The former chief aide to Mark McGowan and Roger Cook has experienced a swift ascent within the ranks of the Western Australia Labor Party and is poised to be appointed as the state’s latest minister.
According to several sources within the Labor Party, Daniel Pastorelli, a first-term MP representing Landsdale, has been selected to fill the cabinet position being vacated by the retiring Paul Papalia. Papalia announced his resignation on Monday to attend to a seriously ill family member.
This situation had the potential to ignite a factional dispute regarding his successor, especially after Steve McCartney, secretary of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union, publicly advocated for his union’s candidate, Kimberley MP Divina D’Anna, to take Papalia’s place in the cabinet.
However, by early afternoon, an agreement was reached: D’Anna will assume the role of cabinet secretary previously held by Pastorelli, who will then step into the cabinet position. This outcome reportedly aligns with the preferences of Premier Roger Cook.
Mr. Pastorelli, affiliated with the party’s right faction, was elected to the parliament merely 16 months ago in the secure Labor seat of Landsdale and was swiftly appointed as cabinet secretary— a position often viewed as a stepping stone to a full cabinet role.
The premier is anticipated to declare his ministerial portfolios and any related adjustments in the coming days.
Pastorelli’s quick rise through the ranks has the potential to create some friction within Labor’s 62-member caucus. However, this may be balanced by his appointment, which could help align the party’s right faction with a more equitable distribution of cabinet roles.
If appointed, D’Anna would have made history as the first Aboriginal woman to serve as a minister in Western Australia.
Additionally, Pastorelli outperformed long-serving parliamentary secretary Samantha Rowe in the selection process.
Papalia’s official resignation from Parliament tomorrow will initiate the procedure for a by-election to fill his position in the southern Perth electorate of Secret Harbour. This upcoming contest is regarded as a significant indicator of One Nation’s standing in WA and its strategy against federal Liberal MP Andrew Hastie, whose constituency partially overlaps with the seat.
