WA Liberals’ new leader Libby Mettam cleaning house

The new leader of the WA Liberals has moved to dismantle the clique of powerbrokers blamed for the most disastrous election result in the party’s history.

WA Liberal leader Libby Mettam.

The new leader of the West Australian Liberals has moved to dismantle the clique of powerbrokers blamed for the most disastrous election result in the party’s history.

The WA Liberals will now try to take supremacy in their alliance with the WA Nationals, who currently lead the opposition because they have more seats.

Libby Mettam, one of only two lower house Liberal MPs left after Mark McGowan’s government was returned with a majority in both houses in 2021, was appointed WA Liberal party leader unopposed on Monday. Former leader David Honey had intended to contest a leadership spill but decided not to over the weekend.

Ms Mettam immediately told reporters she intended to strip powerbroker Nick Goiran of his portfolios. Mr Goiran has been a prominent figure in The Clan, a group of Liberals who influenced preselections and other key decisions in the parliamentary party for years. “This is the reset that the (WA) Liberal party desperately needs,” Ms Mettam said.

Ms Mettam began the new role as WA Nationals appointed Shane Love as new leader, replacing Mia Davies who resigned last week.

Both new leaders confirmed they would now discuss who should lead the state opposition.

The parliamentary Liberal party in WA is divided over whether to take a formal position on the Indigenous voice to parliament. On Monday, Ms Mettam expressed a view similar to Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton when she said: “I support the intent of the voice but I am concerned about how it will be able to address the gaps for Indigenous Australians at a practical level”.

“There are many unanswered questions,” she said.

Mr Love went further than his predecessor, Ms Davies, by demanding that a model be released and explained before the referendum later this year.