WA election 2025: Greens to seize balance of power in WA Upper House as Labor loses unprecedented majority

Labor will have to navigate an emboldened Greens party and a colourful cast of fringe candidates to pass bills after its unprecedented control of the Upper House ended. With more than half of the vote counted on Sunday, Roger Cook’s party was heading towards 16 of the 37 Legislative Council seats — just three short of the tally needed for a majority. The Premier said it was too early to analyse the ongoing Upper House vote, but claimed “it doesn’t matter who has the balance of power”. “It is only four years in the entire time that WA Labor has ever been in government, where we’ve enjoyed a majority in the Upper House,” he said Sunday as he basked in the afterglow of his massive victory. “We’ve always had to negotiate with the Upper House in relation to any legislation. “So it doesn’t matter who has the balance of power, we will always negotiate with the other teams to make sure that we can see our legislative agenda be implemented.” The election was the first in which a statewide ballot replaced the six regions that heavily weighted the vote towards regional WA. Each 2.7 per cent of the vote is enough to secure a quota to win a seat. The Liberals had 10.6 quotas — a disappointing tally that would see them wind up with 10 or 11 — but the Nationals appear to have secured two, despite being disadvantaged under the new system. Brad Pettitt will no longer be the sole Greens MP, with the Left wing party set to win four and holding out slim hopes of a fifth from preferences. “We can actually force them (Labor) to the table and actually to negotiate some of the key decisions that we want to see around issues that they’ve, frankly, dropped the ball on over the last four years,” Dr Pettitt said. Legalise Cannabis leader Brian Walker appears to have been reelected, with Australian Christians lead candidate Maryka Groenewald and One Nation WA leader Rod Caddies also set to enter parliament. There is a realistic chance for Legalise-Cannabis-turned independent Sophia Moermond to be returned or for the Animal Justice Party’s Amanda Dorn to scrape through. One Nation has a narrow shot at a second seat, with Sustainable Australia Party lead Daniel Minson also a slim chance, depending on how preferences shake out. Counts of first primary votes are ongoing but the full process is set to take weeks. New members of the Upper House will not be sworn in until May 21.