Meet the candidates in one of WA's most closely watched political contests

The Secret Harbour by-election is shaping up to be one of the most closely-watched political contests in WA for some time.The battle for the outer suburban seat in Perth's south is expected to be a major test of One Nation's popularity in the state, and the ability of the Labor and Liberal parties to fight back.This is your guide to who the candidates are, how to vote and what to expect.Who are the candidates?Georgia TreeLaborRead more Ryan RobertsonLiberalRead more Luke HerdegenOne NationRead more Rhi DaviesGreensRead more Craig BuchananLegalise CannabisRead more When is the Secret Harbour by-election?Election day is Saturday, August 29, when Secret Harbour residents will be able to cast their votes and get their hands on a democracy sausage.Polling places will be open from 8am to 6pm, but locations are yet to be announced.If you are keen to get it over with, early voting will begin from Monday, August 17, and run for nearly two weeks until polling day.What do I have to do?If you live in Secret Harbour, the first thing is to make sure you're enrolled by 6pm on Tuesday, July 21.You can do that on the WA Electoral Commission's 'Are You In?' website.Voting is compulsory, so if you're on the roll you'll have to vote — either early, on polling day or by postal vote.Voters in Secret Harbour must be enrolled by July 21 to cast their ballot. (ABC News: Andrew O'Connor)Why do I have to do this?Labor stalwart Paul Papalia had represented the beachside seat for more than 19 years but announced he was resigning to care for a sick family member in early July."For most of my married life, my family have sacrificed their interests in favour of my service, first in the military and for much of the last two decades in politics," he said at the time."It's time they got a better share of my time and energy. I'm sorry for my unplanned departure from parliament and the by-election it will trigger."Paul Papalia and the premier hug after his retirement speech. (ABC News: Keane Bourke)Unlike in the Legislative Council where a retiring MP can be replaced by the next person on the ballot paper, every resignation in a lower house seat triggers a fresh election.The last time that happened was after Mark McGowan announced his shock retirement in 2023. What is expected to happen?No one is really sure, but it will be interesting to watch.Secret Harbour, which encompasses most of the suburban areas between Rockingham and Mandurah, has been a safe Labor heartland for decades, but the political tides could be changing.One Nation has previously done well in similar mortgage belt seats where housing and cost of living pressures can be most acute, including at the South Australian election earlier this year. "A lot of the places where they're expected to do relatively well are on the outer suburbs of all the big cities, and Secret Harbour is about as outer as you can get in Perth," political analyst Ben Raue said.It is a threat that already seems to have Liberal leader Basil Zempilas worried, saying Labor losing the seat would be a win for his party, even if it went to One Nation. One pain point for the Liberals is likely to be the party's relationship with One Nation. The Liberals would need the minor party's preferences to get over the line, but that runs the risk of associating themselves with One Nation's more controversial policies around issues like migration. Labor is concerned too. Immediately after Mr Papalia announced his resignation, Premier Roger Cook was straight into campaign mode, declaring it the "fight for our lives".The party suffered a 19.8 per cent swing against it at the last election – about 1.5 per cent higher than the statewide result.What are the key issues expected to be?There are no prizes for working out housing and cost of living will be key issues, as they will be elsewhere.The non-Labor parties cannot promise anything during the campaign, so expect them to be accusing the government of not delivering for the seat over its nine years in power.The absence of a train station at Karnup, which Labor first promised as part of its 2013 election campaign, is already being pointed out by the other parties and seems to be a sore spot for locals.They got Lakelands station instead in 2023, after the Morrison Liberal government funded that project, in Liberal MP Andrew Hastie's seat.A government website says it remains committed to Karnup Station "and will continue to pursue investment opportunities with the federal government".The rollout of FOGO bins in the City of Rockingham has proved controversial locally and could spill over to the campaign, given the bins are being pushed by the state government.Mr Robertson also identified a lack of infrastructure compared with places like Mandurah or Cockburn as a major concern for the area.The Secret Harbour by-election will be held next month on Saturday, August 29.