This week’s shock resignation of state Treasurer and Attorney-General Christian Porter brings to at least four the number of senior ministerial positions that Premier Colin Barnett will need to fill over the next nine months.
The immediate challenge facing Mr Barnett will be to find a new treasurer and a new attorney-general to fill those roles in the run-up to the next state election, in March 2013.
Should Mr Barnett win the election, he will need to draw even deeper from what is widely regarded as a shallow talent pool in state parliament.
Mines and Petroleum Minister Norman Moore and Education Minister Liz Constable will be retiring from politics at the next election and are expected to stay in their ministerial roles until that time.
Mr Barnett will also be sorely tempted to implement a wider ministerial reshuffle after the election, perhaps starting with Police Minister Rob Johnson, who continues to attract controversy.
But that possibility is a long way off.
Mr Barnett’s stop-gap solution to Mr Porter’s shock move was to resume the treasury role himself and to make Mr Moore justice minister “on a temporary basis”.
That arrangement will continue for two weeks until the next parliamentary break, at which time Mr Barnett has foreshadowed a limited reshuffle.
He is likely to tap a current minister and a new face to fill Mr Porter’s shoes.
Former treasurer Troy Buswell is expected to regain that portfolio. He was widely liked in the business community during his earlier stint as treasurer and is regarded as highly competent and effective.
If that were to occur, there is a good chance he would hold on to the transport portfolio, where he is in the midst of several major reform initiatives affecting ports, public transport and freight.
It is less likely he would retain the housing portfolio.
The state’s next attorney-general is likely to be upper house MP Michael Mischin.
His background as a lawyer – and, incidentally, a former colleague of Mr Porter at the Director of Public Prosecutions – and his experience as parliamentary secretary to the treasurer and attorney-general makes him the logical candidate.
Speaking soon after Mr Porter announced his intention to resign from the ministry and seek pre-selection for the federal seat of Pearce, Mr Barnett acknowledged this would “leave a hole” in the government but said the Liberal Party had the depth to cover it.
“We do have the depth to do that. Bear in mind there were 10 new Liberal MPs elected at the last State election, there a number of other experienced MPs and I hope more will join the Liberal team at the next election,” Mr Barnett said.
Labor leader Mark McGowan said a vote for Mr Barnett at the election would be a vote for Mr Buswell, who he tipped would be re-instated as treasurer.
However, he said Mr Buswell was not up to the task and had been a “disaster” as housing minister. “It is obvious that Troy Buswell, if Mr Barnett is re-elected, will be the next premier of Western Australia,” Mr McGowan said.
“There is no one else in the Liberal Party.”
He believed Mr Porter could have kept his portfolios until the state election and “save all that turmoil”.
“Four treasurers in four years is too many. It is not acceptable for the state to suffer that sort of turmoil in the highest offices in the land,” Mr McGowan said.
Mr Barnett played down any talk of succession.
“I intend to be Liberal Party leader and premier going into the election and I hope if we win the election I will continue in that role right through that second term of Government.
“At some stage obviously someone will take my place. Christian would have been a contender for that but there are others.
“That is years away. I hope it’s years away,” he said.
