Updated March 21, 2017 21:29:43 <\/p>\n
Former WA treasurer Mike Nahan says the Liberals have learned the lessons from their landslide election loss, after officially taking on the party leadership. <\/p>\n
Dr Nahan was appointed Liberal leader unopposed this morning, with Liza Harvey maintaining the deputy role she also held before the election. <\/p>\n
The former treasurer's appointment for the Liberals came after Colin Barnett's resignation as leader, which followed his party's heavy election loss 10 days ago. <\/p>\n
In the aftermath of that defeat, Dr Nahan said he was the person to rebuild the Liberals and hold the new Labor Government to account. <\/p>\n
\"We are a small, but very experienced and unified team; you will see an aggressive, unified Liberal Party going forward,\" he said. <\/p>\n
\"We were sent a message by the public, a very big one, we have learned it.\" <\/p>\n
The partyroom meeting marked Mr Barnett's first official address to MPs since the election and brought to an end his eight-and-a-half years as party leader. <\/p>\n
The former premier left without speaking to waiting media but made brief comments on the way in. <\/p>\n
\"I will simply, as I have said, return quietly to the backbench as the Member for Cottesloe,\" Mr Barnett said. <\/p>\n
Ahead of the meeting, Dr Nahan made clear his desire for Mr Barnett to resign from Parliament and spark a by-election in the near future. <\/p>\n
But the new leader would not be drawn on Mr Barnett's future following the meeting. <\/p>\n
\"He is an elder statesman, I seek his advice and ideas and he will, no doubt, depart from Cottesloe on his own time,\" he said. <\/p>\n
Labor holds a huge parliamentary majority after the election landslide, having possession of 41 of 59 Lower House seats, but Dr Nahan insisted he could lead the Liberals to victory in 2021. <\/p>\n
\"We were at the mountain, we are in a gully but the gully is not as deep as the mountain was high,\" Dr Nahan said. <\/p>\n
\"We can come back and that is my task I am not here for the short term.\" <\/p>\n
He said the allocation of shadow portfolios would be completed in the coming days, saying every MP staying for the long-term would be given a role. <\/p>\n
Dr Nahan was non-committal about whether a partial sale of Western Power would remain part of the Liberal platform, saying he would talk to his colleagues about policy matters. <\/p>\n
Peter Collier was re-appointed the Upper House Liberal leader, despite a push by some within the party to replace him. <\/p>\n
Topics: government-and-politics, liberals, wa <\/p>\n
First posted March 21, 2017 13:56:56 <\/p>\n
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WA Liberal leadership: Mike Nahan says party learned lessons of election decimation - ABC Online<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Updated March 21, 2017 21:29:43 Former WA treasurer Mike Nahan says the Liberals have learned the lessons from their landslide election loss, after officially taking on the party leadership. Continue reading