Liza Harvey’s decision leaves WA Liberal Party with uncertainty ahead of 2021 election

Just 111 days from an election that MPs have been fearing could lead to a historic wipeout, Western Australia’s Liberal Party finds itself rudderless and facing some big questions about its future.

In some ways, Liza Harvey shocked colleagues with her abrupt decision to quit as Opposition Leader — most Liberals first learned of the it when a statement was sent to their WhatsApp group on Sunday morning, before she confirmed it in a three-minute press conference an hour later.

But, in other ways, Harvey’s decision was a long time coming.

Her future had been an open question within the Liberal Party for months, with MPs left increasingly despondent by poor polling and fears they were headed for an electoral cliff on March 13.