Coffee with Candidates: Q&A with Labor Geraldton MLA Lara Dalton

In the lead-up to the 2025 State election, the Geraldton Guardian is sitting down over coffee with the main candidates vying for the Geraldton seat to gain an insight into the person behind the politician or wannabe politician.

This time, it’s Labor’s Lara Dalton’s turn. It’s her third State election campaign and the Geraldton MLA is aiming to secure her second term.

Q. What’s your coffee order?

It used to be piccolo latte, but I’ve been trying to cut down on my dairy. So now I’m loving iced long blacks, especially in summer.

Q. What’s your favourite local cafe?

To be quite honest, I don’t have a favourite. I think you’re hard-pressed to find a bad one.

Q. Have you got a nickname?

My friends call me Lara D and some of my other closer friends call me Lah Dee Dah.

Q. Is there anything you’ve binge-watched recently?

I did binge watch Boy Swallows Universe. It was so good.

Q. Favourite movie?

When Harry Met Sally.

Q. Are you religious?

I was brought up a Catholic and I went to Catholic schools, and as a kid we used to go to church. I feel like I’ve got more of a faith or a spirituality.

Q. What’s one club that you’re a member of?

Rovers Cardinals Hockey Club, and I’m patron to the Geraldton Croquet Club and the Geraldton Surf Life Saving Club.

Q. What’s your most embarrassing moment on the campaign trail?

I have answered the door to a guy in his jocks. They weren’t the best fitting jocks, either. He was quite proudly standing there talking to me but I was really trying to just look at his face.

Q. When you’re out campaigning, what’s the most common thing that voters are saying?

I’ve never had a politician knock on my door, except for you.

Q. Which candidate would you be happy to sit down and have a coffee with?

Pre the campaign I probably would be happy to sit down with any of them. But these days, at the moment, I’ll just save my coffee time for friends.

Q. In a sentence, how much has Geraldton changed over the past 10 years?

I think aesthetically, it’s changed a lot. Thanks to the Gallup Labor Government, we removed the train line from the foreshore. That’s created also the southern transport corridor.

Q. What’s one thing that Geraldton needs most?

Affordable and social housing ... the lack of trades and the heated construction market has certainly been challenging, but I think we’re starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel.

Q. Are the people of Geraldton going to be happy with the new hospital once it’s ready?

From all from the conversations I’ve been having, everyone is really happy to see the progress of it, how quickly it is being built. I think the people are going to be ecstatic to see it.

Q. Will the hospital have more beds at the end of this stage than when the redevelopment started?

It’s hard to put a complete figure on things because it moves around all the time ... but obviously having that extra bed capacity in those new areas (acute mental health ward, ICU) is going to open up more bed availability in the general ward.

Q. Do you think Geraldton will ever get a jetty?

I think if the business plan stacks up, and the local government are supportive of it ... I don’t see why we wouldn’t get a recreational jetty at some point down the track.

Q. How much extra a week are you paying in groceries compared to a few years ago?

We’re certainly seeing that $50 doesn’t necessarily go as far as it as it did before, but we’re doing everything we can to try and help families be able to meet the cost of living.

Q. Have you watched Invisible Boys?

I haven’t yet. I’ve downloaded Stan so that I can. I’m looking forward to watching it, I’m really proud of Holden (Sheppard), his work and his success.

Q. How would you rate your re-election chances?

It’s certainly a contested seat. It seems like everybody wants to be the member for Geraldton at the moment, but I think I’ve worked hard for the past four years and I’ve delivered for Geraldton in that time.

Q. Who’s your biggest competition?

It’s three against one, three conservatives against one progressive. They’re all gunning against me.

Q. What is the first word that comes to mind when you think of your main rivals? Firstly, Kirrilee Warr? Wealthy. Shane Van Styn? All talk. Tim Milnes? Quiet.

Q. What’s the biggest compliment you’ve ever received?

An old school friend recently said to me that she remembers me from school and that I was always kind.

Q. What’s the worst insult that’s been thrown your way?

Somebody once wrote on my Facebook page to brush my hair. I thought that was a bit rude.

Q. Best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

Heading into the 2021 election, Mark McGowan and I were sitting in a car and were heading off to meet some people, and he said to me “never stop listening”.

Q. What was the best lesson that you received from your parents?

Work hard, be kind and family is everything.

Q. What would you say to voters who claim that you or Labor are not doing what’s best for Geraldton?

I don’t think that people could honestly make that claim. The opposition are noisy around that because they want to win the seat, but I think you just have to look around to see in the four years of the things that I’ve delivered.

Q. What are you most proud to have delivered?

The hospital is definitely up there, because coming in 2017 and in 2021 that was all parties talked about it ... but since being elected, I’ve made that happen.

Q. What do you say to scepticism over the timing of some of these projects, that they’re only happening in the past six to 12 months?

I understand that it may seem that way, but it’s had nothing to do with the election. It was all around the industry and getting tenders for for the hospital.

Q. You and Labor are towards the bottom of most candidates’ how to vote cards. Is that a concern?

I just need to make sure that I get a good primary vote. So hopefully people will see the work that I’ve done ... see that I’m a hard worker ... and what’s been delivered in the last four years.