The announcement of the first WA Labor ministry since 2008 is expected at the end of the week.
WA Labor's Ben Wyatt will become Australia's first Indigenous treasurer. He currently holds the shadow portfolios of Treasurer; Minister for Aboriginal Affairs; Native Title; Kimberley; Pilbara; and the Cost of Living as a member of the WA Labor Party.
Fairfax Media reported the first person to knock on Ben’s door and congratulate him was his cousin, Liberal politician, Ken Wyatt, who recently became the nation's first Indigenous cabinet minister in January, when he was given the aged care and Indigenous health portfolios.
Until Saturday, Western Australia was considered the most Liberal-party friendly state in the country. Now, it has been re-cast as a Labor fortress, as the party is expected to win about 40 of 59 seats, up from 20 before the election.
Liberal party representation has been more than halved, from 31 to as low as 13, with four ministers losing seats. Prior to the election, Labor had 20 shadow ministers in opposition.
Going forward, Premier-elect Mark McGowan can only have 17 members in his cabinet. That means at least four shadow ministers will miss out.
Who’s in?
McGowan is expected to bring in Alannah MacTiernan, a former transport minister from the Gallop-Carpenter governments who is returning to state politics in the upper house, after a one-term stint in federal politics.
He is likely to pass on Fran Logan, who was caught out in a poorly timed 11th-hour embarrassment last week. Labor would take retaliatory action against contractors that took legal action over the Liberal-backed Roe 8 road project, which has already started but the Labor government will dump.
Labor will order a Commission of Inquiry in to the dire state of the WA budget, probing government contracts and "secretive" deals to explain cost blow-outs and record debt and deficit, Mr McGowan said.
"We have a serious financial situation in Western Australia and a serious economic situation," he told reporters from his home and electorate of Rockingham.
The Liberal’s Joe Francis has emerged as a possible rival to Liza Harvey to take over party leadership.
