Former Labor prime minister Bob Hawke has urged WA Labor leader Mark McGowan to hold a summit to unite business, unions and the community behind the effort to balance WA's budget and revive economic growth.

Mr Hawke was given a standing ovation by Labor Party supporters who packed the Perth Town Hall for a campaign rally designed to energise Labor's final week of campaigning ahead of the March 11 poll.

In a veiled reference to the current era of fake news and counter-factual political debate, Mr Hawke made a plea for rational evidence-based decisions on the critical political issues facing the state.

"I've had a belief in my years of leadership that ignorance is the enemy of good policy," he said.

He told Labor supporters he began his term as prime minister with a summit of business, union and community leaders in 1983, communicating openly about the crisis then facing the Australian economy and enlisting their support for Labor's policy response.

Hundreds of Labor supporters turned out just six days before the WA election. ( ABC News: Andrew O'Connor )

"I instructed the Treasury that every delegate was to have as full a briefing as we had received," he said.

"Every delegate had an outline of the challenges that were facing us, the big decisions that had to be taken.

"Seeing the facts, and in the fact of those facts, [meant] knowing those changes, those important decisions were inevitable."

As prime minister from 1983 to 1991, Mr Hawke was regarded as a great consensus builder, delivering fundamental reforms to the Australian economy from the wages and incomes accord to occupational superannuation.

Mr Hawke told Mr McGowan if he were to win office on Saturday, he must find a way to bring West Australians together behind his agenda.

"Take the representatives of the organisations, the employers, the trade unions, the welfare organisations ... and if the facts, in a dispassionate way, are put before the people, you will find you will have a much easier basis, more effective basis of government."

Mr Hawke urged WA Labor leader Mark McGowan to bring West Australians together behind him. ( ABC News: Andrew O'Connor )

Mr McGowan, however, remained focused on winning government and reminded the hundreds of supporters who filled the town hall the election would be won or lost over the next six days.

"Make no mistake friends, this election is hard to win. We have a mountain to climb. We have to win ten seats with the final seat on a 10 per cent margin," he said.

"But I am confident that we have the policies, the plan, the people, the candidates and the campaigns to do our best next Saturday and I look forward to working every single day, every single waking hour, in the lead up to that event, next Saturday."