New-look WA cabinet to be announced

WA Premier Colin Barnett is expected to appoint several new ministers in his new-look cabinet. Source: AAP

FIVE new ministers have been appointed to Western Australia's cabinet, with pro-nuclear Riverton MP Mike Nahan emerging as the big winner and tattooed MP Joe Francis taking the "hot potato" prisons job.

Mr Nahan replaced Simon O'Brien as finance minister and also took Peter Collier's energy portfolio.

Premier Colin Barnett said Mr O'Brien had been "very gracious" in accepting the decision and praised former minister Robyn McSweeney, whose child protection portfolio was given to mental health minister Helen Morton, saying she had done a terrific job.

But the premier offered lukewarm comments on former corrective services minister Murray Cowper.

He said an investigation into Mr Cowper's involvement in illegal land clearing at shack community Wedge Island - revealed in the final week of the election campaign - had been resolved and had "absolutely nothing" to do with his being axed.

A riot at the Banksia Hill juvenile detention facility, which an inquiry has heard followed staff shortages in which young offenders were "locked down" in their cells for as long as five weeks, also did not figure in the reshuffle.

"Murray was very unlucky," Mr Barnett told reporters.

Opposition spokesman Roger Cook said corrective services had been "handballed like a hot potato around the cabinet".

"The premier has palmed that portfolio off again now to a junior minister, one without experience in what is clearly a very difficult policy area," he said.

In the key energy portfolio, Mr Barnett said Mr Nahan would focus on energy security and reducing power prices - although he said during the election campaign they would rise at or around the inflation rate.

Ken Baston replaces Nationals MP Terry Redman for agriculture and food.

Mr Redman also lost housing but retains forestry and gains water, and training and workforce development.

Nationals WA leader Brendon Grylls, who retained his position as regional development minister, said losing the agriculture minister's role was a "historic change" for the junior coalition party.

"The Nationals for multiple governments have had that portfolio," Mr Grylls said.

But as a Carnarvon pastoralist Mr Baston was a good fit for the important training role, he said.

Mr Cook, however, said the Nationals had been "relegated to the back seat".

Former local government minister John Castrilli did not seek reappointment and will focus on his Bunbury electorate, and his role has gone to Darling Range MP Tony Simpson.

The freshest new face belongs to 33-year-old Albert Jacob, who takes on the challenging environment portfolio taken from Bill Marmion.

Mr Marmion, who has a civil engineering background, has taken on the important mines portfolio after the retirement of WA's longest serving parliamentarian, Norman Moore.

The government has passed up an offer by former police minister Rob Johnson to take on the coveted speaker's role, with the nomination going to Michael Sutherland.

The new cabinet will be sworn in by WA Governor Malcolm McCusker on Thursday.

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