PERTH'S tradies, contractors and the self-employed are pretty well off compared to workers on the east coast of Australia.
And therein lies the problem for West Australian Labor and the federal Labor party in an election year.
Labor branches in NSW and Victoria can rustle up the support of the unions, primarily in the manufacturing bases outside Sydney and Melbourne.
But WA's already small manufacturing sector is shrinking, and so is the party's traditional support base.
Many people in blue collar WA Labor seats don't really identify with the party anymore.
No more was that evident at this weekend's state election than in the seats of Midland and Balcatta where the Liberal party won convincingly.
Many tradespeople and contractors are essentially small business people looking for tax concessions, simpler operating conditions and a way to keep the money rolling in.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard knows this well.
That's why she stayed well away from WA Labor leader Mark McGowan's hard fought but futile campaign on public transport, health and education.
In the car-loving, privately health-insured suburbs of Perth, it was extremely hard for Mr McGowan to gain traction with anyone other than the true believers.
To the Liberal party's credit, it not only managed to maintain the support of the mining industry and small business, but a good number of mining workers now identify more strongly with the conservatives than Labor.
It's a funny place, WA.
While Victoria's economy is showing signs it could be in recession and jobs in NSW and Queensland are being lost at a rapid rate, things are still pretty good in the resources heartland.
Despite the massive debt the WA Liberals continue to rack up, people want to hear that the resources boom will continue indefinitely and that the state can still afford a flash new football stadium, airport train and a world class arena.
While Premier Colin Barnett annoyed some of his constituents with generous spending and projects like transforming the city's waterfront, it was not enough to alter the widespread belief that life is best in the west.
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