WA Labor’s factional makeup has changed dramatically since Saturday. Here’s what we know

The WA Labor caucus is headed for a significant factional rebalancing as a result of Saturday’s election, but this will not be reflected in Roger Cook’s new cabinet.

After the last election, Labor’s success in securing a majority 22 seats in the upper house drove a huge but unexpected number of left-faction MPs into the party’s caucus room, taking its number up to about 40 of 74 MPs and giving it an outsized say on internal party matters.

Premier Roger Cook and his wife Carly after his victory speech on Saturday.Credit: Trevor Collens

But during this election, Labor has lost about six seats in the upper house and brought more right-faction MPs – known as Progressive Labor – into the fold.

Progressive Labor is aligned to unions like the Australian Workers Union, CFMEU, the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association and the Transport Workers Union.

The left faction is aligned to the United Workers’ Union and the Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union.

Inclusive of the five seats undeclared, but where Labor is in contention – like Fremantle, Dawesville, Kalgoorlie, Pilbara and South Perth – and assuming the party wins a 16th seat in the upper house, the new makeup could see 33 left-faction MPs, 25 Progressive Labor MPs, and four unaligned MPs.

Progressive Labor will be bolstered by the four new MPs likely to win upper house seats including shop worker union-aligned Andrew O’Donnell, UWA scientist Parwinder Kaur, assistant WA Labor secretary Lauren Cayoun and government policy adviser Klasey Hirst.

With the retirement of Mark McGowan in 2023, only three unaligned Labor MPs remained – Deputy Premier Rita Saffioti, Energy and Environment Minister Reece Whitby and Police Minister Paul Papalia.

WAtoday understands new Swan Hills MP Michelle Maynard has joined those ranks after once being a member of Labor’s left faction.

In any normal Labor government, these even numbers would likely be reflected in the cabinet as well, but that will not be the case in Cook’s new cabinet.

Three retiring cabinet ministers – Sue Ellery, John Quigly and David Templman – will be replaced with left faction MPs Jessica Stojkovski, former Unions WA boss Meredith Hammat and CFMEU-aligned former lawyer Matthew Swinbourn.

With Water Minister Simone McGurk’s seat of Fremantle hanging in the balance, WAtoday understands fellow left faction and Kimberley MP Divina D’Anna is likely to take her spot on the cabinet, should she lose to independent Kate Hulett.

This new cabinet means the left faction would hold 10 spots, the right four, and unaligned three.

Party insiders speaking on the condition of anonymity told WAtoday the right faction would have to suck the imbalance up, given Premier Roger Cook (who is a factional warlord in the left) led the party to such an emphatic victory on the weekend.

This is a similar position that McGowan was in after his 2021 election, when factional politics was set aside because of the personal popularity of the premier at the time.

Eventually though, the right faction will seek a balance of the numbers, which could put pressure on unaligned MPs like Whitby.

WAtoday understands the health portfolio will be offloaded from current minister Amber-Jade Sanderson, who is seeking economic portfolios, while Quigley’s former portfolio of attorney-general is likely to go to current Education Minister Tony Buti.

Labor’s caucus was scheduled to meet on Wednesday for the first time, but that has been pushed to next Monday.

Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.