Zempilas confirms Churchlands Liberal tilt

City of Perth Lord Mayor Basil Zempilas has formally declared his intention to run for Liberal preselection in the Churchlands electorate ahead of the 2025 State Election.

The preselection nomination puts an end to months of speculation around Floreat resident Mr Zempilas’ political intentions, confirming his interest in the previously blue-ribbon seat and desire to shift into state politics.

Mr Zempilas, who built a profile as a commentator and sport newsreader over a two-decade stint at Kerry Stokes’ Seven West Media, has been lord mayor since 2020 and continued to dabble in media well into his tenure.

As recently as August 2023, he recused himself from a council vote related to Mr Stokes’ business interests as he was still on the Seven West payroll.

Business News understands Mr Zempilas remains an employee of Seven West Media. His intentions have been revealed in an editorial which will run on the front page of the Saturday edition of the media company’s WA masthead. 

Hints of interest in a Zempilas Liberal run at Churchlands were evident as early as February 2022, when the former sport news reader stepped aside from his daily duties at Channel Seven.

Murmurs grew louder in the lead up to local government elections last October.

In that race Mr Zempilas’ main rival, prominent architect Sandy Anghie, ran a campaign urging residents to vote for a candidate “100 per cent committed to local government” – a clear dig as perceptions that Mr Zempilas’ interests were split between local and state politics.

For his part, Mr Zempilas has consistently played down speculation of a tilt at Churchands.

But since re-election, Mr Zempilas has notably ramped up public criticism of the state government, particularly in ongoing clashes with the WA Labor government over the closure of a crisis centre in the city’s boundaries due to a funding dispute.

He previously butted heads with the state government over funding for a public pool at as part of the WACA ground redevelopment.

He has also inserted himself into the Australia Day debate by criticising Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Perth MP Patrick Gorman over the federal government’s decision in 2022 to allow councils to decide when to hold January citizenship ceremonies.

Councils had always decided this until 2017, when the former Coalition government forced them to hold it on January 26.

In the lead up to Christmas, he told 6PR’s Gary Adshead that he would use the December break to consider his political options.

In a newspaper column published on December 29, Mr Zempilas alluded to a January 27 preselection nomination – highlighting the date’s significance in the leadership of both the Nationals WA and the WA Liberal Party in 2023. 

On Thursday, Premier Roger Cook said Mr Zempilas was "turning his back" on Perth ratepayers by running for a shot at state government months into his second term as lord mayor. 

Mr Zempilas says he intends to continue in his Lord Mayor role in the lead up to the 2025 state election, which is scheduled for March 8, 2025.

The Churchlands seat, held by conservative members since its inception in 1996, was narrowly won off Barnett government minister Sean L’Estrange by Labor’s Christine Tonkin in the 2021 Liberal wipeout.

Ms Tonkin holds the seat by a 1.6 per cent margin and her chances of retaining it have been written off by most pundits. Mr Cook was non-committal when asked if Ms Tonkin would be preselected to run against Mr Zempilas in the electorate on Thursday. 

Mr Zempilas is one of three names linked to Churchlands for the Liberals, alongside 2017 Pilbara candidate Mark Alchin and City of Stirling councillor Rob Parparde.