Mia Davies to replace Grylls in cabinet

Mia Davies has been elected deputy leader of The Nationals WA and will become a cabinet minister after beating Wendy Duncan in a partyroom ballot.

Ms Davies will serve as deputy to newly-appointed Nationals WA leader Terry Redman, who was announced last week as the successor to Brendon Grylls after his shock resignation from the leadership and from cabinet.

The terms of the alliance between the Liberal and National parties dictate that the cabinet vacancy created by Mr Grylls' resignation must be filled by a Nationals MP.

However it is not yet clear which portfolio Ms Davies will take on.

Premier Colin Barnett has refused to be drawn on Mr Grylls' desire to see the key regional development portfolio stay with the leader of the Nationals, telling reporters last week that he would make a decision on the allocation of portfolios in the coming weeks.

He said he did not plan to undertake a broader cabinet reshuffle.

Ms Davies was elected to the Legislative Council in 2008 at the age of 29 and was elected to the Legislative Assembly as the member for Central Wheatbelt at this year's state election.

She was most recently a parliamentary secretary to Mr Grylls and has previously worked as a policy adviser and as an executive officer at the Chamber of Minerals and Energy. 

“The Nationals have a proud 100-year history in WA and continue to evolve as a contemporary political party,” Ms Davies said. 

“Under the leadership of Brendon Grylls, the party has moved into a new era of political representation for regional WA through forming an alliance government and delivering Royalties for Regions.” 

Mr Redman said Ms Davies had demonstrated a tremendous political capacity in her five years in parliament.

North West Central MP Vince Catania will replace Ms Davies as a parliamentary secretary.