Barnett expected to dump Buswell

UPDATE: Premier Colin Barnett is widely tipped to dump treasurer Troy Buswell from the ministry when they meet on Tuesday morning.

Mr Barnett is understood to be furious over admissions that the treasurer misused his parliamentary expenses during an affair with Greens MP Adele Carles.

Mr Buswell had been expected to survive the affair, which was judged to be a grave personal indiscretion but not fatal for his career.

However the misuse of expenses was considered a more serious matter, even though the amount in question was just $300.

Mr Buswell has previously misused his parliamentary expenses, prompting warnings at the time from the premier that he would not tolerate any further misuse.

The premier is expected to take the treasury portfolio and allocate Mr Buswell's other portfolios to other ministers.

Earlier on Monday, Mr Buswell said he planned to maintain his position as state treasurer after confirming he recently had an affair with Ms Carles.

The treasurer said he wanted to keep his current job despite using taxpayers' dollars to fund his and Ms Carles accommodation and transport during the four month affair, which was revealed yesterday after Ms Carles issued a statement to The Sunday Times.

Over the course of the affair he estimates $300 was charged to his government credit card.

Mr Buswell and Ms Carles used the credit card for accommodation in Albany in February, acommodation in Canberra after a ministerial council meeting and used his ministerial car to meet Ms Carles on three seperate occasions.

"I can confirm my ministerial car dropped me off to meet Adele Carles on three occasions, I will repay the government garage the cost of those trips," Mr Buswell said.

"I fully expect to have my government credit card made public very shortly," Mr Buswell said.

Mr Buswell focused on the use of taxpayers' dollars during the affair "to draw a line in this event and in order to allow my family to move forward."

Mr Buswell said he expected to remain in his position as state treasurer and resignation had not been raised with him by his Liberal colleagues.

"No one in government has put resigning forward to me," he said.

"My desire is to stay in this position and serve the government."

Mr Buswell said he had informed his family and Premier Colin Barnett of the affair when it ended recently.

"This affair ended recently at which time I informed the premier and my family of my actions," Mr Buswell said.

He said he is seeking professional assistance to aid him in the "personal work ahead."

Mr Buswell expressed regret for not taking Mr Barnett's advice given to all new members of the Liberal government.

"As the Premier said to me, you become a member of parliament and you no longer have a private life, that is advice I should have heeded."

"But this is public, I am here today to deal with the public aspect of actions that have caused significant pain to a lot of people who are very close to me," the treasurer said.

"When I spoke to the premier, he expressed his extreme disappointment with me for my actions."

The treasurer said he is most remorseful for the impact the affair has had on his family after being made public by Ms Carles but declined to comment on the current status of his marriage.

"Obviously this has a significant impact for my family, I was very keen to minimise that impact and try and deal with this privately, obviously that hasn't been the case," Mr Buswell said.

"I apologise to my wife Margaret and to my sons. I sincerely regret my actions and have sought expert assistance," he said.

The treasurer was relunctant to detail the affair, claiming it would create greater impact on his already affected family.

"This matter is painful to a whole lot of people and I am certainly not going to detail those circumstances," Mr Buswell said.

Mr Buswell is due to outline the state budget in May, a job he said he is now focussed on despite his personal life being the centre of media attention.

He said whether he can be trusted with developing a strong budget in the midst of the affair being made public will be judged on the merits of the budget at its release.

"That is a matter ultimately determined through the quality of the budget, I am now focussed on doing my job," he said of his trustworthiness.

"I regret also that this instance will diminish attention on the good work that the team in treasury has done."

"I am keen to continue the work of finalising the work on the government's second budget to be handed down on May 20th."

Mr Buswell said having an affair with the Greens Fremantle MP has not impacted on his dealings with either the Greens party or Fremantle as an electorate.

"This relationship has not had an impact on the discharge of my duties nor has it influenced me in my dealing with the Fremantle electorate."

The affair being made public by Ms Carles yesterday follows a number of embarrassing moments for Mr Buswell.

He was forced to apologise two years ago after being caught smelling an office chair a colleague had been sitting on and snapping the bra strap of a Labor staffer.