No coming back for Goiran: Mettam

Libby Mettam has ruled out the possibility of Nick Goiran returning to the frontbench under her leadership after yesterday failing to remove him as party secretary.

Ms Mettam has only led the state Liberal Party WA for a day but has already faced a challenge to her authority after failing in her attempt to have Mr Goiran stripped of his role as party secretary at yesterday’s party room meeting.

She later told reporters there would be no role for Mr Goiran on her frontbench.

That appeared to be an attempt to quash debate over the role of party powerbrokers like Mr Goiran, who is thought to enjoy the broad support of party branches in Perth’s southern suburbs.

His purported role in ‘The Clan’, a group that has garnered significant blame for the party’s worsening electoral fortunes in recent years, is well publicised. However, he has repeatedly denied its existence in any meaningful sense.

Asked today whether Mr Goiran could ever serve in her shadow ministry, Ms Mettam was blunt.

“Probably not,” she said.

Peter Collier, another figure frequently linked to ‘The Clan’, has not been stripped of his positions, but was yesterday asked by Ms Mettam to apologise for comments he made in a series of text messages, published in 2021, between him and other figures in the party.

Mr Collier did apologise for those remarks, which Ms Mettam today said she was pleased to see.

Speaking on 6PR this morning, Mr Goiran indicated he would accept Ms Mettam’s decision to remove him from his portfolios while discussions continued over his role as party secretary.

Mr Goiran however insisted the existence of ‘The Clan’ had been “blown out of … proportion” in recent years, with Ms Mettam’s new deputy Steve Thomas yesterday telling Business News that party reform was not the primary issue that drove the change in leadership.

Ms Mettam today indicated a desire to move beyond that subject.

"I hope to not have to refer to much when it comes to internal party politics," she said.

"I hope to spend every day talking about the issues which most affect Western Australians."