Nationals now beholden to Liberal largesse

AS the dust settles on the new political landscape following the Liberal-National government’s resounding state election victory, it remains to be seen who will hold positions of influence within the government.

Premier Colin Barnett says he will not name his new cabinet line-up until after all remaining seats are decided. The seats of Collie-Preston, Midland, Eyre, and Kimberley still hang in the balance, and WA electoral commissioner Warwick Gately said an outcome for some of those electorates was not expected until the weekend.

ABC election analyst Antony Green predicts that Labor will retain Midland and Kimberley but lose Collie-Preston, taking the party’s losses to seven and leaving it with 20 seats in the lower house. Should the Nationals gain Eyre. as predicted, they will finish with eight seats and the Liberals will hold 31 seats.

With strong swings towards the Liberal-

National government across the state, it is now likely that the only automatic vacancy on the frontbench will be created by the departure of the now-retired mines and petroleum minister Norman Moore.

It’s expected parliamentary secretary Mike Nahan, an economist and former executive director of the Institute of Public Affairs, will replace Mr Moore. Dr Nahan secured a 7 per cent swing in his seat of Riverton against high-profile Labor candidate Hannah Beazley.

Peak resources groups including the Chamber of Minerals and Energy, and the Association of Mining and Exploration Companies have called on Mr Barnett to appoint a new mines and petroleum minister as a top priority in his first week back on the job.

The Nationals Terry Redman, agriculture minister in the first Barnett government, looked to be in danger of losing his seat of Warren-Blackwood to Liberal candidate Ray Colyer, but a late surge on the back of preferences swayed the contest back in Mr Redman’s favour.

Mr Redman is one of three Nationals MPs who currently hold ministerial responsibilities, alongside party leader Brendon Grylls and racing and gaming minister Terry Waldron.

Mr Grylls’ risky decision to abandon his safe Central Wheatbelt seat and run for the Labor-held Pilbara paid handsome dividends, with a 19 per cent swing to the Nationals in that electorate.

The Nationals will be hoping to expand their numbers on the frontbench, with former legislative council members Wendy Duncan and Mia Davies both successful in their raids on lower-house seats.

However, with the Liberals set to win their own majority in the lower house, the balance of power in the Liberal-Nationals alliance has undoubtedly shifted in the majority party’s favour.

Mr Barnett flagged changes to the Royalties for Regions scheme almost immediately as it became clear his party had won a substantial majority, saying the focus would now be on basic infrastructure and country roads rather than main street upgrades and sporting facilities.

While both the Liberal and Labor parties promised to continue funding Royalties for Regions if re-elected, the program has been criticised as wasteful by public policy think tanks such as the Grattan Institute. The revised focus of the scheme suggests Mr Barnett will attempt to claim Liberal ownership of the program over the next four years.

The current dynamic is a far cry from 2008, when Mr Grylls held the position of electoral kingmaker in the hung parliament. His week-long negotiations with both major parties allowed the Nationals to secure billions of dollars in funding for the regions.

Mr Barnett is due to meet with Mr Grylls later in the week to plan for the future, and told reporters he was confident the pair’s “terrific working relationship” would continue. It is not yet clear whether Mr Grylls will retain his position as regional development minister.

Despite a strong Labor campaign against treasurer Troy Buswell in the final weeks of the campaign, he secured a 3.4 per cent swing to the Liberals to comfortably retain his seat of Vasse.

Mr Buswell is widely expected to continue serving as treasurer but could be relieved of the demanding transport portfolio, given the high number of candidates in line for ministerial posts. Education and energy minister Peter Collier could also see his key responsibilities divided up.

The Labor Party is meanwhile set to meet this week, with opposition leader Mark McGowan telling reporters he would stand for the leadership once again. Key deputies Roger Cook and Ben Wyatt are not expected to challenge for the leadership.

Legislative Council results are still to come but initial projections suggest the Greens presence in the upper house will be reduced from four seats to two, with Giz Watson and Alison Xamon expected to lose in the South West and East Metropolitan regions.