Breaking: Senior WA minister Paul Papalia set to resign, triggering by-election

WA minister Paul Papalia expected to quit politics, triggering Secret Harbour by-election Mon 6 Jul 2026 at 11:58am Senior WA government minister and Labor stalwart Paul Papalia is set to announce his resignation from politics this week, triggering a by-election in the southern Perth seat of Secret Harbour that could open the door to a resurgent One Nation. The ABC has confirmed Labor MPs have been summoned to a caucus meeting on Friday, where it is understood a new minister will be elected. Mr Papalia's retirement has been the subject of speculation for months and could come as early as today. His wide-ranging portfolios encompass corrective services, defence industries, emergency services, veterans and racing and gaming. Mr Papalia was first elected to state parliament in 2007 and has been one of the WA government's most recognisable faces, responsible for a range of hot-button issues including AUKUS, youth detention and emergency responses to cyclones and bushfires. He easily retained Secret Harbour at last year's state election, with an 11.5 per cent margin — but that number was significantly down on the 31.3 per cent margin he previously held. And while One Nation polled just 8.4 per cent of the vote in 2025, rapid growth in support for the party in national polls has buoyed the local branch's hopes in the by-election Mr Papalia's departure will trigger. It comes after One Nation scored a historic win in the federal by-election for the New South Wales seat of Farrer, with David Farley becoming the party's first-ever candidate to be elected to the House of Representatives. But a local poll conducted by DemosAU in early June found Labor remained the most popular party in the state, followed by the Liberals and One Nation in third with 18 per cent of the primary vote. Ministerial battles Mr Papalia enforced a "tough on crime" approach when he was police minister, leading the introduction of WA's stringent knife laws and the biggest changes to the state's firearms laws in decades. But after the troubled rollout of the firearms laws, he lost the police portfolio, and he faced considerable scrutiny as corrective services minister when two teenage boys died in custody in WA in the space of 12 months. While conditions in detention have improved significantly since he took on the job, he has also overseen a significant increase in overcrowding in the state's adult prisons. Before entering politics, Mr Papalia was a navy clearance diver who served in the counter-terrorist squadron of the SAS and in Iraq, eventually leaving the armed forces in 2004. He spent a few years running a small business before joining the Labor Party. Mr Papalia is currently WA's longest-serving lower house MP. Loading