Libby Mettam Retains WA Liberal Leadership After Internal Challenge

Mettam fends off leadership speculation fueled by leaked polling favoring Perth Lord Mayor Basil Zempilas as leader ahead of the 2025 state election.

WA Liberal leader Libby Mettam survived a leadership challenge during a party room meeting, maintaining her position ahead of the March 2025 state election.
Leaked polling, funded by unidentified private business interests, suggested the Liberal Party could gain a 7% primary vote boost with Basil Zempilas as leader.
Mettam dismissed the polling as flawed and biased, stating it was designed to destabilize her leadership and calling on internal critics to be transparent.
Basil Zempilas, a Perth media personality and Liberal candidate for Churchlands, denied involvement in the polling and expressed support for Mettam while not ruling out a future campaign leadership role.
The WA Labor government criticized the Liberals' internal divisions, describing the situation as chaotic and highlighting their struggles to rebuild after the 2021 electoral defeat.