IF THE Nationals WA are to become the official opposition party to the State government, their reason for being, to make sure the voice of regional Western Australians are heard, will remain the same, according to the party's leader.
With votes still being counted at the time of writing and the party not yet officially announced as the State government's main opposition party, leader Mia Davies said there needn't be concern for Western Australia's city counterparts due to the party's traditionally regional focus.
She made the comment after WA Labor claimed a landslide victory in the 2021 State Election on the weekend, dominating the result in both the Lower House and Upper House of WA Parliament.
"The Nationals would govern and provide a voice and view that means the whole of WA thrives," Ms Davies said.
Suggesting if the State's key sectors, mining and agriculture, continued to thrive, then the whole of WA would thrive, Ms Davies said there was an opportunity for the party to bring some important regional issues to the fore so the State could emerge post-pandemic stronger than ever.
"That will be on the back of regional development and a better understanding of what it means to live, work and invest in those regional communities," Ms Davies said.
"We will be methodical in the way that we prepare for a role in opposition, whether it's as the official opposition or as an opposition party - we still need to be there to provide that voice for regional communities."
The Nationals leader said the party was also well versed in whole-of-State issues, with its members having held various portfolios in government and sat in cabinets including housing, water, sport and recreation, lands and regional development.
With Nationals MP Vince Catania narrowly avoiding defeat to Labor in his seat of North West Central and murmurs of his potential interest in becoming party leader, Ms Davies said she was not aware of any colleagues wanting to take over the reigns.
"My message to our team right across the board is that with the numbers we have, with the task we will have, we need to be united and focused on electorates and our community and doing what the community expects us to do," Ms Davies said
"Internal divisions will only make it more difficult for us to achieve that."
Post-election the Nationals will hold a party room meeting, spill the positions and it will be then that the leader and deputy leader of the party are confirmed, however Ms Davies said the party should not be focused on internal machinations.
"My view is, whatever we do, we need to be united going forward because it's too important and there is so much at stake for our communities," Ms Davies said.
Re-elected as the Central Wheatbelt representative, Ms Davies received a five per cent swing in favour in her electorate, while WA Labor enjoyed an 8pc swing their way due to the collapse of the Pauline Hanson One Nation Party vote and the Liberal Party of WA vote.
With the Liberal vote also down at the 2017 State election, Ms Davies said it was expected, in an election where there had been such an enormous swing towards government, that the other minor votes would collapse considerably.
Pointing back to the last election, Ms Davies said the party had held their own despite losing a few members.
"In 2017 we withstood the swing that really decimated the Liberal Party and again that seems to have occurred," Ms Davies said.
"In 2021, we reflect on the fact that our campaigning, the way that we engage with our communities, our policy development, our pre-selection processes have really assisted us in withstanding those big swings in regional WA."
With Nationals Geraldton MP Ian Blayney losing his seat this election and Warren Blackwood MP Terry Redman also looking like he had been narrowly defeated by Labor at the time of writing, Ms Davies said it was a huge loss to the party.
"We are very disappointed to lose Ian Blayney in the seat of Geraldton, he was a great contributor to our party room and certainly a hard worker for his electorate and we will have to find a way to provide opposition and continue to work in our regional communities to provide them with the voice that they deserve," Ms Davies said.
She said there would be discussion within the party over the coming weeks in relation to how the party would go forward if they are named the official opposition party and whether they would possibly form a coalition with the Liberal Party in the new government landscape which has a huge Labor presence.
"You can't help but look at the sheer number of the ALP members on the government benches and what you can conclude is that they have been given a mandate to govern and with that huge majority comes a huge responsibility," Ms Davies said.
"I think what we will have to do is recast what opposition looks like."
Ms Davies said her party needed the WA community and key stakeholders to help hold the government to account, ensuring it delivers on its election commitments.
"It will be a task for all of WA to make sure that there is some balance in that decision making process over the next four years," Ms Davies said.
