HOME AND HOSED: Premier Colin Barnett and wife Lyn at Cottesloe Beach. Picture: Colin Murty Source: PerthNow
VICTORIOUS: Colin Barnett salutes the party faithful, claiming victory just after 9pm Saturday night. Source: PerthNow
WESTERN Australia's re-elected Premier Colin Barnett says he will not think about his new cabinet line-up until after all votes from the state election are counted.
The Liberals won Saturday's election with a landslide victory over Labor, which lost several seats.
Mr Barnett no longer needs the Nationals to form government, after what he called a ``slight shift in the balance of power''.
But he says they will again be part of a coalition and he will discuss the situation with Nationals Leader Brendon Grylls ``a little later in the week''.
``I will not make any decision or any overtures about the composition of cabinet until the final result is known,'' Mr Barnett told ABC radio on Monday.
The premier said Mr Grylls had been a fantastic member of cabinet who had supported him on some policies that were not as popular among his fellow cabinet members.
``He and I have a terrific working relationship,'' he said.
``We've never had a serious argument.
``We always find a solution, and that will continue.''
With several seats still undetermined and postal votes not closing until Thursday, the cabinet line-up might not be known until well into next week.
But Mr Barnett said his government would be making a fresh start and he would not continue with legislation that had been half-debated before the election so new members of parliament could be involved.
The premier also said he would take a personal interest in agriculture issues in the Wheatbelt and wanted to reduce unnecessary regulation to allow farmers to get on with their jobs.
``I'll probably be more involved with ministers in a number of portfolios,'' he said.
Mr Barnett said the successful Royalties for Regions initiative would continue but with a shift from local projects to more basic infrastructure and road projects.
The premier said he did not think it was a problem to see the parliament dominated by the two major political parties.
He said Australia as a whole had been governed well since federation by the two major parties.
Mr Barnett hinted strongly there would a more Liberal imprint on where the Royalties for Regions money would flow.
"The focus will be more on basic services, country roads, rail upgrades, power distribution - those fundamental services, I think there is a need,'' Mr Barnett said.
"No decisions will be made about any portfolio until we sit down and work out how many Liberal ministers and Nationals ministers there will be and who they will be.''
National leader Brendan Grylls, a big winner in the seat of Pilbara, still anticipated a big role in the government.
"I hope to have a strong influence in any future Liberal/National government,'' Mr Grylls said.
"We've had a great working relationship.''
Mr Barnett's major election promises of a new airport rail line, a tram line from Perth's north to the city and a highway from Perth to Darwin are all dependent on billions of dollars of federal money.
But the premier preferred to reiterate his personal commitment to take up the plight of WA's farmers, rather than focus on the big election promises.
And he said he was also expecting knocks on the door from several new Liberal MPs.
"I hope I have got a lot of ambitious backbenchers. There will be competition and that is good for the long-term future of the Liberal Party,'' Mr Barnett said.
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