of acting improperly, making him the first person convicted for an offence relating to WA Inc. After that, opinion polls showed support was as low as 32%. Additionally, the 1990 Australian federal election was coming up, and the Labor Party wanted to limit the seats lost by the party in Western Australia. Having a state leader less associated with WA Inc would have helped with that. In early 1990, Dowding travelled to the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, after Parker assured him that nothing would happen to his leadership whilst he was gone. State Secretary Stephen Smith, FMWU Secretary Jim McGinty, and seven Labor politicians – Lawrence, Parker, Taylor, Kay Hallahan, Keith Wilson, Geoff Gallop and Pam Beggs – met together to discuss Peter Dowding's leadership, all deciding that he should be forced out. By 7 February 1990, the majority of the 47 members of the Labor caucus had signed a letter calling for Dowding's resignation. He returned early from the World Economic Forum on 8 February in order to shore up his leadership, spending the next several days speaking to party members in an attempt to ensure their support. He also held a cabinet meeting on 9 February. At a caucus meeting on 12 February, Dowding and Parker resigned from their positions. Lawrence was elected as the leader of the Labor Party and Taylor was elected as the deputy leader. They were sworn in as premier and deputy premier respectively later that day by the acting governor. On that day, Lawrence promised to end WA Inc. Dowding criticised the leadership challenge, saying that the timing was premature and was done to help Labor win the federal election, rather than for what's good for the state. On 5 April 1990, Parker announced that he would resignation from Parliament later that month. Although he planned on resigning later, Dowding resigned as well on 26 April 1990, allowing by-elections to occur on the same day. Judy Edwards retained the seat for Labor, succeeding Dowding as the member for Maylands at the May by-election. Lawrence initially resisted calls to establish a royal commission into WA Inc, however she relented in November 1990. The royal commission found that: Mr Dowding, as premier, presided over a disastrous series of decisions designed to support Rothwells when it was or should have been clear to him and to those ministers closely involved that Rothwells was no longer