Liberal candidate Andrew Hastie looks set to win the Canning byelection despite last-ditch efforts from Labor to derail his campaign.
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Mr Hastie was on the campaign trail on Saturday morning with new deputy Prime Minister Julie Bishop.
Labor had set up placards at polling booths throughout the south-eastern suburbs with Ms Bishop and former PM Tony Abbott embracing with the words “Loyalty” splashed across them.
Ms Bishop laughed when asked about the placards.
"This is not about me,” she smiled.
"This is a decision about Andrew Hastie versus the other candidates.
"I'll back Andrew Hastie over them any time.
"It's not about the leader of the Liberal Party or changing government.
"It's about a by-election to replace a very popular member, who, sadly, died."
Ms Bishop defended Malcolm Turnbull for not being in Canning because he was putting together a new cabinet.
"Many people have always imagined Malcolm Turnbull would be prime minister of Australia and now he is,” she said.
Mr Hastie was playing down his chances despite bookies having him firm favourite at just over a $1 on Saturday morning.
“I’m working all the way until 6pm tonight to get out there and talk to voters and communicate my message to voters,” he said.
“If I’m elected and if I’m sworn in, within 30 days I’ll take action on ice and I want to bring community leaders together and take action and start getting momentum against this problem.”
Early in the day Labor candidate Matt Keogh said he had run a “great campaign”.
It's going to be a good fight and we're looking forward to seeing what the result is at the end of the day," he said.
"A good result would be winning. And that's what we're aiming to do."
Labor's Canning candidate Matt Keogh remained hopeful of a by-election win despite the negative opinion poll.
Mr Keogh started his day by handing out pamphlets at Kelmscott Senior High School. A lawyer by trade, Mr Keogh grew up in Canning however, was unable to vote in the byelection because he hasn't lived in the electorate long enough.
He had to settle for watching his family cast their vote instead.
The byelection was triggered after the sudden death of sitting member Don Randall, who suffered a suspected heart attack in his car in July, while visiting his constituents in Boddington.
The byelection was supposed to be a test of former Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s leadership, but that fell in a heap after Malcolm Turnbull knifed him earlier in the week.
For many voters at the Kelmscott Senior High School on Saturday morning, the leadership spill may still play a role in the byelection yet.
While Greg James said it didn’t change the way he voted, he was convinced it would matter for Liberal voters in the electorate.
“For me the big issue is the roll out of the NBN in the area,” he said.
“And I voted for Matt Keogh (Labor candidate) because he is someone who has a knowledge of local issues. I think Hastie would have the knowledge of the issues like Don Randall did.”
Raja Ganguli said the leadership spill didn’t change who he would have voted for, although he was reluctant to say who that was.
“I didn’t like the way it happened,” he said.
“It’s very upsetting. For me the issues at the moment are jobs. We need the infrastructure in the area for jobs.”
John Jordan, who voted for Mr Hastie, said he didn’t even know Abbott had been ousted until he turned on the television.
“I saw nothing in the lead up to the Turnbull thing and I saw nothing after,” he said.
“So it didn’t change the way I voted.”
The change of leadership had political experts scratching their heads about how voters would react in the byelection. Notre Dame political expert Martin Drum said Turnbull toppling Abbott could see hard core Liberal voters turn against the government.
While Murdoch University expert Ian Cook expected Mr Hastie to romp it in any way.