For the first time in half a century there's a heated contest in the West Australian electorate of Forrest with the seat being targeted by a Climate 200-backed Independent. Forrest has been a safe Liberal seat since the early 1970's but with the long-serving MP retiring at this election challengers from all political persuasions are lining up to take over.
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00:00After the success of the Teal independence spread to Western Australia at the last federal
00:08election, Keybacker Climate 200 is expanding its net, supporting Sue Chapman in the blue
00:14ribbon seat of Forrest.
00:16We have all sorts of t-shirts of varying sizes.
00:19The South West base surgeon believes voters are ready for a change.
00:24I genuinely think that this beautiful part of the world has been ignored for way too
00:30long.
00:31The seat includes Margaret River and Bunbury in WA South West.
00:35Liberal campaign ads confirm there's significant concern.
00:38Dr Chapman rejects the Teal label.
00:41I have been labelled a Labor stooge, a Liberal plant, an extreme green and part of a Teal
00:48party and all of that is incorrect.
00:51The Liberal candidate Ben Small says he isn't taking votes for granted.
00:55The cost of living is front of mind for most people.
00:58He's defended the campaign against the independent challenger.
01:01You oppose important infrastructure investments where you can't give a straight answer on something
01:07like the Geograph Bay wind farm and where you do have that history of activism.
01:13That does look and sound radical to me.
01:16The seat of Forrest has historically been a safe Liberal seat but at the last election
01:20it turned marginal.
01:22Now that the local Liberal member has retired, Dr Chapman isn't the only one hoping to change
01:26the minds of voters.
01:27It's been 17 years with the with Nola Marino in and everyone loves Nola Marino and I really
01:33respect her and what she's done for the community.
01:36But I think that this is the moment to have that change.
01:39Labor's result in WA at the 2022 election has turned this seat into a tight contest.
01:44The fact that it's reduced down over a fairly short period of time makes that seat vulnerable.
01:50One of our favourite subjects guys.
01:51A competition that could benefit the voters of Forrest one way or another.
01:56After that, wait a minute.