Gillard's new look cabinet Thornlie-bound

Prime Minister Julia Gillard, pictured with treasurer Wayne Swan, will bring her new-look cabinet to Perth next week. AFP PHOTO / str Source: PerthNow

THORNLIE Senior High School is set to become the unlikely centre of Australian politics next week.

It's where Prime Minister Julia Gillard and her new-look cabinet are due to meet the people of Western Australia face-to-face.

After an extraordinary week in Canberra, which saw a potential challenge stared down by Ms Gillard, one minister sacked and three ministers resigning, the PM will fly west for the first time since her party's crushing state election defeat.

Ms Gillard's office has confirmed that despite the huge events in Canberra, the scheduled Community cabinet meeting in the southeast of Perth on Wednesday is still to go ahead.

With federal ministers Kim Carr, Martin Ferguson and Chris Bowen all resigning, and Simon Crean sacked, after former PM Kevin Rudd refused to stand against Ms Gillard at Thursday's caucus meeting, the composition of the cabinet line-up that will travel to Perth is set to be vastly changed.

It's not yet known when Ms Gillard will re-shuffle the cabinet and make new appointments.

WA Labor and the PM were both criticised for keeping their distance during the recent state election campaign, with Ms Gillard acceding to a reported request from state leader Mark McGowan not to make an appearance before the March 9 poll.

That ended with a crushing defeat by the WA Liberals, and the loss of seven seats.

Mr McGowan will still not meet with the PM when she is in Perth, as he remains on annual leave after the election defeat - although it is believed his stand-in Roger Cook will have some interaction.

Premier Colin Barnett's office said there had been no approach from the prime minister's office to meet Mr Barnett, who has been a strident critic of Ms Gillard in recent times.

"However, if there was an approach he would be happy to meet,'' a spokeswoman said.

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Barnett cabinet to be revealed next week

The new Colin Barnett-led WA government will be unveiled next week after finalisation of results. Source: AAP

WESTERN Australia will have a newly sworn-in government at the end of next week after finalisation of results in two knife-edge electoral seats.

Premier Colin Barnett and WA Nationals leader Brendon Grylls met on Friday morning to thrash out the make-up of the new coalition, following last weekend's landslide victory for the Liberal Party.

Despite holding enough seats to govern in its own right, the Liberal Party will include Nationals MPs in the new cabinet.

The portfolios will be decided after a Liberal party room meeting on Tuesday, following the issuing of results for the remaining seats of Midland and Collie-Preston.

"The final seats are being counted and there will be a recount over Friday and Saturday. I am hoping we will know the exact result in each lower house seat and upper house seat this weekend," Mr Barnett said.

"A cabinet will be selected and hopefully sworn in by the end of next week."

Despite reports of growing tension between Liberals and Nationals, Mr Barnett said his meeting with Mr Grylls had been positive.

"We talked portfolios and how many ministers the National Party will have," Mr Barnett said.

"It was a first discussion. It was good. It was productive and we are all on the same side."

On Friday, only 19 votes separated candidates Mick Murray and Jaimee Motion in Collie, with Labor powerbroker Michelle Roberts just 63 votes ahead in Midland.

Results decided by less than 100 votes will be recounted.

Local Government Minister John Castrilli said he would not ask to be considered for a ministry in the new cabinet after being re-elected as a member for Bunbury.

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