If Roger Cook's recent state election triumph is anything to go by, Anthony Albanese could rightly be expecting to hold on to his most marginal seat in the west — but it won't be without a fight.

The suburban south Perth seat of Tangney is at the top of the Liberals' hit list and even the Nationals are testing the waters.

Once considered a safe Liberal seat, Labor won Tangney in 2022 on a 2.8 per cent margin, and the party very well may have been prepared to give it away this time around.

But it was only a month ago voters in this part of the city helped resoundingly sweep WA Labor back into power — and that has political analysts tipping federal Labor as having "a real shot" of holding onto it. 

Tussle for Tangney

The day after the May 3 federal election was called, Foreign Minister Penny Wong was on the ground in Perth rallying the party faithful.

And from looking at those standing towards the front of the group, it was clear who the key WA candidates — and seats — are.

Pearce MP Tracey Roberts, Bullwinkel candidate Trish Cook, and dolphin trainer-turned police officer and Tangney MP Sam Lim, all getting a special shout out from the minister. 

"We know we have to win the seat of Tangney and it's great to see Sam Lim here," Ms Wong said.

On the other side of town, WA Liberal Senator Michaelia Cash was confident the choice in those key seats was clear for voters.

"The question Western Australians need to ask themselves is do I feel better off today than I did when Mr Albanese was first elected and the answer on any analysis is no," she said.

Liberal candidate Howard Ong will contest the seat, replacing the party's initial preselection of former SAS soldier Mark Wales.

Mr Wales stepped down from candidacy due to family reasons, but members of Perth's Chinese community raised questions about a novel Mr Wales wrote which includes a Chinese invasion of Australia.

John Curtin Institute of Public Policy executive director Professor John Phillimore said the seat would be high on the Liberals' "take back" list.

"Tangney's the seventh-most marginal seat that Labor holds nationally and it's the most marginal seat in Western Australia, so clearly the Liberal Party would be looking at Tangney as their number one target," he said.

"But they [the Liberals] would be a bit worried about their results at the most recent state election."

The political analyst said the swing towards Labor "radiated outwards" at the state poll, holding up well in central metro areas — which he thinks could mean a Labor Tangney win.

Key Tangney suburbs like Bicton, Bateman and Riverton were comfortable wins for WA Labor despite decent swings away from the party in some of the outer suburbs.

"I think [federal] Labor would be feeling quietly confident of its chances [in keeping Tangney]," he said.

He also said the party had a "strong MP" in Sam Lim, who had done a decent job doorknocking and would likely pick up a "personal vote".

Rural politics in the city

Tangney is about as central suburban as you can get in Perth — with its borders taking in kilometres of riverfront properties, down to the hospital and university precincts in Murdoch across to the industrial hub of Canning Vale.

But despite being as far away from the rural vote as you can probably get, the issue of live sheep exports has seeped in.

Keep the Sheep spokesperson and Nationals senate candidate for WA, Paul Brown, said the campaign, which strongly opposed Labor's plan to phase out the industry by 2028, was making its presence known in the electorate.

"We've got to continue to take our campaign into those areas where we're not seen, we're not expected. So, expect the unexpected from us," he said.

The campaign has held several events in Tangney recently in the hopes of swaying votes away from Labor and plans to target other key Labor seats in Perth like Pearce, Hasluck, Swan and Bullwinkel.

"There's a lot of people who have never heard of the campaign, didn't understand the issues but as you start talking to them one of the things that rings out about the campaign is that they all support farmers," Mr Brown said.

But Professor Phillimore doesn't think targeting Tangney makes much political sense.

"I can see why they're pressing their case across the metro area, partly to get its attention for senate elections, but in realistic terms I can't see it moving many votes," he said.

Big Chinese vote

The seat is culturally diverse, with more than 16 per cent of residents identifying as Chinese.

Ting Chen is the head of Chung Wah, a Chinese community organisation which has long-established roots in Perth.

He said in addition to cost of living, those with Chinese heritage were "concerned about the relationship between Australia and China".

"Chinese are a bit concerned about if the relationship got worse, they might face discrimination in the community. This is their concern, it's our concern," he said.

Mr Chen also said lingering racism stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as anti-immigrant sentiment, is front of mind for Chinese voters in Tangney.

"Some people blame migrants for the cost of living … it's hurtful for our migrant community," he said.

Note: Chung Wah Association has made donations to WA Labor and to the federal Liberal campaign.

Editor's note: This story originally said Labor only won Tangney for the first time in 2022. That is incorrect. Labor first won Tangney in 1983, but it was considered a safe Liberal seat from the mid 1980's until Mr Lim's success in 2022.

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