Opposition leader steps down

Mia Davies will step aside as leader of The Nationals WA and call time on her political career at the next state election.

Ms Davies today said she would step down as opposition leader, explaining that while she would stay on in Parliament until the 2025 poll, she didn't "have any fuel in the tank" to serve another term.

Addressing reporters outside parliament this afternoon, Ms Davies called it an enormous privelege to have served as party leader.

"If all I'd ever achieved in my parliamentary career was to be the member for Central Wheatbelt, I couldn't have been prouder," she said.

"To have served as a minister, to have been given the great opportunity to sit as the leader of the opposition, and to have an influence and deliver outcomes for our whole state is something I treasure dearly and will miss.

"When you do this role you have to have the energy and passion to get up and do it with everything you've got, and I know that it's my time."

Ms Davies was first elected to the seat of Central Wheatbelt, succeeding former party leader Brendon Grylls, in 2013, after serving a single term in the Legislative Council.

Prior to that she’d worked for the party and spent time as an adviser to two former leaders in Mr Grylls and Max Trenorden.

Elected party leader after the 2017 election, Ms Davies unexpectedly became opposition leader after the 2021 poll when the Nationals emerged with more seats than the Liberal Party.

Her tenure coincided with the departure of James Hayward, whose party membership was suspended after he was charged with child sex offences, and the retention of North-West Central at a by-election following Vince Catania's resignation last year.

She also drew attention for occassionally bucking her federal counterparts, including calling on Barnaby Joyce to resign as deputy prime minister after news broke of his affair with a former staffer.

Tensions were further on display late last year when Ms Davies doubled down on the state party's decision to support the enactment of a First Nations Voice in light of the federal parliamentary party swinging behind the 'No' campaign.

Today's news all but paves the way for deputy leader Shane Love, who appeared with Ms Davies at today's press appearance, to assume the leadership when caucus meets on Monday.

As for who she'd like to see succeed her, though, Ms Davies gave few hints.

"I won't be discussing who I think should be the next leader of the party, other than to say no one is irreplaceable, and everybody has strengths," she said.

"I've got great confidence that whoever takes it on will understand the privelege that it is to hold that position, the task that's ahead of them, and they'll have the capability to do it."