national elections are due.

Mr Hastie’s price has tightened considerably since Mr Turnbull’s successful Monday challenge.