The latest fight has been around finding Liberal candidates in two key seats. The impending retirements of Michael Keenan (Stirling) and Bishop (Curtin) has exposed many of the issues facing the general Liberal Party and the state branch in particular. Loading Last weekend the candidate supported by Cormann, Keenan and other power brokers, Joanne Quinn, managed just four votes from 30 Stirling preselectors. In a field of five that included four women, former army officer Vince Connelly was named the Liberal candidate for Stirling. Despite warnings of how another male might look to the general voting public, especially up against a female ALP candidate, local preselectors went with Connelly. According to one Liberal MP, the Stirling preselection battle highlighted the disconnect between the party faithful and party power brokers headed by Cormann and state MPs Peter Collier and Nick Goiran. That MP said Stirling preselectors, who had long put up with demands on their time and money from the party, had now been told to fall into line behind Quinn for the sake of "gender optics".

"They got told this from on high. They really only have one power, and that's to preselect a candidate, so they said 'stuff this' and went their own way." Some within the party believe the "gloss" has come off Cormann, especially since he backed Peter Dutton in last year's leadership turmoil. The failure to support Bishop angered many West Australian voters, who could not understand why their federal Liberals had backed either Dutton or Scott Morrison. The failure of any WA Liberal MPs to back Julie Bishop in the 2018 leadership challenge upset many West Australian voters. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen There is also residual anger at the party's decision to do a preference deal with One Nation at the 2017 state election, and then last year's move not to run candidates in the Perth and Fremantle byelections. But others say the Finance Minister, despite the issues around Stirling and Dutton, is still the most important player in the party. "They've been saying that about Mathias for ages and he's still there," one MP said.

While Cormann, Collier and Goiran are the most powerful voices within WA Liberal politics they are being challenged. One of the most prominent voices in WA Liberal politics is millionaire property developer Nigel Satterley. He referred to Cormann as "the cremator", Collier as "the undertaker" and Goiran as "the embalmer" in a lively radio interview in late 2017 as he criticised their role in the party's troubles. That followed the disaster of that year's state election, when the Liberal Party was destroyed by Mark McGowan's ALP. McGowan enjoyed the single largest gain by WA Labor in more than 100 years as the Liberal Party's primary vote collapsed by almost 16 per cent. Mark McGowan led Labor to its biggest victory in more than 100 years at the 2017 WA election. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen There were some early signs of the state electoral disaster at the 2016 federal election. Christian Porter suffered a 6 per cent swing in his northern Perth seat of Pearce. To the south, the new seat of Burt was supposed to have a 6 per cent margin for the Liberal Party. Instead, Labor's Matt Keogh now holds it by 7 per cent.

The biggest swings to Labor in 2016 were in those areas most affected by the state's post-boom bust. Three years on, the economic conditions are still against the Liberal Party. House prices in Perth have fallen another 15 per cent, leaving many homeowners underwater on their mortgages, while unemployment is at 6.8 per cent and climbing. One Liberal MP said the confidence and excitement among Labor voters, evident at the 2017 election, was being repeated ahead of this year's federal poll. Labor's election campaign headquarters will move into a larger building because of an increase in the number of volunteers, while key candidates have hit and exceeded their fundraising targets. Liberal insiders believe Scott Morrison is playing well in WA and could help the party retain key seats. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen A separate concern, shared at the top levels of the party, is the increasing sway of Pentecostal Christians in a number of Liberal branches, mainly in Perth's north suburban "Bible belt".

Number four on the Liberal Party's Senate ticket for the upcoming election is Trisha Botha who, with husband Paul, founded the New Testament One Church Perth in 2005. Loading Soon after Trisha Botha came within two votes of securing the winnable third spot on the Liberal ticket, Paul Botha made clear his view on his wife's role in politics in an address to their congregation. “She is also mobilising the church to get engaged in the political process — and to ensure the church stays present in a season, in a time right now, where the voice of God is very quiet in places like politics and other key places. We need that voice to be amplified," he said. One Liberal confirmed the increasing presence of "churchies" inside the party, replacing traditional supporters who have walked away. The concern is that the church element could put the party at odds with the wider community on social issues. The troubles within the Liberal Party have not been missed by the ALP. In the past week, Bill Shorten, Tanya Plibersek and Anthony Albanese all made the trek west to talk up their candidates. Investing so much time points to what internal Labor polling has been showing for months: up to five Liberal-held seats in WA are up for grabs.

Those five - Hasluck, Pearce, Swan, Stirling and Canning - are all being targeted while the ALP is quietly confident it will retain Cowan, which Labor's Anne Aly holds with a 0.7 per cent margin. But another Liberal MP says Prime Minister Scott Morrison is playing well in WA, in part because of his role in resolving the state's long-running gripe over its share of GST. Liberals believe issues such as the debate over Labor's franking credits policy play better for the government in WA with its "aspirational spirit", while border security could quickly become an electoral touchstone. The MP noted WA has a history of bucking electoral trends. In 2007, as Kevin Rudd swept to power nationally, Labor lost both Cowan and Swan. Three years later, Labor was left with just three of the state's 15 lower house seats.

To take up that fight will require money. Yet the ebbing chances of victory, the tough economy and the retirement of noted fundraiser Julie Bishop mean the Liberal Party's traditional financial advantage over Labor in WA has all but disappeared. Last year the state ALP brought in $1 million more than its Liberal opponent, which recorded its smallest revenue inflow in 10 years. Then there are the problems that come along with time in office. The latest involved Attorney-General Porter and a free bus supplied to the party by a local company managed by a former state Liberal MP, Joe Francis - who Porter last month appointed to a $244,000 a year job on the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. Loading Although Porter said he had nothing to do with the arrangements around the bus, the so-called "Porter Transporter" added to the murk surrounding WA politicians in Canberra. The previous fortnight included news of the Helloworld revelations surrounding Cormann, and Senator Michaelia Cash refusing to speak with the Australian Federal Police during the investigation into leaks about raids on the Australian Workers' Union.