State election 2021: WA Nationals leader Mia Davies ready to hold Labor to account

Mia Davies admits the next four years will likely be the toughest of her political career. But the WA Nationals leader says she is “ready to step up to the plate”. In the wake of Labor’s landslide that means she is likely to take over as opposition leader, the 42-year-old told The West Australian at her Northam electoral office yesterday that the “health of our democracy” now depended on her party. “There is no sugar coating it, with so few numbers there is no doubt it will be challenging,” she said. “Nothing that is worth doing is ever easy. The National party has faced a number of challenges in its more than 100 year history. “I have that confidence we will find our way through the next four years. I think the health of our democracy depends on us being able to provide, along with the Liberal Party, effective balance in a Parliament now dominated by the Labor Party.” The WA Nationals went into the election with six Lower House seats and remained confident of keeping five, despite incumbent North West Central member Vince Catania trailing his Labor opponent with about 40 per cent of votes counted. Ms Davies grew up on a farm near Wyalkatchem and is the daughter of former WA Nationals politician Dexter Davies. Before entering politics, she studied marketing and communications at university and spent time travelling and working overseas. She later worked in the offices of WA Nationals leaders Max Trenorden and Brendon Grylls before being elected to the Legislative Council for the WA Nationals in the Agricultural Region in 2008. In 2013, Ms Davies replaced Mr Grylls in the Lower House seat of Central Wheatbelt and went on to become a senior minister in the Colin Barnett, pictured below, government. She was elected the Nationals first female leader in 2017 after challenging Terry Redman. Ms Davies said she had spoken to ousted Liberal leader Zak Kirkup after his devastating loss and would “reach out to a number of members of the Liberal Party” in coming days to discuss the prospect of an alliance. But she said there was still “a little bit of water to go under the bridge” before any deal was done. The WA Nationals State executive is expected to meet in coming days to discuss the election result and the prospect of a coalition with Liberals in opposition. “I have consistently said that if the position was the Nationals held more seats and if we were in a position to be the formal opposition, then we would be willing and able to step up,” Ms Davies said. “The success the Nationals have enjoyed over the past eight to 12 years has come about because we have been independent and we have had our own policy platform, and we have been able to put the issues and policies that are important to regional communities first and foremost.”