Super Saturday by-elections bring no surprises for Perth and Fremantle

A smiling Josh Wilson surrounded by supporters at Labor's by-election party.

Labor's Patrick Gorman and Josh Wilson have easily won the seats of Perth and Fremantle in Western Australia's Super Saturday by-elections.

Mr Wilson had to resign as the Member for Fremantle earlier this year during the dual citizenship saga, while Mr Gorman was pre-selected after Tim Hammond resigned as the Member for Perth for family reasons.

Labor victory in both Perth and Fremantle was widely predicted, especially given the Liberal Party chose not to contest the seats.

Mr Wilson said he would continue to put his heart and soul into the job.

"I am … grateful and am humbled to again be entrusted with the responsibility of representing this incredible community," he said.

"I said in my first speech that I couldn't imagine a more meaningful task, a more meaningful job than this one."

John Wilson surrounded by supporters at Labor's by-election victory party in Fremantle.

The Labor MP said the by-election results sent a clear message to the Turnbull Government.

"It's clear from this campaign that the people in Fremantle, and I think it's clear from the campaign in Perth, that the people of Western Australia more broadly do not like the direction in which this country is going," Mr Wilson said.

"They don't want big business tax giveaways, they don't want the destruction of a progressive taxation system in this country where everybody pays the same tax.

"It's not consistent with our values and it's not how we live in this country."

Mr Gorman told supporters in his victory speech there had never been a more exciting time to be a Labor Party member.

Patrick Gorman stands at the podium delivering his victory speech.

"I've had the honour and privilege of working for a number of members of parliament, I've had to honour of working for an Australian Prime Minister. I've had the honour of representing working people in a union. I've had to honour of working alongside Mark McGowan as the state campaign director, but it is an absolute honour to represent my community of Perth as their next federal member of parliament," he said.

'Let's finish the job at the general election'

Mr Gorman said attention was now turning to the general election and the Prime Minister should be worried.

"Our mission is nowhere near complete. Our mission has just started," he said.

"Our mission is to elect a Bill Shorten Labor government and give the people of Western Australia, and give the people of Australia, a government that believes in the fair go.

"Enjoy tonight, thank you again and let's finish the job at the general election, whenever Malcolm Turnbull should have the guts to call it."

Patrick Gorman and his wife Jess smiling at each other at Labor's victory party.

WA Premier Mark McGowan used the evening to again criticise the Liberal Party for not fielding candidates in the two by-elections.

"The Liberal Party showed contempt for the people of Perth. They showed no respect and they showed no courage and I hope the people of Perth remember that in elections to come in the future," he said.

"I think people respect courage and I think what the Liberal Party did here in Western Australia was very disappointing and very disrespectful to the people of this state."

Four voters stand in an otherwise empty line of polling booths.

Some observers around the polling booths on Saturday reported relatively low numbers of voters, which was in line with what political analysts were expecting, given fewer early votes were cast than in other states.

Final voter participation numbers are not yet available.

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