South West MPs shine in new WA Government Cabinet reshuffle

Three South West MPs have taken on big seats at the table following the State Government’s Cabinet shake-up on Wednesday. South-West MLC Jackie Jarvis will join the Legislative Council to replace outgoing Regional Development and Agriculture Minister Alannah MacTiernan’, who announced her retirement from politics earlier this month. Bunbury MLA Don Punch has added Regional Development to his existing portfolios of Fisheries, Disability Services and Seniors and Ageing, while Collie-Preston MLA Jodie Hanns will take on the role of parliamentary secretary to the Premier. The role would allow her to stand in for Premier Mark McGowan when he is absent from Parliament chambers, and will allow her to perform all the Premier’s duties on the floor of the House, including the carriage of Bills. Her increased realms of responsibility would include Mr McGowan’s duties as Premier and Treasurer, as well as Public Sector Management and Federal and State Relations. Mrs Hanns is one of five new parliamentary secretaries to be appointed, taking the total number of secretarial positions from 11 to 15. The Premier was forced to perform a reshuffle after Labor stalwart Ms MacTiernan revealed she would give up her ministerial responsibilities shortly before Christmas and will finish as an MP “sometime in January”. Mrs Jarvis was named WA’s new Agriculture Minister, taking the portfolio from her once-boss Ms MacTiernan. The South West Region MLC — who also took on the Forestry and Small Business portfolios — joined WA Parliament last year in a major shake-up of the seat after two years working for the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. Mrs Jarvis — who spent nine months working as Alannah MacTiernan’s policy adviser during Ms MacTiernan’s first term as WA Agriculture Minister — runs Jarvis Estate winery in Margaret River. She joins Cabinet as one of two new ministers, with Wanneroo MLA Sabine Winton also set to join the bench. Opposition Leader Mia Davies said “West Australians shouldn’t buy into the spin that this is a refreshed Cabinet”, highlighting her disappointment that the Regional Development portfolio had been handed to a retiring MP. Ms Davies said she believed this is a clear indication the Government had put investing in the regions on the backburner and didn’t care about long-term strategic planning outside of Perth. “The Premier is sitting on a $6 billion surplus, with a broken health system, no housing, out-of-control youth crime, nurses and police crying out for better wages, and rising cost-of-living pressures,” she said.