Federal Labor leader Anthony Albanese has described Mark McGowan's landslide victory in Western Australia election as "quite extraordinary".
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Labor is predicted to claim up to 53 out of 59 lower house seats, reducing the Liberals to just two or three seats and leaving the Nationals as the main opposition party with less than a handful of seats.
Mr Albanese said the win is not just about how WA Labor has handled the pandemic with its stiff border closures.
"It's about the way WA Labor have run the economy. They have produced surpluses, they have created jobs and they have kept West Australians safe," Mr Albanese told Sky News' Sunday Agenda program,
"This is primarily about Western Australia but it has to be good new for federal Labor as well."
He said the fact a branch of the Liberal party has essentially been wiped off the map shows that they are going to struggle with a lack of resources to run an effective campaign over the next year when a federal election is due.
"They can fit people in a Mini," Mr Albanese quipped.
But Mr McGowan appeared to offer some advice to his federal counterparts when addressing reporters on Sunday, saying there is a need to be centrist and having an appeal to everyone:
"That's the future for Labor," he said.
Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack messaged Mr McGowan offering his congratulations.
"People understand the difference between state and federal," he told ABC's Insiders program on Sunday.
"Of course, we will look at the result and we'll make sure we understand the implications."
Australian Associated Press
