WA election 2025: Roger Cook and Libby Mettam dish out cash promises as campaigning starts in earnest

The first day back at school coincided with the first official day of the State election campaign, with the Government pledging more cash for education while the Liberals pivoted to health. Hours before he was set to visit the governor to issue the writs for the March 8 poll, Premier Roger Cook was at Treeby Primary School in the seat of Jandakot to announce nearly three quarters of a billion dollars in school funding — and to frame the election as a “choice”. His $745 million school package includes $286 million for major upgrades to old schools, $287 million to build five new schools and plan for six others, $83 million for more school refurbishments and $89 million for school air-conditioning. Liberal leader Libby Mettam, meanwhile, was at a retirement village in the seat of Nedlands to promise $24 million to Chemo In The Home to allow the organisation to treat public patients for cancer in their own houses. Accompanied at a press conference by a security detail for the first time, Ms Mettam said the promise would mean chemo treatments were done in a more comfortable home environment, avoiding the risk of hospital infections, as well as freeing up hospital beds. Chemo In The Home founder Julie Adams said the promise could benefit between 1000 and 2000 patients a year. Education Minister Tony Buti contrasted the Government’s $745 million package for schools with a $127 million school infrastructure pledge from the Liberals for school buildings as part of $210 million overall education package. Dr Buti said $127 million was not even enough to build the new East Perth Primary School — budgeted at $165 million — and questioned how much of the Liberal school infrastructure money would be spent compensating the City of Perth for the land used for the school. Perth Lord Mayor and Liberal candidate for Churchlands, Basil Zempilas — who launched his campaign Tuesday night — has said the value of the land is more than $40 million, while Ms Mettam has promised to “negotiate” with the City. Ms Mettam would not say if the money to compensate the City would come from the education package but vowed to engage in “good faith”. “We have already stated we will sit down with the City of Perth, if we have the benefit of being elected to government, to negotiate in good faith,” she said. Mr Cook said the election was a “choice” between a Government that had made the economy strong and could afford to invest in things like schools, and the Liberals who he described as “chaotic and dysfunctional”. For the Liberal leader, the message was “priorities” — a word Ms Mettam used at least six times during the media conference. “Our priorities are very clear, whether it’s health, housing, cost of living, law and order, or restoring regional services,” she said.