Good morning, friends, Liberal members, and supporters.

It is wonderful to see so many of you here today, united in our pursuit of a better future for Western Australia.

A State that we are all incredibly proud to call home and wouldn’t trade for quids.

But we are also here because we know it could be better

The Liberal Party was born out of a desire for a better Australia.

One where enterprise was encouraged, individuals could reach their full potential and our communities were strong.

Where governments created the conditions for success - not barriers - and believed in a fair go for all.

So as we turn the corner to the election after almost eight years of Labor government, Western Australians are rightly asking – how are we better off?

How have our lives improved since 2017?

Labor has enjoyed record surpluses on the back of a mining boom and a GST floor delivered by the former Federal Liberal-National Government.

Both have delivered billions into the State coffers.

But what have we, as Western Australians, got to show for it?

The answer is – very little.

The truth is Labor is blowing the boom.

Labor is failing on the basics on every front – health, crime, housing, cost of living.

Our essential services are an absolute shambles and everyday Western Australians are paying the price.

As former Health Minister and now Premier Roger Cook is directly responsible for the state we find our health system in.

Under Labor's watch, our health system is undeniably in crisis.

Ambulance ramping is at record levels, elective surgery waitlists have blown out and our hospitals are chronically understaffed.

The tragedies we've seen are a direct consequence of Labor's mismanagement and failure to invest in our hospitals or workers.

Labor has also failed the basics in law and order.

Crime rates have skyrocketed…and more than 1300 police officers have left the force since 2022.

Escalating violence and anti-social behaviour are wreaking havoc across the State.

Labor has abandoned its basic responsibility of keeping our streets safe.

They’ve also failed on providing real cost-of-living support.

The mining boom has gifted the Cook Labor Government the ability to provide meaningful relief… but the best they could come up with was a free pass to the zoo.

While watching penguins swim in circles is a nice distraction, it won’t put food on the table or fuel in the car.

It also won’t help pay the more than $1000 extra we each year in fees and charges imposed by this government.

This is a government that is completely out of touch with the hardships families face every single day.

It is a government that has prioritised its pet project Metronet over the real needs of its people.

Rental availability is at historic lows, the social housing wait list continues to grow and young people and families are finding it harder than ever to buy a home.

Labor is failing the basics on every measure.

In a State as prosperous as ours, it’s truly hard to believe they have stuffed it up so profoundly.

The WA Liberals believe we can do better.

Today, I’m proud to release Our Priorities for Western Australia which will underpin our policy platform.

These priorities are better healthcare, safer communities, real cost-of-living support, and addressing the housing crisis.

We believe in a government that delivers the essential services its residents need, that respects and rewards hard work, and that stands up for every Western Australian.

A government that has the right priorities.

Elective Surgery Guarantee: Ending the Wait

In health we will be attacking ambulance ramping, chronic understaffing and infrastructure shortfalls.

We have already announced a number of health policies. I am proud to announce another one today.

This is our plan to fix the health needs of our residents before they become critical.

Under Labor the elective surgery waitlist has blown out by 50 per cent, with over 30,000 people waiting for surgery and a 300 per cent increase in those waiting longer than clinically appropriate.

This is clearly not acceptable.

Although these surgeries are categorised as 'elective’, it doesn’t mean they aren’t important.

Each number on this waitlist represents a person enduring pain and discomfort, waiting for hip and knee replacements, breast removals, and critical eye and ear surgeries.

The longer the wait – the worse the conditions often become – exacerbating both the pain and financial hardship on patients and the burden on the health system.

The results can be tragic.

As it was for one of my constituents…a Busselton mum and grandma.

I’d like to share her story with you, with the support of her family.

It’s unfathomable that one family has endured so much in our broken health system but highlights just how dire it has become.

Michelle Hansford was first diagnosed with aggressive stage three breast cancer in 2017 and had surgery to remove her left breast and 19 lymph nodes.

Due to the nature of the cancer, she was given the option to have her right breast removed before the cancer spread.

Yet, despite her medical history, this surgery was classified as category three – the lowest priority.

By Health Department guidelines, the surgery should have been done within 12 months.

But it wasn’t 12 months or even 24 months.

Michelle waited three years.

In fact, it wasn’t until she was diagnosed with breast cancer in the right breast in 2022 that it was finally removed.

Sadly, it didn’t end there.

Shortly after the surgery, Michelle discovered she had cancer in her left arm, and it was amputated in May 2023.

Then in January this year, she discovered that the cancer had spread further.

While Michelle's courage was truly inspiring, she died in March this year… leaving behind a loving partner, five kids and ten grandkids.

This is not just a bureaucratic failure—it is a human tragedy.

We cannot let it happen again.

That is why I am proud to announce today the WA Liberal Elective Surgery Guarantee, a cornerstone of our plan to fix the healthcare system and provide timely access to critical medical care.

Under a WA Liberal Government, every patient will receive their elective surgery within the medically recommended timeframes.

If the public system cannot meet these deadlines, patients will be given the next available appointment in either a public or private hospital, at no extra cost to them.

This will ensure that every Western Australian gets the care they need, when they need it, regardless of their income or circumstances.

Our plan will prioritise urgent action to address the backlog by working closely with private healthcare providers to increase capacity.

This strategic partnership will provide for an extra 10,000 surgeries in the first two years in government.

