Time to ditch the ‘Kodak Kev’ jibes as Labor’s Michel claims record Pilbara State election victory

It is the two-line slogan peddled by haters still bitter about the Labor member’s defeat of Nationals doyen Brendon Grylls four years ago that finds its way to every post about Pilbara politics. The “Kodak Kev” theory claims Kevin Michel has, for the past four years, done little more than pose for photos. Well, after Saturday’s result, that slogan needs to be put to bed. Not only has he defeated Western Australia’s best-known regional politician, Mr Grylls, he is now on course to become the Pilbara’s most popular politician ever. There is no doubt Labor has shortcomings in the Pilbara. Its handling of the crumbling Hedland Senior High School is lacking, and the fact there is a housing shortage in Karratha despite the former Liberal- National government’s efforts to prepare swathes of shovel-ready land is, frankly, unacceptable. But the party, led by Mr Michel and Regional Development Minister Alannah MacTiernan, has made great strides in breathing new life into the region. Most of the 2017 Plan for the Pilbara has been delivered, and big-ticket items such as the sealing of the Red Dog Highway — the naming of which was Mr Michel’s baby as a candidate back in 2016 — and construction of the Spoilbank Marina is progressing. Downstream processing is no longer a pipe dream in the Pilbara, and we’re even talking about agriculture and aquaculture projects one would once have thought were unfathomable. The groundwork was laid during the Liberal-National era, but Labor are the ones making it happen. And let’s not forget the important role the State Government played in working with the resources industry to keep our sites operational when COVID-19 shut down the world last year. The virus could have decimated the Pilbara economy. Instead, thanks to the State Government and Chamber of Minerals and Energy’s close relationship, we are stronger than ever. So the social media trolls would do well to spend less time making snarky remarks about Mr Michel online, and more time figuring out why the Nationals keep bleeding votes in the very place the party’s signature policy has benefited most. Scott Bourne was a good Nationals candidate. Let’s hope this isn’t the last we see of him in the political sphere.