What’s on voters’ minds as the first votes are cast in the battle for Secret Harbour?

Cost of living and local representation have emerged as key issues for candidates to address as pre-poll voting officially kicked in the Secret Harbour byelection on Monday.

The seat was vacated after the resignation of long-term Labor minister and MP Paul Papalia, who retired from politics last month after a close family member was diagnosed with a serious illness .

The battle for Secret Harbour has developed into a three-horse race, with Labor, One Nation and the Liberals emerging as the main challengers to claim the electorate.

Labor’s candidate Georgia Tree said the main grievance raised during her doorknocking had not changed throughout the campaign.

“People are feeling the pinch, the global inflation crisis that we’ve seen post-COVID is still biting, and that’s why it’s been really important to let people know about the cost of living relief that Roger Cook and his team are already delivering.”

Meanwhile, One Nation’s candidate Luke Herdegen said people in the electorate felt like they were being taken for granted.

“They’re tired. They’re tired of being taken for granted in the southern suburbs here.

“They don’t get the infrastructure, they don’t get these things and the money spent down here, and they’ve had enough.”

It was a sentiment echoed by the Liberal Party’s Ryan Robertson, who said he believed the people of Secret Harbour have been ignored.

“It’s time that they actually have someone in state parliament that is a voice of the people that live here, and not just the mouthpiece, and that’s what we will bring,” he said.

“The WA Liberals are crystal clear on their focus, and that’s to deliver for the people of Secret Harbour.

“We’ve seen in the last couple of weeks promises, more promises, and then re-announcements of older promises.”

WA Electoral Commissioner Dennis O’Reilly said more than 550 people had already come through the doors at early polling centres in the first few hours of voting.

That’s on top of the 3500 postal votes also already lodged. There are around 36,000 voters in the electorate.