Mike Nahan has put his hand up to lead the depleted WA Liberal Party after sensationally blaming Colin Barnett for his government's catastrophic loss at last weekend's state election.
And the former treasurer revealed the Liberals expected the former premier to hand over the leadership reins well before the March state election.
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Mike Nahan set to be next Liberal Leader
Mike Nahan is set to be WA's next Liberal Leader with the former Treasurer expected to be elected unopposed. Vision: Nine News Perth.
"He was not up to leading the team in this (election) campaign and as a result we had a landslide loss," Dr Nahan told The Sunday Times.
Breaking a week-long silence, Dr Nahan said there was division in the Liberal party after Mr Barnett refused to hand over the reins last September.
"We needed Colin to make the decision to leave by his own volition, and that did not happen," he said.
It's understood Dr Nahan will run uncontested on Tuesday when the party meets for the first time since the humiliating loss.
"I think they've chosen me because I have experience," he told ABC radio on Sunday.
"I've had some major portfolios, of course, and I will be a leader of a team, not a boss."
Dr Nahan said the party had expected Mr Barnett to bow out before the election, like NSW premier Mike Baird and New Zealand prime minister John Key had recently done.
"Many of us had decided not to blast him out if you wish. We expected him to hand over to someone else - but that didn't happen," Dr Nahan said.
"I indicated to him that he should consider the future. I didn't say he had to go... clearly, through this election Colin was tired."
Resignation threat over Western Power
Mr Barnett's failure to enact the part-privatisation of electricity distributor Western Power was a problem and prompted Dr Nahan to threaten to quit as treasurer.
He said to help ease debt, Western Power should have been put up for sale in 2013Â after the Liberals won comfortably, well before last Saturday's election.
"The majority of the team agreed with my view - the premier didn't," Dr Nahan said.
"It turned out to be a catastrophic mistake."
He said Mr Barnett, who finally relented to a part sale announced in last May's budget, was not pushing it publicly, which prompted the resignation threat in July.
"We had just announced the intended sale of Western Power in the May Budget but nothing was happening," Dr Nahan said.
"He wasn't talking to the public. It was clear we had put up a big scary thing (the sale of Western Power) and we were going to run away from it. And I wasn't going to participate in that.
"I told him on one particular day, 'I am extremely frustrated and I am going to make a decision (about resigning) if we don't get on to Western Power.
"He knew what was percolating. The next day he agreed to progress it."
Leadership tilt on the cards
Mr Nahan, 66, said he was willing to lead the Liberal Party in opposition and said they could fight back at the 2021 election.
"I want to help resuscitate the Liberal team so that we are more than competitive at the next election - and I am the best person positioned to do that," he said.
The Riverton MP nominated current deputy Liza Harvey to remain in that position.
Mr Barnett said it was up to the party room to determine the new leader.
"I will be there, I obviously won't be a candidate and whoever nominates I will cast my vote along with the other members," Mr Barnett told the paper.
He also revealed plans for a significant time away from the party.
"I've been busy looking after the transfer of government... but obviously I'll have a bit of a break," he said.
"I haven't had a break in a long, long time."
- with AAP