Western Australian election 1996; a new era dawns?

The Dec 14, 1996 election in Western Australia ended predictably, with the Coalition still in power, but it also saw the rise of minority and independent parties. The Labor Party faced several problems, the biggest being to distance itself from past fiscal policy, and it publicly conceded defeat before the 14th as a political strategy to gain sympathy or protest votes against the Coalition. Australian Democrats, the Greens, Australia First, and the Australian Marijuana parties all contested for seats, forcing the Coalition and Labor to defend former safe constituencies.