Secret Harbour By-Election: Greens Candidate Rhi Davies Slams AUKUS and Electorate Housing Crisis
Defence spouse and community organiser steps into the race, targeting major party policy failures, rising living costs, and naval expansions in Cockburn Sound.
Wade McColl (20/07/2026)
Rhi Davies, Greens Secret Harbour Candidate at Press Conference. Photo: Supplied (The Greens).
The political contest for the upcoming Secret Harbour by-election has intensified following the formal entry of The Greens (WA), who have preselected active community organiser and defence spouse Rhi Davies to contest the seat.
The announcement, marked by a community campaign launch over the weekend at The Harbour Playground, introduces a distinct platform focused heavily on localized economic relief, environmental protections, and a complete re-evaluation of national defence alignments.
Davies, a mother of three teenage boys with a diverse background spanning personal fitness, retail, administration, and manual labour, positions herself as a strict non-career politician aiming to disrupt the established major party dynamics.
'Devastating and Visceral': The Local Housing Emergency
Rhi Davies, Greens Secret Harbour Candidate at Press Conference. Photo: Supplied (The Greens).
Front and centre of the Greens' campaign is an aggressive focus on the housing and cost-of-living pressures hitting the southern corridor. Speaking during her press conference, Davies launched a direct critique of the incumbent government’s long-term management of the housing portfolio.
"Labor has had nine years to solve any kind of housing problem, and it is worse than ever," Davies stated. "I don't know if you guys have been down to Memorial Drive: it's devastating. It's visceral and distressing to see that. The people in this community, and every community in the City of Rockingham, are one separation or illness or job loss away from the same fate. There's no safety nets, there's no public housing."
To back the campaign's push for immediate rent caps and expanded public housing infrastructure, the party highlighted staggering local economic indicators:
Severe Rental Stress: The average renter in Secret Harbour is now spending over 30% of their total household income strictly on rent.
Skyrocketing Valuations: Local house prices across the electorate have doubled over the past year.
The Affordability Gap: The average home in the district now costs a massive eight times the average annual household income.
Davies argued that while local families are being forced into tents and cars, major parties remain distracted by political culture wars rather than implementing direct market interventions.
A Defence Perspective Against AUKUS and Westport
Rhi Davies, Greens Secret Harbour Candidate at Press Conference. Photo: Supplied (The Greens).
As a long-term defence spouse, Davies brings an internal family perspective to international military frameworks, coming out in absolute opposition to the multi-billion-dollar AUKUS submarine deal and the proposed Westport infrastructure expansion.
The Greens platform explicitly demands a halt to naval expansions in order to protect the ecological and recreational integrity of Cockburn Sound, preserving it strictly for boating, snorkeling, and fishing.
"My husband is in the Defence Force," Davies explained. "I think I offer an interesting perspective and I'm a community voice. People who are going to be most affected by AUKUS are the families of the people who will be sent to war... We're the ones who are gonna be affected the most, and we deserve a seat at the table to say how this is gonna affect us."
Davies went further, raising concerns over regional defense recruitment campaigns targeting local youth.
"On the jobs front, it feels right now like they're recruiting our children into the war machine," she stated. "There's advertisements everywhere. They've already got our husbands and wives and family members, and now they're going after our children... We believe in having a defence force, but that does not mean that we have to hitch ourselves to the US Department of war."
Corporate Backing and Major Party Critiques
Rhi Davies, Greens Secret Harbour Candidate at Press Conference. Photo: Supplied (The Greens).
The Greens campaign launch took direct aim at the corporate connections of their political rivals. Greens (WA) Parliamentary Leader Dr Brad Pettitt MLC endorsed Davies, drawing a sharp contrast between her grassroots background and the profiles of opposing candidates.
Pettitt heavily criticized WA Labor’s selection of a former political staffer and corporate employee from the gas sector, arguing it demonstrates a clear disconnect from everyday community struggles. He further dismissed conservative minor party alternatives, claiming their leadership remains disconnected from genuine regional representation.
The Greens campaign plans to heavily feature structural tax reforms, advocating for increased taxation on large gas corporations to directly fund a rapid local transition toward cheap, clean renewable energy networks.
With early voting centers scheduled to open on August 17 ahead of the formal polling day on August 29, the entry of a dedicated minor party platform guarantees that housing security, corporate accountability, and localized environmental protection will remain central to the debate.