Close Scott Morrison confidante and outgoing Member for Tangney Ben Morton has conceded the popularity of Premier Mark McGowan was a significant factor in Labor's haul of seats in Western Australia and the Liberals' decimation.
But Labor said that was a failure by the Liberals to take responsibility for their losses.
Labor MPs pointed to what they said was the Liberal’s disconnect with the community and taking the state for granted, especially when Prime Minister Scott Morrison called West Australians “cave people” and sided with businessman Clive Palmer over the state’s closed border.
In perhaps the most stunning result of any state in the election, Labor picked up at least four seats from the Liberals in Western Australia — Swan, Pearce, Hasluck and Tangney — with a massive state-wide swing of more than 10 per cent.
Mr Morton, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister and Cabinet in the Morrison government, had not been expected to lose his seat but, in a shock result, suffered a swing of more than 13 per cent to Labor's Sam Lim, with more than 66 per cent of the vote counted.
"I think Mark McGowan was absolutely a factor in this election campaign, we haven't seen the swings that we've seen in the last state election occur," Mr Morton said.
"So less of a factor this time, less of a swing to the Labor party that we saw at the last state election. But one that obviously goes against the Liberal Party in WA."
Liberal wipe-out across most of Perth
There has also been a swing of more than 11 per cent to the Labor party in the once-safe Liberal seat of Moore, in Perth's north, and it is now too close to call.
If the Liberals were to lose Moore, it would leave them with no seats in the metropolitan area, with the ABC computer also predicting a win for independent Kate Chaney in the previously-blue ribbon seat of Curtin.
Liberal Andrew Hastie's seat of Canning, just beyond the southern and south-eastern edge of the Perth metropolitan area and once held by a comfortable 11.6 per cent buffer, has been reduced to a marginal seat.
Mr Morton said he had not yet turned his attention to what went wrong in Western Australia or how the party should change in the west.
Liberals angry at lack of West Australian support
But in the seat of Hasluck, which had been held by Ken Wyatt, Minister for Indigenous Australians in the Morrison government, some Liberals at his post-election function had strong views.
Some Liberals told the ABC they were angry with what they saw as a lack of party support for Liberal candidate Celia Hammond in Curtin, who held the seat for one term after taking over from former foreign minister Julie Bishop.
Ms Hammond was not Ms Bishop's choice to replace her, but was instead the pick of former finance minister and WA Liberal powerbroker Matthias Cormann.
Others expressed amazement at the result so far in Moore and were particularly critical of the ongoing influence of "the Clan" within the party, an informal group of Liberal conservatives including Mr Cormann, state Upper House MPs Peter Collier and Nick Goiran and Ian Goodenough, the incumbent federal MP in Moore.
Climate change failure resonated
There was also a belief expressed to the ABC by some Liberals in Hasluck that the federal Liberals had failed to effectively explain what the Morrison government had done to address climate change issues.
In Curtin, Ms Chaney was one of the teal independents in previously heartland Liberal seats who campaigned on climate change and appealed to dissatisfaction among voters with the way the Liberal party had evolved.
"Whatever happens, the Liberal Party will need to spend some time thinking about who and what it stands for," she said.
"We do know that communities care, including this community, about climate, corruption, long-term economic thinking and social inclusion.
"We do know there is a place for optimism in Australian politics. Whatever happens next, I now feel optimistic about the ability of community to drive change, to be heard and to make things better."
New Labor MPs promise 'better future'
Labor's clearly overjoyed newly-elected MPs fronted the media on the South Perth foreshore on Sunday.
Incoming member for Swan Zaneta Mascarenhas said voters did not like what the Coalition offered.
"It's been a pretty amazing ride we had last night and a better future starts today," she said.
"The truth is Mark McGowan showed what leadership looks like in a crisis, Scott Morrison didn't."
There will now be at least nine federal Labor MPs from Western Australia, and potentially 10 if Tom French wins Moore.
Tracey Roberts, who has been elected in Pearce, said the community sent a strong message about the Morrison government's performance.
"On the doors and talking and engaging with people, they sensed a very strong sense of disconnect," Ms Roberts said.
Perth MP Patrick Gorman said Sunday was not the day to give the WA Liberals advice on how to rebuild from the ground up, but he did lay out why voters punished them.
"What we have seen is a very clear message, that you do not take this state for granted, you do not treat this state the way Scott Morrison and the Liberal party have for the last few years," he said.
Senior West Australian Labor MP Madeleine King, who holds the seat of Brand, said the extra WA representation would be heard in government, after a quick rest following the long campaign.
"Maybe go and watch the footy this afternoon, have a bit of a lie down," she said.
"But tomorrow the work really starts … standing up for Western Australia, I hope, into the very long-term future."
Incoming Hasluck MP Tania Lawrence said the three key issues she would fight for in her electorate were aged care neglect, for both residents and workers, cost of living pressures, and a focus on women and affordable childcare costs.
