In what was a broad-brush reshuffle today of the Cabinet to lead the third term of the Labor Government in Western Australia, Premier Roger Cook has reshaped key portfolios in a move that demonstrates significant insight into the policy areas likely to shape the future of the State’s economic success.
The anticipated reshuffle followed the re-election of Labor, under Premier Cook, to a third term following the State election held on March 8.
The mainstream focus of the reshuffle has rightly centred on the elevation to Cabinet for the first time of Meredith Hammat to the major portfolios of Health and Mental Health. While there may be advantages in taking over the stewardship of such a large and complex operation for the State with clean hands, Minister Hammat will no doubt be supported by two former Ministers for Health who remain in the Cabinet, namely Amber-Jade Sanderson and Premier Cook himself.
In addition to that collegial support, in recognition of the major investments in infrastructure delivery required to support the stabilisation of the State’s health system, Premier Cook has lightened the load for Minister Hammat through the creation of the separate portfolio of Health Infrastructure, which will be driven by high-performing Cabinet Minister John Carey. This new portfolio will be addition to Minister Carey’s portfolios of Planning and Lands and a reshaped Housing and Works.
This is clear acknowledgement by the Government that it needs to continue a more proactive and hands-on role in delivering health and housing infrastructure to protect the standard of living in the State. Access to affordable housing and health care was a key election discussion.
However, it is the re-alignment of the key economic development portfolios that may prove to be a masterstroke by Premier Cook when it comes to continuing the positive engagement of the State’s key industrial base and export industries, which has been a feature of the Labor since it came to power in 2017.
Premier Cook has held on to the portfolios that will be key to that ongoing success, re-appointing himself as Minister for State Development; Trade and Investment and, perhaps most significantly, the newly created portfolio of Economic Diversification.
While that sounds a bit generic, in practice it is the intersection of all the emerging sectors in this State that may give WA a fighting chance to balance the books if the iron ore price enters a period of significant and sustained lows in response to global trade tremors and possible easing in Chinese demand.
Placing himself in this position gives Premier Cook oversight and reason to directly intervene in sectors as diverse as rare earths and critical minerals mining and processing; ammonia production to supply domestic customers and key trade partners; electricity generation from solar and wind and the transmission infrastructure necessary to support its integration; and carbon capture and storage as a solution to WA’s traditional hard or impossible-to-abate industries like alumina refineries.
The Premier has handed the strategically significant and reshaped portfolios of Energy and Decarbonisation; Manufacturing; Skills and TAFE; and Pilbara to Amber-Jade Sanderson, the Health Minister in the last Cabinet.
WA is leading the way in Australia with the turn-down of coal-fired power generation and in doing so has motivated the private sector to support this transition in diverse and innovative ways. However, as unpopular as it was to talk about gas in the lead-up to an election where climate is a key vote turner in some corners of the metropolitan area, WA will need a significant investment in a new base-load capable gas-fired power station somewhere north of Perth.
This is essential for two reasons. Firstly, it will provide the spinning inertia required to stabilise the South West Interconnected System as the State adds more solar and wind generation in the Mid West and Gascoyne, where WA has some of the best resources of both forms of renewables in the world. Secondly, the State’s existing fleet of gas-fired power stations were only ever designed as peaking plants and continue to regularly operate in the proverbial red zone in periods of high demand to compensate for the reduction in coal-fired generation – this will prove increasingly unreliable in the long term.
Trusted Cook lieutenants Rita Saffioti and David Michael continue with their State-significant portfolios of Deputy Premier; Treasurer; and Transport Minister and Minister for Mines and Petroleum; respectively. Deputy Premier Saffioti has also picked up Sport and Recreation while Minister Michael has picked up Finance, Electoral Affairs, Goldfields-Esperance and Leader of the House to add to his workload.
The addition of Goldfield-Esperance is not only logical for Minister Michael given the mining-dependent economy in that region but also reflective of another key feature of this Cabinet reshuffle. Premier Cook has appointed a Minister responsible for each key region in the State, perhaps acknowledgment of the swing in regional electorates away from Labor for myriad reasons including dissatisfaction with the removal of the region’s previous representation in the Legislative Council.
Minister Don Punch will take on the combined portfolios of Aboriginal Affairs; Water; Climate Resilience; and South West. The combination of climate portfolios and Aboriginal Affairs is another sign that this Government has been listening to Traditional Owners, who believe they have significant knowledge and experience to share when it comes to managing the State’s lands and waters and making them more resilient to change.
The other two key assignments that will play a vital role in the State’s ongoing economic prosperity belong to two Upper House members. Minister Stephen Dawson’s portfolio is expanded to Regional Development; Ports; Science and Innovation; Medical Research; and the Kimberley while Minister Jackie Jarvis will look after Agriculture and Food; Fisheries; Forestry; Small Business and the Mid West.
