The 2013 State Elections have seen Liberals winning over seats in what is seen to be a wave of conservatism in Western Australia.
Despite both Labor and the Greens copping the brunt of losses throughout the State, Lynn MacLaren has managed to retain her seat.
MacLaren is the Greens Member of the Western Australian Legislative Council for the South Metropolitan area, and has been since 2009.
Speaking to OUTinPerth from Hawaii, MacLaren explained how she thinks her team have survived the tough election:
“As a small party, we knew it was going to be tough to retain our seats. We remained positive throughout the campaign that our hard work and strong connections with local communities would see us through.
Upper house Greens MPs Giz Watson and Alison Xamon did not successfully retain their seats. Watson was a member for the North Metropolitan area, whilst Xamon was a member for the East Metropolitan region:
“We have to assess the possibilities in the context of an increased majority of the conservative government. The dedication and commitment shown by Giz and Alison as MPs will be missed”, said MacLaren.
Despite a smaller Greens presence in both Upper and Lower house, MacLaren emphasised the need to push inclusive and positive policies more than ever, stating simply ‘we can’t stop now’. MacLaren also expressed her ‘heartfelt appreciation to Green voters’.
Nadine Walker
