Federal election 2025: Cost of living front of mind for voters and candidates as battle for Swan heats up

First-time Labor MP Zaneta Mascarenhas is acutely aware her seat of Swan could flip back to blue on May 3. Before the 2022 election, the southern suburbs seat had been held by the Liberals for the past 15 years. Now, Ms Mascarenhas is battling to retain the electorate against Liberal challenger Mic Fels. Ms Mascarenhas was among a handful of MPs elected at the last poll when a number of traditionally Liberal WA seats flipped to the Labor Party. The former engineer won the seat off the back of a 12-point swing, bringing an end to 15 years of Liberal stewardship. She secured an 8.8 per cent margin, which has grown notionally to 9.4 per cent following a boundary redistribution that saw Swan lose areas east of the airport and gain some suburbs south of the Canning River. “I take nothing for granted during the campaign. We’ve knocked on over 4000 doors a week,” Ms Mascarenhas told The West. “I love connecting with my community and it’s such a privilege for me to have the opportunity to represent this community. “I will work hard every day to try and deliver real outcomes and also I don’t take this for granted.” Grain production businessman Mr Fels is looking to win back the seat for the Coalition. Speaking to the West Australian at a cafe in Kensington, he said while he was the “underdog”, he was confident in the possibility of winning. “While nine per cent sounds like a big margin, and it is a big margin, it’s absolutely going to come down to who’s the better candidate,” he said.” “Who’s going to fight the hardest for their community and who’s prepared to get their hands dirty to get results for the community of Swan. “I would argue that that’s me.” The West Australian joined both candidates on the campaign trail, where voters spoke on a range of issues from the cost-of-living to energy. Both sides are well aware of the value of door-knocking. According to Labor volunteers, the Swan team knock on around 4500 doors each week. During the morning the West Australian spent with Ms Mascarenhas’ campaign, around 15 volunteers and staff went around the suburb of Queens Park, an area they see as important due to a higher number of swing voters. In 2022, voters at the suburb’s polling station voted overwhelmingly for Labor 68-32 on a two-party preferred basis. Most voters who interacted with Ms Mascarenhas were friendly to Labor, with conversations ranging from cost of living to funding for further education and even increasing dog parks. One such voter was retired painter Humphrey O’Brien, who said he had been a Labor voter since moving to the country from Sri Lanka. He said he had been seeing the “same old thing” from politicians so far this campaign. “I think Labor sort of got into a stage where they just didn’t have to do any other policy shift, but the Liberals had to,” he said. “I mean the nuclear, that’s impossible, they could talk about $600 billion but it could be $1000 billion by the time they get to build it.” Mr O’Brien said environmental action made up a big part of his vote. “I think environment should be the biggest issue, they’ve really got to unwind all the damage we’ve been doing,” he said. “They’ve just got to do it as a gradual thing, that’s what Labor is doing, which is a good thing, getting in the renewables and all that.” Mr Fels said the main issues ranged from cost of living to crime depending on the area within the electorate. He said getting a clear message through had been tough this campaign but the pitch was resonating with those it reached. “The job of a candidate is to get that message through. It’s a really crowded environment for messaging at the moment and there’s so much coming from both sides,” he said. “I think people are looking at it all, trying to make sense of it all, and that’s why when you knock on somebody’s front door — you can have that personal conversation.” Ms Mascarenhas said she was confident the community was happy with its representation. “It’s been really positive, it’s been really, really positive, I think that people are responding to both the cost of living measures that the Albanese Government has been delivering, but also our plan for the future,” she said. “I think also people have been really responsive and positive to me as their local member.” The seat has already attracted a number of pledges from both sides. Labor has promised funding for a hub for skill-building for culturally and linguistically diverse youth and women at the expense of $450,000, as well as $500,000 to restore bushland at the Kent Street Sand Pit site. The Liberals, meanwhile, have pledged $1 million to upgrade the Coode Street playground and $365,000 to support crime prevention measures in the seat. While Ms Mascarenhas and Mr Fels are the frontrunners, voters will have the choice between six candidates, with the Greens’ Clint Uink, One Nation’s Michael Halley, Australian Christian’s Mark Staer and Legalise Cannabis’ Shelley Leech all throwing their hats in the ring.