Geraldton MLA Lara Dalton ready for second term as she kicks off her campaign over the weekend

WA Labor are prepared for battle in Geraldton, as Lara Dalton officially launched her re-election campaign over the weekend.

About 100 people attended Wonthella Bowling Club on Saturday for the launch, headlined by Ms Dalton and special guest speaker, former Labor politician Alannah MacTiernan.

Ms MacTiernan spoke highly of the Member for Geraldton Ms Dalton, saying she was doing all she could to assist the region.

“As we’ve seen here today, Lara just has such enormous support in this community because she is a person that deep in her heart really believes in community, and she’s been here for the past four years really working effectively for the people of Geraldton and the Mid West more generally,” she said.

“Driving so much the agenda of investment in hospitals, in education, in housing, driving investment in Oakajee, and in the clean-energy transition.

“I have so much confidence that she is the person that we need to make sure that Geraldton, the Mid West, stays on the agenda of the Cook Government, stays on the agenda in WA.”

Speaking to the crowd, Ms Dalton said she had been proud to represent the region and was grateful for the opportunity.

“So today I’m here with a heart full of pride and absolute gratitude as your member. And since 2021, I’ve had the immense honour of representing you, this incredible community,” she said.

“We’ve made some successes, and we’ve secured some really good investment.

“I’ve done the work, I’ve done all the things I said that I would do, and I feel like I deserve the chance to be the member again in 2025, and I would hit the road running.”

Labor have made health a key part of the campaign, having focused heavily in recent times on the Geraldton Health Campus redevelopment.

The $166 million project suffered several delays, but broke ground in June last year.

Meanwhile, more than $30m in pledges was recently made in the health sector, with Labor promising to deliver a radiation oncology service, funding for a local Royal Flying Doctor Service base, and expanding the local dialysis unit.

“This thing doesn’t happen unless you’ve got a local member in the Government and have the backing of a Government committed to doing the right thing for Geraldton,” Ms Dalton said.

Her main competitors for the seat, which she holds by a margin of 9.3 per cent, are Nationals WA candidate and Shire of Chapman Valley president Kirrilee Warr, Liberal candidate and clinical psychologist Tim Milnes, and independent and former City of Greater Geraldton mayor Shane Van Styn.