❓ Opposition Leader Zempilas questions Premier Cook about a perceived health emergency, accusing him of denying the problem. Cook defends the government's record, citing investment and new initiatives, while criticizing the previous government's handling of health.
AnsweredQoN 385Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Health—Government performance385.Mr Basil Zempilasto
thePremier:I have a
supplementary question. Given that the Premier began these sitting weeks waving
his arms around denying—Several members
interjected.The Speaker:Members! Leader of the Opposition, there
is no room for a preamble in supplementary questions, so please just ask the
question.Mr Basil Zempilas:Given that the Premier began the
sitting weeks denying there was any problem with the health—The Speaker:Leader of the Opposition, they are the
same words. Please do not use them.Mr Basil Zempilas:Will the Premier now concede that
we have a full-blown health emergency, as described by the Australian Medical
Association, not a world-class health system, as he keeps saying?
thePremier:I have a
supplementary question. Given that the Premier began these sitting weeks waving
his arms around denying—Several members
interjected.The Speaker:Members! Leader of the Opposition, there
is no room for a preamble in supplementary questions, so please just ask the
question.Mr Basil Zempilas:Given that the Premier began the
sitting weeks denying there was any problem with the health—The Speaker:Leader of the Opposition, they are the
same words. Please do not use them.Mr Basil Zempilas:Will the Premier now concede that
we have a full-blown health emergency, as described by the Australian Medical
Association, not a world-class health system, as he keeps saying?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
21 August 2025
Response time
0 days
Mr Roger Cook replied:We know that our
health system and our hospitals are in the grip of one of the most difficult
winters for many years. Not since 2019 have we seen a flu season as bad as
this, but our hospitals are working tirelessly to makesure that we can deliver the health care that Western
Australians expect and deserve. That is why we have beenworking tirelessly
to make sure that we have new models of care—Mr Basil Zempilasinterjected.The Speaker:Leader of the Opposition!Mr Roger Cook: —to have a free flu vaccine
program; to take the pressure off our system; to continue to grow our hospital
services; and to provide other models of care so that people can access the
appropriate level of care in the appropriate mode of care for their
circumstances. I remember the previous government saying that it gave up; it
had run out of ideas.Mr Basil Zempilas:That's when it was 1,000
ramping hours—remember, a crisis?The Speaker:Leader of the Opposition! You have asked
your question. Please stop interjecting.Mr Roger Cook:The crisis that the Leader of the
Opposition referenced there was the fact that the previous government had run
out of ideas and was not investing in—Point of orderMr David Michael:Mr Speaker, I do not know how many
times you have told the Leader of the Opposition as well as other members
during this question time to shut up. They continue not to and to interject on
the Premier, and it is unparliamentary.Several members
interjected.The Speaker:Members!Mr Roger Cookinterjected.The Speaker:Premier, thank you. Member for Central
Wheatbelt.Mr Lachlan Hunter:The member is entitled to call a
point of order, but he must refer to the standing order he is talking to rather
than telling us to shut up!Several members
interjected.The Speaker:Thank you, Attorney General. I can handle
this.Several members
interjected.The Speaker:On the member for Central Wheatbelt's point
of order, there is no point of order. You do not have to reference a particular
standing order when you raise a point of order. On the Leader of the House's
point of order—Mr Lachlan Hunterinterjected.The Speaker:Sorry?Mr Lachlan Hunterinterjected.The Speaker:No, you do not speak. No, it does not
work that way. I will uphold the Leader of the House's point of order because I
have asked the opposition quite a few times to stop interjecting throughout
question time, as well as the Leader of the Opposition in particular. If we can
let the Premier finish his comments—it is a supplementary question, so
the response should be as short as the question—we will be able to move
on.Questions without notice resumedMr Roger Cook:The Liberal–Nationals
government ran out of ideas. They actually cut health services—literally
cut the number of staff working in health care—and of course privatised
as much of the system as they could. Under a WA Labor government, we have seen
a record level of investment, a record level of activity and a system that is
working much better today than it ever did under the previous Liberal–National
government.The Speaker:That concludes question time.
Health—Government performance
health system and our hospitals are in the grip of one of the most difficult
winters for many years. Not since 2019 have we seen a flu season as bad as
this, but our hospitals are working tirelessly to makesure that we can deliver the health care that Western
Australians expect and deserve. That is why we have beenworking tirelessly
to make sure that we have new models of care—Mr Basil Zempilasinterjected.The Speaker:Leader of the Opposition!Mr Roger Cook: —to have a free flu vaccine
program; to take the pressure off our system; to continue to grow our hospital
services; and to provide other models of care so that people can access the
appropriate level of care in the appropriate mode of care for their
circumstances. I remember the previous government saying that it gave up; it
had run out of ideas.Mr Basil Zempilas:That's when it was 1,000
ramping hours—remember, a crisis?The Speaker:Leader of the Opposition! You have asked
your question. Please stop interjecting.Mr Roger Cook:The crisis that the Leader of the
Opposition referenced there was the fact that the previous government had run
out of ideas and was not investing in—Point of orderMr David Michael:Mr Speaker, I do not know how many
times you have told the Leader of the Opposition as well as other members
during this question time to shut up. They continue not to and to interject on
the Premier, and it is unparliamentary.Several members
interjected.The Speaker:Members!Mr Roger Cookinterjected.The Speaker:Premier, thank you. Member for Central
Wheatbelt.Mr Lachlan Hunter:The member is entitled to call a
point of order, but he must refer to the standing order he is talking to rather
than telling us to shut up!Several members
interjected.The Speaker:Thank you, Attorney General. I can handle
this.Several members
interjected.The Speaker:On the member for Central Wheatbelt's point
of order, there is no point of order. You do not have to reference a particular
standing order when you raise a point of order. On the Leader of the House's
point of order—Mr Lachlan Hunterinterjected.The Speaker:Sorry?Mr Lachlan Hunterinterjected.The Speaker:No, you do not speak. No, it does not
work that way. I will uphold the Leader of the House's point of order because I
have asked the opposition quite a few times to stop interjecting throughout
question time, as well as the Leader of the Opposition in particular. If we can
let the Premier finish his comments—it is a supplementary question, so
the response should be as short as the question—we will be able to move
on.Questions without notice resumedMr Roger Cook:The Liberal–Nationals
government ran out of ideas. They actually cut health services—literally
cut the number of staff working in health care—and of course privatised
as much of the system as they could. Under a WA Labor government, we have seen
a record level of investment, a record level of activity and a system that is
working much better today than it ever did under the previous Liberal–National
government.The Speaker:That concludes question time.
Health—Government performance
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