Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson, who failed in her bid to replace retiring Premier Mark McGowan, says she is completely behind his successor Roger Cook.
Ms Sanderson had on Tuesday secured the backing of one of the Labor Party's major unions, the United Workers Union.
But she pulled out after MPs aligned with the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union and the party's right faction agreed to support Mr Cook, with Transport Minister Rita Saffioti as his deputy.
Speaking for the first time since the infighting unfolded, Ms Sanderson said she was committed to the stability and unity of the party.
"I've been around for a long time and I've seen the damage that can be done from disunity and I will not be party to that at all," she told reporters.
"I will be a loyal and dedicated cabinet minister in this government.
"The fact this was all resolved in just over 24 hours of the premier resigning I think is testament to the fact that everyone is committed to maintaining unity and stability in this party."
Ms Sanderson said she decided not to continue in her bid to become Premier once it became clear there was broader support for Mr Cook.
But she denied she was disappointed in the outcome.
"This is not about individuals, this is this is about the government and it's about the community," she said.
"Everyone is behind Roger Cook. The whole party will unite behind Roger Cook."
Ms Saffioti said she had been in contact with Ms Sanderson today and there were "no hard feelings", saying her pairing with Mr Cook has "wide support".
"They wanted a team that had experience on the cabinet bench but also on the expenditure review bench," she said.
"So the combination of Roger and I was a combination that people saw had the experience, the energy and the vision for the future."
Cabinet reshuffle imminent
With Mr Cook now the only contender left standing, attention is quickly turning to what portfolios will change hands as part of a looming cabinet reshuffle.
Ms Sanderson said she would continue to be a senior member of Mr Cook's cabinet and was "very committed" to serving as health minister,or whatever role was asked of her.
Ms Saffioti would not be drawn on whether she would remain as transport minister or become treasurer, a role she is understood to have long coveted.
"What's going to happen is there's going to be a caucus meeting on Tuesday to elect the new leader and deputy leader … and then there'll be the allocation of portfolios," she told ABC Radio Perth.
"It would be an honour to be treasurer but … there's process to be done and I'll respect that process."
No deals done, says next premier
Mr Cook yesterday denied any deals had been done or commitments made to secure the support he needed.
Today, Ms Saffioti reiterated that any changes to cabinet were not motivated by rewarding supporters.
"We have to be careful that this is not about what's happened over the last couple of days, it's about going forward," she said.
"Leadership tussles are tough and they're not great, but we dealt with it, I think, very efficiently."
"You've always got to put front and centre the people of Western Australia.
"You can't get obsessed with what's happened over the [last] 48 hours, you have to be very much forward-focused."
Later, she denied the events of this week showed the influence of unions over the Labor Party.
"The outcome of this … is exactly what the caucus wanted, what the parliamentary Labor Party wanted, and that's why this is such a strong result," she said.
'Not the time for policy resets'
The incoming premier yesterday flagged there could be changes in the government's approach to certain issues, sparking hope among some unions that their fight for more pay might see success.
But Ms Sanderson said the change in leader did not change her approach to negotiations with nurses and midwives, who are demanding a five per cent pay rise.
"Now is not the time for policy resets, now is the time for continuity and stability," she said.
When asked about the government's wages policy, Ms Saffioti reflected on the state's financial position.
"A key factor of our success as a government has been fiscal responsibility and an ability to manage the finances," she said.
McGowan 'never clocked off'
After exhaustion pushed Mr McGowan to resign, Ms Saffioti also reflected on the pressures of being a cabinet minister, saying the premier "threw everything at the job".
"I would be sitting at home with the kids watching TV and I'd get a text [from Mr McGowan] at nine o'clock saying Rita, you know, have you done this?" she said.
"He never clocked off and so I think that built up over time.
"All of us, all the cabinet ministers in particular, know all the text messages we would get at very odd hours to follow up on issues."
Ms Saffioti said she made a conscious effort to disconnect from work and try to achieve a better family-work balance.
"Monday night, which was crazy, I go home and [Ms Saffioti's daughter] Grace goes, as soon as I walk through the door about 8:30, can you test me on my Italian words?" she said.
"And I'm sitting there, like absolutely frazzled and then with my phone going crazy, and then checking the tenses of Italian words."
