Marmion takes transport in reshuffle
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Bill Marmion will take on the transport portfolio in a minor cabinet reshuffle that also includes the introduction of two new ministers – Paul Miles and Mark Lewis.
Premier Colin Barnett announced today Mr Marmion would take on the transport portfolio left vacant when Dean Nalder resigned on Saturday, but would handball the finance portfolio to Sean L'Estrange.
Mr Marmion will retain his state development and innovation portfolios, while Mr L’Estrange will keep his small business and mines and petroleum responsibilities.
- Takes transport portfolio
- Divests finance portfolio
- Retains state development, innovation
- Takes finance portfolio
- Retains mines and petroleum, small business
“Bill was a civil engineer for Main Roads before entering state parliament,” Mr Barnett said.
“He has been a minister since 2010 and I have every confidence he is the right person to continue to move forward major public infrastructure projects such as the Forrestfield-Airport Link, NorthLink WA and Roe 8.”
Meanwhile, Wanneroo MLA Paul Miles has been promoted to the state cabinet as the minister for local government, community services, seniors and volunteering and youth, adopting the responsibilities that were left open when Tony Simpson also resigned on the weekend.
“Paul has been a strong and committed local member who also understands the importance of how people can contribute and strengthen a community,” Mr Barnett said.
Taking on Mr Nalder’s other abandoned responsibilities is agricultural scientist and Mining and Pastoral Region MLC Mark Lewis, who has been appointed agriculture and food minister.
"Before entering state parliament in 2013, Mark was involved in developing irrigated agricultural opportunities and also held management positions within the Department of Agriculture and Food in a region which covered the extent of his current electorate," Mr Barnett said.
"Mark was raised on farming, cattle and sheep properties in Queensland and will bring to the portfolio a vast knowledge about the agricultural sector and the challenges it faces."
He said the opportunity for new people, with new ideas, to sit at the state cabinet table would re-energise the cabinet and the Liberal government as it moved to the March 2017 election.
Two new parliamentary secretaries were also appointed today, with South Metropolitan Region MLC Nick Goiran to become parliamentary secretary to the minister for mental health and child protection, while Carine MLA Tony Krsticevic was named parliamentary secretary to the attorney general and minister for commerce.