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Following on from our last post, WA’s newest ministers have spoken for the first time alongside Premier Roger Cook outside Parliament House, and were all asked what their life experience could offer the new cabinet.

Former lawyer and Upper House MP Matthew Swinbourn recounted his high school years, which were a struggle, and told a story about a year 9 teacher who had no faith he would amount to anything.

“I had a year 9 teacher who I’m thinking of right now, who told me that my chances of success, because I wasn’t doing well in school at that stage, were like 20 per cent,” he said.

“From my point of view, if you’re not doing well now, you might do it well later, and stick to your path. Don’t look around and worry about what everybody else is doing.”

Swinbourn said he would also bring his experience with his son Mitchell, who is diagnosed with a rare genetic cancer, to cabinet.

“I certainly appreciate what our system delivers and how important that is,” he said.

Kingsley MP Jess Stojkovski has been elevated from cabinet secretary to cabinet and said her experience as a town planner would hold her in good stead.

“As a former town planner, I’m pretty well versed in negotiating and talking to a wide variety of people, so I think that’ll be a good skill to bring to cabinet,” she said.

“I think when I decided in 2016 to put my hand up for politics, it was just to get elected. So this is beyond anything I expected, and I’m very, very thankful for that.”

Girrawheen MP Meredith Hammat was the former boss of Unions WA before winning her seat in 2021.

“I spent more than two decades advocating for the needs of everyday, working people. I think I’ve proven myself to be a strong advocate in that role,” she said.

In a shock move, Cook elevated his former chief of staff – but first-time MP – Daniel Pastorelli to cabinet secretary, which is considered a stepping stone to a ministerial position.

Cook defended Pastorelli’s quick ascent.

“If it does rustle feathers, it’s good. People I think should be put on notice that we expect people to work hard and to perform well, and we wanted to make sure that this was a cabinet which was a combination of experience and strength but also energy and renewal,” he said.

Forrestfield MP Stephen Price was endorsed as the new speaker, replacing Michelle Roberts, who retired at the election.

Cook will announce portfolio allocations on Tuesday morning.

While the state election might feel like a lifetime ago to many now (nine days and counting), there are still some seats that are yet to be called, with counting still underway.

Over the weekend, three tight contests were called including Fremantle, where Labor minister Simone McGurk has just held on to her seat.

Labor also won the seat of Kimberley, bringing their total number in the lower house so far to 43. The Liberals have been declared the winners of Murray-Wellington, bringing their number of seats to six.

There are still six seats in doubt, including South Perth, Pilbara, Kalamunda, Kalgoorlie, Albany and Warren-Blackwood.

Now that McGurk has been declared the winner for Fremantle, Premier Roger Cook is expected to announce his new ministry tomorrow.

With three ministers leaving at the end of the last term, three new cabinet members have just been named: Meredith Hammat, Jessica Stojkovski and Matthew Swinbourn.

Returning to the bushfire that is raging north of Perth near Ledge Point.

9 News Perth reporter Sarah Smith is at the scene, watch the latest update below:

The horror run of tragedy on our roads continues, with WA Police just confirming two teenage boys, aged 16 and 17, were killed yesterday after the motorcycle they were on collided with a ute.

The incident occurred on North West Coastal Highway in Roebourne around 6am.

The two teenagers were declared dead at the scene.

The 38-year-old driver of the ute was uninjured.

It brings the WA road toll for Sunday to five, after three people aged in their 20s were killed in a crash east of Armadale around 3pm.

Sticking with Labor’s caucus meeting, two high-profile MPs have delivered frank assessments of areas where Labor struggled at the March 8 poll.

Fresh from a close call retaining her seat against teal-style Independent Kate Hullett, a relieved Fremantle MP Simone McGurk said the swing against her was the result of communication of her party’s environmental credentials and the policies themselves.

Hullett ran strongly on housing and climate change to great effect in the electorate.

McGurk said Labor had done a lot in the environment space, including stopping logging and in pushing for a clean energy transition, but there was more to be done.

“There are clearly high expectations, particularly around climate change and the environment more generally,” she said.

“I think people expect that governments can walk and chew gum at the same time, can create and protect jobs as well as look after the environment.”

In the regions Labor’s vote was decimated leading the loss of seats like Murray-Wellington, Warren-Blackwood and Albany.

Retiring Agricultural region MP Darren West said there were two issues that hurt his party in the regions; firearms reform and cultural heritage.

He said letters being sent to firearms owners to surrender recently purchased guns last month did not help nor did Toodyay resident Tony Maddox’s fine handed down by courts for breaching cultural heritage laws on February 17.

Government is slowly grinding back into the swing of things after Labor’s victory last Saturday.

WAtoday is at Parliament House where the Labor caucus is meeting for the first time to decide on which MPs will form the new cabinet as well as other important positions like leaders of each house.

The leader of the upper house position will become vacant after the retirement of Sue Ellery.

The new leader will be in charge of negotiating the passage of laws with a patchy cross bench of MPs including One Nation, Australian Christians, Legalise Cannabis and at least four Greens.

Emergency Services Minister Stephen Dawson and current deputy leader of the upper house told media he would nominate for the role.

“I’ve really valued working with Sue Ellery over the last eight years as the deputy so I’m ready to stand up today and be counted,” he said.

Dawson said he would approach the role “nicely”.

“My mother always said it’s nice to be nice, and so it’s certainly how I intend to operate,” he said.

Current deputy speaker Stephen Price said he would put his hand up for the role after the retirement of Michelle Roberts.

Three new cabinet members will be confirmed today with Kingsley MP Jessica Stojkovski, Girrawheen MP Meredith Hammat and Upper House MP Matthew Swinbourn tipped to nab spots.

The portfolio allocations will be decided by Premier Roger Cook tomorrow.

Gold Coast coach Damien Hardwick has leapt to the defence of Andrew McQualter after the new Eagles mentor endured a nightmare start to his reign at West Coast.

Ben King kicked a career-high six goals and Jarrod Witts racked up 68 hitouts in the ruck as Gold Coast thumped the Eagles by 87 points – 20.16 (136) to 7.7 (49) – in Perth.

West Coast were thrashed in the contested possession count (145-102), inside 50s (67-34) and clearances (50-33) on a woeful day.

West Coast are still in the midst of the biggest rebuild in the club’s history, with the Eagles posting only a combined 10 wins across the past three seasons.

That horror run led to the exit of premiership coach Adam Simpson, and hopes of a swift lift under McQualter evaporated in the space of three hours on Sunday as Gold Coast’s star-studded midfield ran rampant.

McQualter rued his team’s lack of fight at the contest, but is confident he will be able to find the answers ahead of Sunday’s clash with Brisbane at the Gabba.

“The beauty of footy, and I’ve seen it for a while, is you get opportunity, you go away and watch this tape, and I’m confident in a few days I’ll have really clear answers of how we can improve quickly,” he said.

Hardwick was quick to go in to bat for McQualter after Sunday’s mauling.

“He’s going through the journey that every new coach goes through,” he said.

“What West Coast have got to understand, they’ve got an absolute cracker. This kid’s a star.”

There’s been a triple fatality on our roads this weekend, with WA Police appealing for information to try to determine what happened.

Yesterday, around 3pm, a white Nissan Patrol was driving westbound on Brookton Highway in Lesley, east of Armadale, when it veered off the road and crashed into a tree.

The three occupants, two men aged 26 and 27, and a woman aged 23, died at the scene.

Any witnesses or people who may have dashcam or mobile phone vision of the crash or the vehicle leading up to the crash is asked to contact Crime Stoppers.