Cook lights a fire under senior ministers, unveils new-look cabinet

The critical portfolio of health has been handed to a rookie minister in an appointment that was slammed by the opposition.

West Australian Premier Roger Cook has put his ministers on notice, saying anyone not performing risks being replaced. Picture: Colin Murty

You can now listen to The Australian's articles. Give us your feedback.

You can now listen to The Australian's articles.

West Australian Premier Roger Cook has unveiled a sweeping overhaul of his ministry and flagged major changes to the state’s bureaucracy as he looks to stamp his new-found authority.

Just over a week after steering WA Labor to its third straight landslide victory, Mr Cook said he was leading a new government, not a re-elected one, and warned senior ministers they were on ­notice if they did not perform.

He promoted a rookie minister into arguably the government’s toughest and most scrutinised role, with former Unions WA boss Meredith Hammat stepping up as Health Minister.

That role, however, is a whittled down version of the one previously held by Amber-Jade Sanderson and before that by Mr Cook himself. Responsibility for delivering the state’s major hospital upgrades will now rest with John Carey, who has added the new role of Health Infrastructure Minister to his existing housing and planning roles.

Mr Cook said Ms Hammat would benefit from a more “team-like” approach to health. Her appointment, he said, should also be a warning to any established ministers who may be slowing down.

Outgoing WA health minister Amber-Jade Sanderson. Picture: Tertius Pickard/NewsWire

“We’ve brought this combination of a few new young people (and) one of those is taking on a very senior portfolio,” he said.

“I want that to send a message to the senior ministers – they’ve got to be on their guard. They’ve got to perform.”

Health has been a weak spot for successive WA Labor governments, and was the major target during the Liberals’ unsuccessful election campaign.

Opposition Leader Libby Mettam slammed Ms Hammet’s appointment, saying it and other positions were more about rewarding union-owned MPs than serving the people of WA.

“After running a campaign on experience, Roger Cook has appointed a health minister with no experience to clean up a portfolio that has lurched from crisis to ­crisis under two other ministers,” she said.

“Not even Roger Cook thinks his new minister is up to the job, giving a huge part of the health portfolio to someone else.”

Three new ministers have joined the Cook cabinet and every single minister from the last government has seen at least some change to their responsibilities.

Ministerial positions have been created for each of WA’s four regions. Labor suffered a ­significant backlash in the regions at the March 8 election and is on track to lose more than half the seats it held outside Perth, with the Cook government’s gun, fishing and logging reforms all proving particularly unpopular in country electorates.

Mr Cook denied that the creation of ministers responsible for regional representation was a reaction to the election result.

“This has always been my intention, to bring these regional ministers back into being. I think they’re an important part of making sure that government is cognisant of not only how they’re delivering in particular departments, but how they’re working overall to continue to support a community,” he said.

The Premier also flagged a looming overhaul of the bureaucracy’s structure. Labor had slashed the number of government departments after coming to power in 2017, creating several super departments in the process, but Mr Cook said he would soon detail a number of changes.

“By and large, departments are working very well in the metropolitan area, but … I’m frustrated about our lack of progress of continuing to develop our regional centres, our seven big cities, and the lack of progress we’re making in relation to housing, particularly in remote communities,” he said.

The ministry changes cement the status of Rita Saffioti and Ms Sanderson as the two key contenders to eventually replace Mr Cook as leader.

Ms Saffioti, the Deputy Premier, has retained Treasury and transport, and swapped tourism for sports and recreation.

Ms Sanderson got her wish of trading health for an economic role, picking up the energy, manufacturing, skills and Pilbara portfolios. It means she will be responsible for navigating the state’s energy grid through the shutdown of WA’s remaining coal-fired power stations by the end of this decade.

Mr Cook had to beat both Ms Saffioti and Ms Sanderson in the fight to replace Mark McGowan as premier, and acknowledged the two women were the most senior figures in his ministry.

WA Deputy Premier Rita Saffioti has retained Treasury and transport, and swapped tourism for sports and recreation. Picture: Paul Garvey

Former education minister and legal academic Tony Buti is WA’s new Attorney-General.

Mines minister David Michael will, as Electoral Affairs Minister, have responsibility for investigating the widespread problems experienced by the WA Electoral Commission on election day.

The portfolios of energy and environment were previously both held by Reece Whitby – an arrangement that concerned environmental groups – but will now be held by Ms Sanderson and new minister Matthew Swinbourn ­respectively.

Mr Cook, meanwhile, gave himself the new responsibility of Economic Diversification Minister alongside roles in state development and trade and investment.

Diversifying the state’s mining-reliant economy has long been an unrealised goal of successive WA governments, but Mr Cook is adamant the growth of manufacturing and the increased importance of defence to WA will help the state make progress.

He also flagged that WA would move away from the legislated agreements that have governed major projects across the state for decades. He said state agreements had become “clumsy” and difficult to contemporise.

“It’s been recognised by government for a number of years that we do need to start relying on other mechanisms, rather than state agreements,” he said.

“They are really helpful, and we’ll continue to use them, but ultimately we want to move away from state agreements to more sophisticated and contemporary modes of regulation.”