Right faction of ALP split over Bill Shorten Bill Shorten is backing Julia Gillard. BILL Shorten's refusal to tap Julia Gillard to stand down as Prime Minister could have implications for his own leadership ambitions, Rudd backers have warned. While the Left faction is quietly backing Greg Combet to replace the PM if she loses the September election, the Right is split over Mr Shorten. "Why would we reward Shorten?" a Labor MP said. We are about to lose a generation of talent. We will support Combet as leader down the track if we think he's got what it takes. He's doing a really good job with the business community. His office is one of the best around. Mr Shorten has expressly ruled out playing kingmaker again. Dubbed one of the key "faceless men" for his role in the 2010 leadership coup, he is backing Ms Gillard. Parliament's resumption on March 12 is now seen as a crucial period for Ms Gillard. It will come just days after the Western Australia state election, which the ALP is expected to lose. An exclusive Galaxy poll, published today by Perth's Sunday Times, puts support for the Labor Party in WA ahead of the state election at just 35 per cent. Strategists have issued a "keep out" edict to Ms Gillard and her ministers in the lead-up to the March 9 election. Ms Gillard has agreed to the request. On the orders of campaign chiefs, she has declined to set foot in WA since late last year. "We rang everyone in December and said, 'Please, don't come,' " a Labor strategist said. We've made it very clear and, to be fair, everyone has been fabulous about not coming because there are still some grown-ups. Defence Minister Stephen Smith has been "fantastic" in enforcing the ban, according to ALP sources. A former WA state secretary for Labor, Mr Smith has ensured his colleagues do not cross the border unless it is unavoidable. Federal politics is poison," a Labor source said. Soft voters are turned off by federal politics. Every time you go doorknocking and you mention federal politics, people just go, 'Arrrgggh!' They start off bagging Julia but they end up bagging Tony Abbott. It's just a spiral of anger. The Prime Minister's office confirmed Ms Gillard would not be campaigning in Perth ahead of the state election.