It took Liza Harvey just 100 hours as WA Liberal leader for her to get the state's business community seriously offside.

"Out of step" with the attitudes of business and a "risk" to budget repair was the Chamber of Commerce and Industry's (CCI) assessment of some of Ms Harvey's first comments on economic policy in the role.

That marked an unusually strong statement in general from the CCI and a particularly strong rebuke of the leader of a party that prides itself on being friends of business.

"[Ms Harvey] managed to get criticised within a week of gaining her position," Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said this week.

"No leader of the Labor Party has ever even achieved that outcome."

Ms Harvey was elected to the WA Liberal Party's top job just over a week ago. ( ABC News: James Carmody )

'Budget repair at risk': Economist warns

At the centre of that criticism were three policy statements Ms Harvey made within days of taking on the top job.

In her first media conference as leader, Ms Harvey sympathised with police officers in an ongoing pay stoush with the State Government, later saying she would consider giving them a raise of more than the $1,000 per year on offer.

She then flatly ruled out the sale of Western Power, saying times had changed since the Liberal Party took the proposal to the 2017 election as its core policy, and distanced herself from predecessor Mike Nahan's policy of retail trading hours deregulation by saying it was not a priority.

"This is a hasty decision that is not optimal for the WA economy and we believe puts budget repair at risk," CCI chief economist Rick Newnham said, representing sharp criticism from someone often seen as an aspiring Liberal politician.

CCI chief economist Rick Newnham attacked Ms Harvey's policy announcements. ( ABC News: West Matteeussen )

Mr Newnham and his CCI colleagues were not the only ones with eyebrows raised after Ms Harvey's rocky first few days in the job.

Apology offered to quell discontent

Reactions from Liberals ranged from confusion to frustration, both about the policy positions themselves and the fact Ms Harvey made definitive calls so far from the next election without taking them to the partyroom first.

That culminated in a procession of Liberal MPs commenting publicly on the issue when they returned to State Parliament on Tuesday, with responses ranging from half-hearted endorsements to a clear distancing.

"A lot of those issues aren't policy platforms for the Liberal Party per se, going into the next election," Carine MP and unsuccessful deputy aspirant Tony Krsticevic said.

Tony Krsticevic said Ms Harvey's comments were not the party's policy platforms. ( ABC News: Andrew O'Connor )

The theme was similar from South Perth MP John McGrath, who said: "She is going to make some statements about what she would like to do, but in the Liberal Party even the leader has to take those statements to the partyroom."

Ms Harvey sought to quell unhappiness in the partyroom, insisting to colleagues that she had been misquoted on trading hours and public sector pay.

The new leader even went as far as to apologise to other MPs for the fact they had faced a barrage of media questions about her policy statements on their return to work — comments some Liberals took as an admission from Ms Harvey that she should have handled the situation better.

But even amid the raised eyebrows and criticism, Ms Harvey has been reluctant to back down, particularly around Western Power.

"I am not going to go to another election campaign with a policy that I know was deeply unpopular with the community," she said.

Flat mood in Liberal ranks

The careful examination of her policy decisions — and how she handled them — marked a tricky first full week as Opposition Leader for Ms Harvey.

To make matters worse, she also faced scrutiny over her tenure as police minister after the emergence of an internal report which claimed a "toxic environment of fear" within the WA Police Force during recent years.

It all left critics claiming the bruising week had all taken a toll on the besieged Liberal ranks.

"This week we have had the flattest Opposition I have ever seen … the flattest, most hopeless Opposition I have seen in this place," Ms Saffioti said.

Labor's Rita Saffioti says the mood in Liberal ranks is less than bright. ( ABC News: Eliza Laschon )

Ms Harvey will overhaul the makeup of her team within the next week, with expectations the coming shadow cabinet reshuffle will bring some substantial changes to the Liberal frontbench.

The new leader will hope that can bring a spark to ignite her team and allow the Liberals to take the fight up to the McGowan Government in a way they have struggled to do since their electoral hammering two years ago.