SUPPORT for WA Labor across several Perth and country electorates has dropped heavily since the 2017 State election, a new poll shows.

The ReachTEL poll, conducted last month for a private client and obtained by The Sunday Times, shows across 10 electorates Labor’s primary vote has fallen by an average of 6 per cent.

Across the same electorates, Labor’s two-party preferred vote has gone backwards by an average 4.3 per cent.

In total, 4406 people were surveyed in the electorates of Balcatta, Bunbury, Belmont, Jandakot, Joondalup, Murray-Wellington, Southern River, Wanneroo, Forrestfield and Swan Hills.

The poll showed swings of 9.9 per cent, 12.2 per cent, 10.8 per cent and 11.6 per cent in Labor’s primary vote for Belmont, Jandakot, Southern River and Swan Hills respectively.

Labor scored record swings in Liberal-held seats in 2017, winning 41 out of 59 Legislative Assembly seats and based on this poll, WA Labor would still easily hold government if an election was held now.

Liberal sources, while acknowledging that beating Labor at the next election was a tough assignment, said they believed there would be “a big correction at the next election in 2021”.

In its first year of government Labor made some unpopular decisions, particularly in education where it was forced to reverse decisions on the location of a new senior high school and plans to shut down the School of the Air.

Saddled with a massive State debt accumulated by the previous Liberal-National government, Premier Mark McGowan and Treasurer Ben Wyatt released a tough first-up State Budget last September which included 11 per cent electricity bill hikes and plans to slash several thousand public service positions.

The latest ReachTEL results come at a time when Labor will be forced to contest an unexpected by-election in the Federal seat of Perth because of the shock resignation of MHR Tim Hammond.

Labor State secretary Patrick Gorman is almost certain to contest Perth for Labor, while the Liberals were yesterday still scrambling to come up with a candidate.