BRENDON Grylls has taken back The Nationals WA leadership after Terry Redman stepped aside on Tuesday afternoon.
Mr Grylls challenged Mr Redman for his old job on Monday, flagging a major overhaul of the party to make it more appealing to voters and taking a more aggressive public stance ahead of next year's State election.
The overhaul also saw Housing, Racing and Gaming Minister Colin Holt stand down from Cabinet to make way for Mr Grylls in the ministry.
In the interim, Mr Grylls will take over Mr Holt's portfolios.
In his first address as party leader, Mr Grylls said he was refreshed and ready to take on mining giants Rio Tinto and BHP with a proposed new mining tax.
At a joint press conference at Parliament House with Mr Redman, Mr Grylls proposed Rio and BHP pay a $5 a tonne mining production rental "tax", which he claimed would raise $7.5 billion across the forwards estimates - a solution to WA's record deficits and debt.
"Mr Redman and I discussed the policy with the Premier (Colin Barnett) at a meeting last night," Mr Grylls said.
"It will rapidly return the budget to surplus and give us scope for payroll tax reductions and stimulate employment."
While the proposed policy was discussed, Mr Grylls said Mr Barnett did not agree with the plan.
But further discussions were scheduled for this week to discuss the State's debt going forward.
After the marathon round of meetings party deputy leader Mia Davies faced the media on Tuesday afternoon with a short statement on the outcome.
She said there was not a spill motion.
Ms Davies said Mr Redman, who had been party leader for three years, resigned from the position without it going to vote and it had "been agreed that Brendon Grylls will become the leader of The Nationals".
"I would like to put on the record a great deal of thanks and appreciation to Terry who has led the party well," she said.
Mr Redman said the decision to step down as leader came of his own volition, but said he would remain in Cabinet and retain his Lands and Regional Development portfolio.
"This process has been damaging (for the party)," Mr Redman said.
"What we have been through in the last few days is always damaging and it is always challenging.
"As a party we have always remained focussed on our constituency and that will continue.
"Certainly, we have to earn that respect of many people.
"Brendon Grylls has my full support."
Mr Grylls added that Mr Redman had done a good job as leader.
"The party has resolved today to make me the leader of this policy," Mr Grylls said.
"We had a rigorous party debate and I put forward that for this policy I was best placed to run the debate as leader to prosecute the policy."
WA Labor Member for the Agricultural Region Darren West said Mr Grylls received a $107,000 pay rise, while he proposed his own electorate should pay for the State's debt.
"Mr Grylls is not the solution, he is the problem," Mr West said.
"Grylls is expecting his own electorate to pay for the State's debt.
"The government doesn't have a revenue problem, it has a spending problem and Grylls has no plan to fix that.
"The Libs won't support this, Barnett has already said that.
"This is just a front and a trick and something they are trying to get up for the next election - but they won't."
Mr West expected Transport and Agriculture Minister Dean Nalder wouldn't support it, despite speculation.
"The Liberals are not going to want to fight BHP and Rio," Mr West said.
"This is just desperation and tricks which will cost people jobs.
"Only Labor has a plan to keep jobs."
Mr Grylls stood down as leader in late 2013 and from his role as Regional Development Minister, citing family pressures and was replaced by Mr Redman.
He was at the helm in 2008 when The Nationals WA won the balance of power at the State election and used it to strike a major deal with the Liberals after a week of tense negotiations to form the $1b per year Royalties for Regions policy.
The 43-year old was first elected to the WA parliament in 2001 and took over the leadership in 2005.
He was heralded as the best rural politician in Australia after moving from his safe Central Wheatbelt electorate at the 2013 election to convert the north west Pilbara electorate into safe Nationals territory, after it was previously a Labor strong-hold.
After the 2008 election, Mr Grylls was held back by his party room from accepting a more generous offer from the ALP on Royalties for Region and eventually formed a minority government with the Liberals.
Despite the Nationals losing the balance of power after the 2013 poll and not having any formal agreement, Mr Barnett elected to retain government with the junior partners and share cabinet ministries.
Mr Redman and Mr Grylls agreed that the party would not intentionally walk away from the alliance.
But a Nationals' source said it was possible the independent rural focussed party could break-away from the Liberals ahead of next year's election and sit on the crossbenches, unless Mr Barnett was replaced as Premier.
"We'll break from the Coalition if we have to," the source said.
"The Liberals have let us down as partners in government and gradually eroded public confidence.
"I'm in the 'anyone but Colin Barnett' camp - not one person I speak to on the street thinks he's the man for the job."
The source said while Mr Redman was a respected leader and one of the best contributors in State Parliament, Mr Grylls could run a more aggressive election campaign which the party needed to avoid suffering serious electoral damage.
Another source said Mr Grylls was the best person for the leadership job and had the ability to sell a positive message and vision to rural voters, while Mr Redman didn't have the same "spark".
"Brendon is the king and he gives everyone confidence because he has that ability to sell," the source said.