Dowding was the most likely candidate to replace him, with Burke picking Dowding as his preferred successor. A secret opinion poll conducted by the Labor Party in March 1987 found that Dowding was the most "electorally acceptable" candidate, however certain trade unions and sections of the Labor Party disliked Dowding. Other contenders were David Parker, Bob Pearce, and Julian Grill, however they all pulled out of contention before the 30 December Labor caucus vote due to Burke's influence, the opinion poll, and the need for the party to be united. Dowding was unanimously elected as the leader of the Labor Party, and Parker was unanimously elected as deputy leader, replacing Mal Bryce, who had also announced his intention to resign. Dowding and his ministry were sworn in by Governor Gordon Reid on 25 February 1988. As well as his position as premier, Dowding was sworn in as the treasurer, the minister for productivity, the minister for public sector management and the minister for women's interests. The changes made to cabinet were designed to replace ministers who had accrued controversy in their roles. This meant that Gordon Hill was replaced as the minister for police by Ian Taylor, and that Pearce was replaced as the minister for education by Carmen Lawrence, a cabinet newcomer. The March 1988 by-elections in the electoral districts of Ascot and Balga had swings away from the Labor Party of 14.8% and 21.3% respectively, which Dowding said should be blamed on both the state and federal governments. The high informal vote caused the government to soon legislate the removal of ticket voting in the Legislative Assembly, something which the Burke Government added in the 1987 electoral reforms. An opinion poll released in April 1988 found that 48% of those surveyed had no opinion on Dowding's performance. In efforts to increase his profile, the Labor Party ran a television advertisement campaign, Dowding released a comprehensive development strategy, and he adopted a higher profile when dealing with an industrial dispute. Polls in May and June showed that his profile had risen, with the undecided people falling to 22%. Those who rated him as "good" rose from 13% in April to 22% in June, those who rated him as "fair" rose from 33% to 50%, and those who rated him as "poor" stayed steady at 6%. Although the Labor Government was quite popular at the time, the WA Inc scandal