Labor favourite to win next WA election

Liberal MP Joe Francis says the West Australian government's slip in the latest Newspoll is a wake-up call, with Labor firming as favourites for the 2017 state election.

For the first time since Colin Barnett came to power in 2008, Labor is in an election-winning position with a primary vote of 42 per cent, up from 33 per cent six months ago, the poll published in The Australian newspaper says.

Labor has also opened up a six-point lead over the Barnett government on two-party preferred terms.

Mr Francis told 6PR radio on Monday that he expected the polls to continue to fluctuate, but was taking note of the trend.

"I'll take a look at it, but any politician that says they don't look at them isn't telling the truth. If that's the case, it's a bit of a wake-up call," he said.

Previously, the ALP's primary vote had not risen above 35 per cent under Mark McGowan's leadership.

The poll, conducted over the past three months, shows Labor holds a lead of 53 per cent to 47 per cent over the Barnett government on a two-party preferred basis.

The survey also shows Mr McGowan remains preferred premier by a margin of 41 per cent to 36 per cent.

However, the Labor leader's popularity has dropped two per cent since June, which political analyst Professor David Black said cast some doubt over Mr McGowan's leadership.

"The question for the election would be, as we get nearer to 2017, whether Mark McGowan is the person," Professor Black told AAP.

"There is no question that the government has all sorts of problems. The question is the capacity of the Labor party to capitalise on the situation and to emerge as the clear cut alternative."

The WA election will be held in March next year.

Labor MP Dave Kelly said the poll was encouraging and confirmed what the community had been telling him for months.

"People are really fed up with the way Mr Barnett is running the state," Mr Kelly told reporters.

"He's now cutting jobs in areas like health and education, so I think people really are just sick and tired of the rather arrogant way that he's been running the show and the numbers today bear that out."