Carpenter hangs on by courting the Nats

(AAP) - State Nationals leader Brendon Grylls assumed the role of kingmaker in Western Australia as the major parties awaited the outcome of undecided seats in the WA election.

The Nationals, who are likely to hold the balance of power with at least four seats in the Legislative Assembly, were courted by both Premier Alan Carpenter and Opposition Leader Colin Barnett.

Mr Carpenter said he was hopeful of reaching an agreement to govern with the
Nationals after talks with Mr Grylls at Parliament House.
But Mr Barnett, who was scheduled to speak to Mr Grylls on Monday morning, said
National voters would want their leader to support a Liberal government.
"I believe both National party voters and Liberal Party voters want to see a new
government and want to see a Liberal-National arrangement of some sort," Mr Barnett
told reporters in his Cottesloe electorate.
"I think we've got to listen to that and I'm sure the National party will also
listen to that."
With no counting on Sunday and the electoral commission to resume vote counting on
Monday at 9am (WST), ABC election predictions were giving Labor 27 seats and the
Liberals 22.
The Nationals had won four seats and Independents three, with three still in doubt,
according to the ABC's election website.
Mr Barnett said he understood six seats were still in doubt.
The result of the Nationals' negotiations hinged on an agreement from either party
to allocate 25 per cent, or $700 million, of all state mining royalties to regional
services and infrastructure.
Mr Grylls said there was no deal without an agreement on his "royalties for regions"
plan.
"Country West Australians expect us to stick to our guns on royalties for regions.
It is a plan that they know and understand and expect to see supported," Mr Grylls
said.
"I don't see any reason at all why Colin Barnett and Alan Carpenter won't see it as
important to support that plan. That is the will of the people."
Emerging from his meeting with Mr Grylls, Mr Carpenter told reporters he understood
the importance of the royalties-for-regions plan to rural West Australians.
"Brendon Grylls and the National party have seen that issue and we are now talking
about a way of addressing that issue in the process of good government," he said.
"I believe we can do that."
Both Mr Carpenter and Mr Grylls pointed to the South Australian example, where
Nationals MP Carlene Maywald is Minister for the River Murray in the Rann Labor
government.
"It works very well," Mr Carpenter said.
The stand-off between the Liberals and the Nationals has led to the possibility of
the first-ever minority government in Western Australia following an election.
Associate Professor Politics at Perth's Edith Cowan University, Peter van Onselen,
said it was similar to the situation that arose in the NSW parliament in 1991.
"(When premier Nick) Greiner formed a minority government, the Independents
guaranteed to support budget bills and responsible government in the lower house,"
he said.
A disconsolate Mr Carpenter acknowledged his leadership was in question and would be
discussed at a party room meeting to be held once the makeup of caucus is decided.
"I want to continue on, I want to be able to do the things I think WA needs doing,"
he said.