WA govt management 'issues' in review

The West Australian premier says government management "issues" will be addressed in the forthcoming mid-year economic review.

Asked this week whether the review would contain any major policy changes, Colin Barnett said no, but hinted there would be cost-cutting measures.

"There'll be some issues about management within government primarily," he told reporters.

Mr Barnett again warned the state's finances were "not going to be pretty" because of the slump in iron ore prices and WA's lower GST share.

Opposition treasury spokesman Ben Wyatt gave a scathing review of the state government's budget record, given it is poised to deliver WA's first deficit in 15 years.

"One of the greatest political myths in WA and more broadly is that the Liberals know how to manage finances," he told AAP.

Mr Wyatt said the state government was talking up land sales that were not making much of a dent in mounting debt, and floating revenue-raising ideas such as higher charges for road users, then backing down when the public reacted badly.

He said it was possible the review would contain "revenue grabs" considering it had previously imposed a dividend on the Insurance Commission of WA.

"All I want to see from the government is a clear and coherent financial plan - that's something that Barnett's never had and that's why we find ourselves in financial difficulties," Mr Wyatt said.

"And clearly now thrashing around with the idea of a car tax ... it's like, 'I'll see what I can get away with'.

"Desperate politics, desperate financial management."