Premier Mark McGowan has unveiled a raft of changes to his cabinet, including what is likely to be seen as the demotion of a senior minister.
The reshuffle was caused by the resignation of party veteran Alannah MacTiernan, along with the departure of Dave Kelly at the request of the premier.
In one of the biggest changes, Simone McGurk will be stripped of child protection, women's interests, prevention of family and domestic violence and community services – portfolios she has held since 2017.
Most of those responsibilities will be taken on by former teacher Sabine Winton, who was promoted to cabinet yesterday.
Ms Winton will also take up the newly created portfolio of early childhood education.
Sue Ellery's previous dual portfolio of education and training will be split, with Tony Buti taking education, and Ms McGurk taking training as well was Mr Kelly's portfolios of water and youth.
Ms Ellery, who is expected to leave politics at the next election, will take on finance, commerce and women's interests.
Senior minister not 'demoted'
Mr McGowan rejected the idea Ms McGurk's changes amounted to a demotion, saying it was "quite the opposite", given training and water were "major economic portfolios".
"Simone has, I think, done an excellent job in difficult portfolios over the course of the last six years, and she's now going into an economic role which I think is terrific," he said.
Mr McGowan pointed to a $2 billion desalination plant planned for Alkimos as one of the major responsibilities Ms McGurk would take on, but did not say whether she had requested the change.
The premier said he was confident Ms Winton could take on the significant responsibilities of child protection, community services and family and domestic violence.
In her time in the ministry, Ms McGurk oversaw a substantial shift in the way family and domestic violence is handled by the state government, the extension of support to children in state care form the age of 18 to 21, and the provision of free sanitary products to students in public schools.
But she also presided over a number of controversies, including one which saw a number of police raid the home of a Department of Communities staffer over the leaking of documents to a newspaper that criticised the department.
Ms McGurk was also forced to apologise to former WA Australian of the Year, psychologist Tracey Westerman, for comments she made at a press conference which "may have been understood to have been derogatory".
The apology came with a $16,500 settlement paid to Ms Westerman by taxpayers.
The nine MPs given new or different roles in cabinet were officially sworn in by Governor Chris Dawson this afternoon.
Ms McGurk was a notable absentee from the Government House ceremony, understood to be due to illness.
"After six years in the same portfolios, I'm looking forward to a new focus and driving change in key economic areas," she said in a statement.
"I'm proud of my achievements in child protection, which include increasing supports for children in care up to the age of 21, overseeing the first reduction of Aboriginal children in care in 25 years and introducing legislation that compels ministers of religion to disclose information obtained in confession.
"As the first Minister for Prevention of Family and Domestic Violence I've overseen legislative reform that will better protect victim-survivors and hold perpetrators to account.
"I can't wait to get stuck into my new role and I'm excited for the challenge."
McGurk calls for forced adoption inquiry
As one of her last acts as child protection minister, Ms McGurk has called for a parliamentary inquiry into historical forced adoption practices in WA.
She wrote to survivors of forced adoption on Wednesday morning, confirming she had asked a standing committee to consider carrying out the inquiry.
It follows months of campaigning by people who were forcibly adopted as children between the 1950s and 80s.
In her letter, the minister said the Standing Committee on Environment and Public Affairs would advise of their position in due course.
The development was significant for the survivors — both adoptees and mothers who were forced to give up their babies — who have called for more to be done to address the massive "dehumanising" toll on them.
They said WA was the first state to apologise for forced adoption practices in 2010, but since then nothing has been done to restore their basic human rights or uncover the truth of what happened.
One adoptee, Anne Haylock, welcomed Ms McGurk's support.
"I'm cautiously optimistic that this is a move towards holding an inquiry into the barbaric practices that happened between the 1940s and the 1980s," she said.
"Being separated at birth does cause life-long trauma. The consequences are anxiety, depression.
"We need specialised trauma counselling that currently is not readily available to us all."
Premier stays on as treasurer
With economic storm clouds looming, there had been speculation Mr McGowan could hand the treasury portfolio to one of his colleagues.
But he said that prospect, along with continued attacks on the state's GST share, made it even more important for him to retain responsibility.
"It's very important that someone is not just at the treasurers meeting but also at the national cabinet meetings to defend the state, and I can do both," he said.
"I can keep an eye on the other treasurers, I can make sure our position is fully expressed in those environments."
Mr McGowan said he expected to remain treasurer throughout the years ahead.
'New chapter' in agriculture
As agriculture minister, Alannah MacTiernan developed an at-times tense relationship with the farmers she represented.
Ms Jarvis said she was looking forward to building on Ms MacTiernan's legacy, and said she was "confident" her background in the sector, which spanned 25 years, meant she has good networks in place.
She said she supported live exports in their current form as an "important part of the mix".
The Forest Industries Federation welcomed Ms Jarvis’s appointment, writing in a statement it hopes "this signals a new chapter and strong future for our vital and sustainable industry".
In her new role, Ms Jarvis will have to manage the phase-out of native forest logging announced by the government last year.
'Missed opportunity'
Opposition leader Mia Davies said she was "not expecting to see a great deal of change" following the reshuffle.
"We know that the Premier really calls all the shots," she said.
Ms Davies said it was "astonishing" Bill Johnston had kept all of his portfolios, despite long-running issues in youth justice and concerns over the ability of WA's power grid to cope with demand this summer.
But she endorsed the removal of Ms McGurk from community services and child protection, saying it was time for "some fresh eyes" on that area.
In a statement the co-chairs of Social Reinvestment WA, which has campaigned against the government’s treatment of young people in detention, said today’s reshuffle was a "missed opportunity” for change.
"It appears as if the Premier is maintaining his position that 'everything is working well' when it comes to this issue, despite moving on the superintendent at Banksia Hill, facing several legal actions regarding the management of the facility, and a raft of experts and community leaders calling on him to create change," the statement read.
"Unfortunately, today's announcement appears to be another example of the Premier continuing to prioritise politics, power and public perceptions over what is best for the children, families and our community."
A Department of Justice spokesperson said the superintendent at Banksia Hill had been acting in the role "for about a year after being seconded from his substantive position".
"The Department of Justice's Director of Youth Services from this week becomes Acting Superintendent, which includes responsibility for the Unit 18 temporary youth detention centre," they said.
