WA poll has fed meaning for ALP: Bishop Deputy opposition leader Julie Bishop says the massive swing against Labor in the West Australian election has implications for the federal ALP. The Liberals, who will once again form a coalition with the Nationals in WA, kept all of the 24 seats they won at the 2008 election and secured a further seven seats, with a few more still up for grabs. "If ever there were a state election that had federal implications, this was it," Ms Bishop told Sky News on Sunday. She said federal government policies such as the carbon and mining taxes were unpopular in her home state of Western Australia. The attack by Prime Minister Julia Gillard on workers on the 457 visa did "not resonate well" in WA either, Ms Bishop said. Last week Ms Gillard said she was concerned the 457 skilled migrant worker visa program was being abused by employers and that Australian workers were missing out on jobs. "We need overseas workers to support our economy and the major infrastructure projects here," Ms Bishop said. It was appalling timing and bad public policy for Julia Gillard to launch a war on overseas workers during the Western Australia campaign. Ms Bishop said the federal coalition was heartened by the WA election result, particularly with the swings in city-based seats against Labor. She said Labor's three federal lower house seats in WA, particularly those of Perth held by Defence Minister Stephen Smith and Special Minister of State Gary Gray's electorate of Brand, were in the sights of the coalition at the September 14 federal election. "We certainly intend to contest all of them very strongly," she said. Former West Australian Labor premier Geoff Gallop said the state election result reflected the electorate's view of his party. "The public are looking in and they don't like what they see," Dr Gallop told Sky News. They don't like the way it works, they don't like the way it functions. Dr Gallop said Labor had to reform its structure or it would continue to struggle. "Until they do that, it will battle," he said. Federal government frontbencher Brendan O'Connor said most of the issues in the WA poll were state matters but federal problems had drifted into the election. "Any challenges that might occur federally will sometimes splash on to elections that occur around the country," Mr O'Connor told ABC television. Mr Smith said Saturday's result proved the Labor party had many issues to work on before the federal election. "We've had a tough time federally - you don't need to be a rocket scientist to work that out - and there's no doubt we have been a drag on (WA Labor leader) Mark (McGowan) and there's no doubt that we haven't been helpful," he said. Opposition Leader Tony Abbott congratulated WA Premier Colin Barnett and his team for their "emphatic" win on Saturday. "Their re-election is a strong endorsement of the Barnett government's careful stewardship of the state economy, their track record of delivery and their plan to keep the Western Australian economy growing," he said in a statement. Mr Abbott said the result was a strong message for Ms Gillard and the Labor government. "That their carbon tax and mining tax are toxic to the Australian economy, toxic for local jobs and are adding to people's cost of living pressures," he said. Federal Greens leader Christine Milne said the WA result reflected an "onrush of the conservatives" around Australia. "There is a sentiment all across the country that it is time for change and the people are voting for the conservatives," she told reporters in Hobart. That's why you need the Greens in the Senate ... because we need to stand there as a bulwark against everything that Tony Abbott would tear down.