The Elective Surgery Guarantee will also ensure tragic outcomes caused by lack of surgical capacity never happens again with $100 million over the next four years to support this guarantee.

Our Elective Surgery Guarantee is not just a healthcare efficiency measure— it’s about restoring dignity to patients and rebuilding trust in our healthcare system.

It is a promise to the people of Western Australia and to families like Michelle’s…

We can do better, and a WA Liberal Government will do better.

We are the richest state in Australia, it shouldn’t feel like our health system is on life support.

What I can guarantee is we won’t sit idle, hoping for a solution, while our sick and vulnerable are left waiting and wondering.

The WA Liberals will fix the health crisis and return our health system to the world-class system it once was.

We will strategically invest in the right places, to give WA a health system befitting a state like ours.

Tackling Labor’s Failures on Crime

On law and order, we stand for every Western Australian’s right to feel safe—in their homes, on their streets, and in their communities.

Crime is out of control in Western Australia.

Labor’s obsession with building train tracks has led them to abandon the basics of community safety.

The WA Liberals are focused on the right actions.

We will empower police on the beat and introduce Workplace Protection Orders to protect retail and fast-food workers.

We will toughen bail and parole laws to ensure victims rights are always prioritised over the freedoms of perpetrators.

We will support our police force, invest in the resources they need, and ensure they have the authority to do their jobs effectively.

Details of our policies that will put more police on the beat and tackle the crime scourge will be released in full closer to the election.

But it’s fair to say our Shadow Police Minister isn’t going out quietly…

Addressing Cost of Living: A Fair Go for All Western Australians

Our commitment to addressing cost-of-living pressures is unwavering.

While Labor has its head in the sand, the reality of this crisis is stark.

More than 325,000 Western Australians, including 85,000 children, are living below the poverty line under WA Labor’s watch.

The charities helping them are also under pressure after Labor inexplicably cut their funding.

It’s hard to reconcile in a State as prosperous as WA.

The WA Liberals know what Western Australians need and want.

We will deliver cost-of-living relief that makes a real difference.

We will stand against Labor's ill-conceived South West Windfarm which will cost Western Australians even more on their power bills while ruining our pristine coastline.

We welcome Peter Dutton's strong commitment to ending this misguided Labor initiative.

We have already announced our commitment to reliable and affordable energy for households and industry with 300 MW of reliable baseload gas generation, ahead of the closure of Collie Coal.

Further, on cost of living we will focus on reducing wasteful spending and restoring funding to the charities that help those in need.

We will make your money go further and ensure that our policies support, rather than burden, our communities.

Cutting taxes and home ownership is in the DNA of the Liberal Party.

Stamp duty is an unproductive tax that stops people from buying – and from selling – a home.

That is why we announced our First Home Buyer Stamp Duty Relief policy last week, our first announcement to get more people into the right house for them.

There is more to come.

With property prices reaching record highs, we recognise the need to provide immediate, meaningful assistance to first home buyers.

Our policy is to raise the stamp duty exemption threshold to $550,000 and provide concessions for homes up to $700,000. This will cut the tax on home ownership and help more Western Australians achieve their dream.

WA Liberals believe every Western Australian should have a fair shot at home ownership.

Our priority is to provide crucial cost-of-living relief in a time when every dollar counts.

Housing: Building a Better WA

Rental availability is at record lows, and the housing stock—whether in the general market or social housing—is at alarmingly inadequate levels.

The Labor Government’s handling of METRONET has drained our skilled workforce, leaving fewer hands available to build the homes that Western Australians so desperately need.

But under a Liberal Government I lead, this will change.

We will work hand-in-hand with developers, housing providers, and local councils to expedite key projects.

We will fast-track the release of Greenfields land and importantly tackle the headworks and critical infrastructure bottlenecks that have held us back for too long.

We cannot afford to continue with a 'wait-and-see' approach while Labor tries to clean up the mess it created.

We need action now.

Under a Liberal Government, home ownership will no longer be an impossible dream for Western Australians—it will be within reach for those who aspire to it.

Not driven by ideology

Unlike Labor, we won’t be a government that is driven by ideology.

It’s preposterous that in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis the Cook Labor Government has prioritised an advertising campaign against the use of the words baby boomer .

It’s unconscionable that while more women are being killed in WA than any other State due to domestic violence, Labor has fast-tracked the gender ID bill over coercive control legislation.

A bill – I can assure you – that we opposed and under a government I lead will be changed back to ensure people can’t change their sex on birth certificates. It’s madness.

Labor is so busy being woke, it’s forgotten its core responsibilities.

It is time for a government that puts Western Australians first —a government that uses our state’s wealth to build a better future for all.

Closing Remarks

It’s time for a new direction, focussing on the right priorities.

The WA Liberals believe in responsible economic management.

We won’t be signing blank cheques for new projects that don’t stack up.

But we will invest in the essential services that Western Australians need and expect in a State as great as ours.

Our priorities are to fix our health system, restore law and order, provide meaningful cost of living measures and deliver more housing.

Our priority is to rebuild a state that we can be proud of once again —where our children have what they need now and the assurance of a better future ahead.

Our priority is to put Western Australians first, no matter where they live, and ensure that the prosperity of our state reaches every corner.

The Liberal Party’s story is far from over. Our best chapters are still to be written.

With 139 days to the election, I believe we can and will win government.

Together, we can - and will - deliver a Better Future with the Right Priorities for Western Australia in 2025.

Thank you.