Bishop, Campbell on a roll

Julie Bishop and Senator Ian Campbell rank as the two most powerful Western Australians in the federal government, and both have the potential to take their careers further.

Ms Bishop, who was managing partner of law firm Clayton Utz prior to entering politics in 1998, took a big leap forward in January when she was promoted to the cabinet as minister for education.

That followed a two-year stint in the junior ageing ministry.

Early in her political career Ms Bishop was seen as a close ally of federal treasurer and leadership aspirant Peter Costello, and it was suspected that would crimp her prospects under John Howard, but her subsequent progress indicates she has moved beyond such concerns.

Notably, she has steered clear of the factional battles that beset the WA Liberal Party – especially after the embarrassment of former premier Richard Court’s ill-fated attempt to parachute her into the state leadership in 2001.

In contrast, her ministerial colleagues, senators Ian Campbell and Chris Ellison, are seen as the master power brokers inside the WA Liberal Party. Most recently, they have been linked to the campaign to oust long-serving senator Ross Lightfoot in favour of the party’s senior vice-president and backroom operator Mathias Cormann.

Senator Campbell, who has been a minister since 2003, is believed to be eyeing potential House of Representatives seats so that he can be closer to the real political action in Canberra.

His profile in the wider community has been substantially boosted by his lead role in the campaign against whaling.

Judi Moylan is a mere backbencher but she has become highly influential on selected issues by joining with a small but vocal group of Liberal ‘wets’.

She has criticised the Howard government’s stance on issues such as gay marriage and welfare-to-work reforms but most notably forced concessions last year on mandatory detention policies for asylum seekers and is currently pushing for more changes in that area.

On the Labor side, WA is home to both opposition leader Kim Beazley and one of the most powerful operators in the party, Stephen Smith.