The WA Opposition Leader Mark McGowan says he will not invite the Prime Minister Julia Gillard to help him campaign in next year's state election.

With the Federal Government languishing in the polls, many WA Labor MPs have privately expressed that Ms Gillard's involvement in an election campaign will be damaging to state Labor.

Mr McGowan says he does not think it is necessary for Ms Gillard to visit.

"I would think it's a contest between the state Labor and state Liberals and I wouldn't think that there should be any federal involvement," he said.

"I'm pretty sure that Mr Barnett wouldn't want Mr Abbott here in any event but that's the way I would approach it."

Yesterday, the Premier Colin Barnett attended a lunch in Perth with the federal Opposition Leader, Tony Abbott.

"Unlike the Labor Party in Western Australia, we actually welcome our federal parliamentary leader, Tony Abbott," he said.

"We find no need to hide him, we have no necessity to cancel events; in fact 500 people have come out to welcome him."

The Premier says Mr McGowan's stance is extraordinary.

"I think it's a terrible indictment of Mark McGowan for not showing any loyalty to the Labor party federally," he said.

No alliance

Mr McGowan also says he would never be part of an alliance or coalition with the Greens to form government.

A number of Labor powerbrokers on the eastern seaboard are unhappy about the Federal Government's alliance with the Greens and have suggested the party should preference the Greens last.

Mr McGowan has told the ABC he does not believe that should happen.

"We are happy on some issues to have Green support," he said.

"Perhaps on some economic issues we're not very close to the Greens in terms of what they believe but I don't particularly want to get into a slanging match with the Greens.

"I just want to win first preference votes, I want people to see us as a viable alternative for people to vote for.

"If you get a good number of first preference votes then you win elections."

Mr McGowan says while the decision on preferences is made by the state Labor Party, his view will be influential.

"I wouldn't see us putting the Greens last on our preference sheets," he said.