Perth’s own East-West divide appears to be crumbling, with Labor moving into the blue-chip Liberal turf of West Perth.
WA Labor has listed its Eastbrook Terrace office in East Perth on the market after recently buying a new headquarters on Havelock St in West Perth.
It is quite a departure from the norm, with Labor long treating the east end as its favourite haunt.
The party and several unions have owned and operated from several properties at the east end of the city over the years, which is Labor-held territory at both a State and Federal level.
No wonder comrades tend to favour holding informal meetings in the area.
Liberals on the other hand have long been entrenched in the west of the city, with the party headquartered at Parliament Place in West Perth
At a State level, West Perth is firmly in the blue-chip Liberal stronghold of Nedlands.
But Labor State Secretary Ellie Whiteaker said the party was not gatecrashing Liberal turf, and was simply moving for the practical benefits of a closer proximity to Parliament House.
Whiteaker said she does not consider West Perth as Liberal territory, but is not too fussed if the Liberals think otherwise.
“I had not really thought about it from that perspective,” she said.
“I don’t care if they want to say we are moving into their turf.”
She said the ALP had long planned a move closer to Parliament House but had to wait for the right property to come on the market.
There was no date on when the final move would take place as they were waiting for an office fit-out.
Perth Trades Hall Inc paid $3.1 million for the Havelock St office in late December, buying it from the Wagoona Group, owned by the Moltoni family.
It is a fair bit above the $2 million plus GST they are seeking for their East Perth digs.
But to be fair, Labor is also likely to be using the earnings from offices it sold last year on Cheriton Place, close to East Perth train station, for $654,000.