Premier Roger Cook has scooped up the portfolios of Defence Industries and Tourism as part of his sweeping changes to Cabinet prompted by the resignation of Paul Papalia.
WA’s newest Minister, Daniel Pastorelli, has been handed the significant role of Mines, Petroleum and Exploration, as well as Water, in his first assignment.
Mr Cook will retain his role as Minister for Economic Diversification while giving up State Development. He will gain the Tourism portfolio, which has been merged to create Tourism, Trade and Investment.
The Premier will be given a helping hand in the defence industries portfolio with Amber-Jade Sanderson given the newly created Assisting the Minister for Defence Industries job.
Her position will be focused on working with industry to create more jobs and build WA’s place in the international supply chain, while managing State-Federal relations and infrastructure will be the responsibility of Mr Cook himself.
The reshuffle was sparked by the sudden retirement of longstanding Minister Paul Papalia due to personal family reasons.
His departure left the Emergency Services, Defence Industries, Veterans, Racing and Gaming and the difficult Corrective Services portfolios up in the air.
Reece Whitby will be given Emergency Services, Veterans will go to Hannah Beazley, Racing and Gaming will be picked up by Don Punch, and Corrective Services has been handed to Tony Buti.
The new role could prove difficult to juggle for Dr Buti, who as Attorney General already oversees the courts and will now have responsibility for the prison system too.
Mr Cook said he was confident the Minister could handle it.
“It does consolidate the portfolios under a single department and director general, and I know Minister Buti has got a strong focus around reform and a strong focus around culture within the department,” he said.
“I think he’s the most able person to continue that program, of course there are challenges in corrective services, we have to expand our capacity, we have to make sure we continue to ensure that we keep the Western Australian community safe, and he’ll be focused on those things.”
While Mr Cook had flagged he did not see Mr Papalia’s retirement as an opportunity for wholesale changes, all but three Ministers have been caught up in the changes.
“This is a solid reshuffle, which is about making sure that we can redouble our efforts around diversifying the economy and making sure that we keep the Western Australian economy the strongest in the nation,” he said.
Mr Pastorelli has been thrown a significant portfolio to begin with by the man who chose him to make the step up into cabinet.
Mr Cook said there was “potentially no more important portfolio” than the Mines job he had given Mr Pastorelli, but he moved to assure the new Minister was up to the task.
“He’s new to the role of Minister, but in terms of executive government, he’s had senior executive government experience; he’s been here almost nine and a half years,” he said.
“He’s not fresh to the role of leadership in executive government, he’s actually got a very strong hand.
“I look forward to him playing a crucial role as part of my economic portfolio too.”
Mr Cook is not the only one to have an assistant minister, with Rita Saffioti maintaining all her assignments other than the Transport portfolio becoming Transport and Major Infrastructure, in line with the name change of the Department she leads.
Housing Minister John Carey will take on the role of her Assistant while maintaining his existing portfolios, including Health Infrastructure.
Mr Cook spoke highly of his senior Minister, lauding his record.
“Minister Carey is a deliverer, and I love Ministers that deliver, that really get stuff done,” he said.
“He’s developed a reputation of doing just that in his planning and lands portfolio, he’s got real momentum when it comes to housing now, so I want him to be part of that overall infrastructure team.”
The number of Ministers with health-related portfolios has also been cut with the Preventative Health portfolio going from Sabine Winton to Health and Mental Health Minister Meredith Hammat.
Not all Ministers are likely to be happy with how the reshuffle has gone however.
While Reece Whitby has been given the Emergency Services job he has been forced to part with the Tourism portfolio, a position which brought with it no shortage of photo opportunities.
Mr Cook said it made sense for him to take on the tourism job.
“Tourism is going to be a crucial part of our economic diversification strategy, along with defence,” he said.
“That’s why I’m taking a particularly keen interest, but where you have these portfolios which are really outward projecting and are about how we present ourselves on the international stage, I think it’s appropriate that the Premier takes a role in that area.”
Full Cabinet list:
Roger Cook: Premier; Minister for Defence Industries; Tourism, Trade and Investment; Economic Diversification
Rita Saffioti: Deputy Premier; Treasurer; Minister for Transport and Major Infrastructure; Sport and Recreation
Stephen Dawson: Regional Development; Ports; Science and Innovation; Medical Research; Kimberley
Jackie Jarvis: Agriculture and Food; Fisheries; Forestry; Small Business; Mid West
Tony Buti: Attorney General; Minister for Corrective Services; Commerce; Tertiary and International Education
Simone McGurk: Creative Industries; Heritage; Industrial Relations; Aged Care and Seniors; Women
Amber-Jade Sanderson: Energy and Decarbonisation; Manufacturing; Skills and TAFE; Pilbara; Assisting the Minister for Defence Industries
John Carey: Planning and Lands; Housing and Works; Health Infrastructure; Assisting the Minister for Transport and Major Infrastructure
Don Punch: Aboriginal Affairs; Racing and Gaming; South West
Reece Whitby: Police; Emergency Services; Great Southern
Sabine Winton: Education; Early Childhood; Wheatbelt
David Michael: State Development; Finance; Electoral Affairs; Goldfields-Esperance; Leader of the House
Hannah Beazley: Local Government; Disability Services; Veterans; Volunteering; Youth; Gascoyne
Jessica Stojkovski: Child Protection; Prevention of Family and Domestic Violence; Road Safety; Multicultural Interests; Peel
Matthew Swinbourn: Environment; Climate Resilience; Community Services; Homelessness
Meredith Hammat: Health; Mental Health; Preventative Health
Daniel Pastorelli: Mines, Petroleum and Exploration; Water
Divina D’Anna: Cabinet Secretary
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