❓ Opposition questions Premier about Minister Stephens' potential move to federal politics, implications for state government, and perceived message to local governments. Premier responds supportively, highlighting Stephens' advocacy for regional WA and deflecting criticism by pointing to Liberal retirements.
AnsweredQoN 549Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to media reports today that the Minister for Local Government and Regional Development and Heritage, Hon Tom Stephens, who was recently dumped from Labor’s upper House ticket and then preselected for the new state seat of Central Kimberley-Pilbara, has now decided to move again and seek Labor preselection for the federal seat of Kalgoorlie. (1) Did the minister raise this matter with the Premier prior to making his decision public; and, if so, did the Premier support the minister’s decision? (2) Will the minister be resigning immediately from the Cabinet and the Parliament; and, if so, will the Premier be appointing a new Minister for Local Government or will someone act in that capacity until the state election? (3) Will the Premier admit that the resignation of the minister just a few months before a state election sends a strong and negative message that Labor does not care about the 144 local governments across Western Australia? Dr G.I. GALLOP
AnswerView source ↗
(1)-(3) I hope I speak on behalf of all members of this Parliament to wish one of our colleagues, Hon Tom Stephens, all the best in his bid for a seat in the national Parliament. Do members know why I say that? Should Tom Stephens be elected the member for Kalgoorlie we will have a passionate advocate for regional Western Australia in the national Parliament. He has my 110 per cent support for that job. He will have to resign his position in the State Parliament and from the ministry to contest that seat. That will be done. The Labor Party, as always, will then fill that position as quickly as possible pursuant to its rules. Whenever situations like this occur in the Labor Party and whenever new appointments are made they are quality appointments. I will now deal with the question of confidence in the future. The members for Stirling, Roe, Ningaloo, Moore, Dawesville, Murray-Wellington and Kingsley are retiring. What a vote of confidence in the future of the Liberal Party in this State! The SPEAKER: It is now 2.30 pm. We have had four questions from the Opposition and three from the Government side. Question time is now finished. Sitting suspended from 2.30 to 5.20 pm
(1) Did the minister raise this matter with the Premier prior to making his decision public; and, if so, did the Premier support the minister’s decision? (2) Will the minister be resigning immediately from the Cabinet and the Parliament; and, if so, will the Premier be appointing a new Minister for Local Government or will someone act in that capacity until the state election? (3) Will the Premier admit that the resignation of the minister just a few months before a state election sends a strong and negative message that Labor does not care about the 144 local governments across Western Australia? Dr G.I. GALLOP replied: (1)-(3) I hope I speak on behalf of all members of this Parliament to wish one of our colleagues, Hon Tom Stephens, all the best in his bid for a seat in the national Parliament. Do members know why I say that? Should Tom Stephens be elected the member for Kalgoorlie we will have a passionate advocate for regional Western Australia in the national Parliament. He has my 110 per cent support for that job. He will have to resign his position in the State Parliament and from the ministry to contest that seat. That will be done. The Labor Party, as always, will then fill that position as quickly as possible pursuant to its rules. Whenever situations like this occur in the Labor Party and whenever new appointments are made they are quality appointments. I will now deal with the question of confidence in the future. The members for Stirling, Roe, Ningaloo, Moore, Dawesville, Murray-Wellington and Kingsley are retiring. What a vote of confidence in the future of the Liberal Party in this State! The SPEAKER: It is now 2.30 pm. We have had four questions from the Opposition and three from the Government side. Question time is now finished. Sitting suspended from 2.30 to 5.20 pm
(2) Will the minister be resigning immediately from the Cabinet and the Parliament; and, if so, will the Premier be appointing a new Minister for Local Government or will someone act in that capacity until the state election? (3) Will the Premier admit that the resignation of the minister just a few months before a state election sends a strong and negative message that Labor does not care about the 144 local governments across Western Australia? Dr G.I. GALLOP replied: (1)-(3) I hope I speak on behalf of all members of this Parliament to wish one of our colleagues, Hon Tom Stephens, all the best in his bid for a seat in the national Parliament. Do members know why I say that? Should Tom Stephens be elected the member for Kalgoorlie we will have a passionate advocate for regional Western Australia in the national Parliament. He has my 110 per cent support for that job. He will have to resign his position in the State Parliament and from the ministry to contest that seat. That will be done. The Labor Party, as always, will then fill that position as quickly as possible pursuant to its rules. Whenever situations like this occur in the Labor Party and whenever new appointments are made they are quality appointments. I will now deal with the question of confidence in the future. The members for Stirling, Roe, Ningaloo, Moore, Dawesville, Murray-Wellington and Kingsley are retiring. What a vote of confidence in the future of the Liberal Party in this State! The SPEAKER: It is now 2.30 pm. We have had four questions from the Opposition and three from the Government side. Question time is now finished. Sitting suspended from 2.30 to 5.20 pm
(3) Will the Premier admit that the resignation of the minister just a few months before a state election sends a strong and negative message that Labor does not care about the 144 local governments across Western Australia? Dr G.I. GALLOP replied: (1)-(3) I hope I speak on behalf of all members of this Parliament to wish one of our colleagues, Hon Tom Stephens, all the best in his bid for a seat in the national Parliament. Do members know why I say that? Should Tom Stephens be elected the member for Kalgoorlie we will have a passionate advocate for regional Western Australia in the national Parliament. He has my 110 per cent support for that job. He will have to resign his position in the State Parliament and from the ministry to contest that seat. That will be done. The Labor Party, as always, will then fill that position as quickly as possible pursuant to its rules. Whenever situations like this occur in the Labor Party and whenever new appointments are made they are quality appointments. I will now deal with the question of confidence in the future. The members for Stirling, Roe, Ningaloo, Moore, Dawesville, Murray-Wellington and Kingsley are retiring. What a vote of confidence in the future of the Liberal Party in this State! The SPEAKER: It is now 2.30 pm. We have had four questions from the Opposition and three from the Government side. Question time is now finished. Sitting suspended from 2.30 to 5.20 pm
Dr G.I. GALLOP replied: (1)-(3) I hope I speak on behalf of all members of this Parliament to wish one of our colleagues, Hon Tom Stephens, all the best in his bid for a seat in the national Parliament. Do members know why I say that? Should Tom Stephens be elected the member for Kalgoorlie we will have a passionate advocate for regional Western Australia in the national Parliament. He has my 110 per cent support for that job. He will have to resign his position in the State Parliament and from the ministry to contest that seat. That will be done. The Labor Party, as always, will then fill that position as quickly as possible pursuant to its rules. Whenever situations like this occur in the Labor Party and whenever new appointments are made they are quality appointments. I will now deal with the question of confidence in the future. The members for Stirling, Roe, Ningaloo, Moore, Dawesville, Murray-Wellington and Kingsley are retiring. What a vote of confidence in the future of the Liberal Party in this State! The SPEAKER: It is now 2.30 pm. We have had four questions from the Opposition and three from the Government side. Question time is now finished. Sitting suspended from 2.30 to 5.20 pm
(1)-(3) I hope I speak on behalf of all members of this Parliament to wish one of our colleagues, Hon Tom Stephens, all the best in his bid for a seat in the national Parliament. Do members know why I say that? Should Tom Stephens be elected the member for Kalgoorlie we will have a passionate advocate for regional Western Australia in the national Parliament. He has my 110 per cent support for that job. He will have to resign his position in the State Parliament and from the ministry to contest that seat. That will be done. The Labor Party, as always, will then fill that position as quickly as possible pursuant to its rules. Whenever situations like this occur in the Labor Party and whenever new appointments are made they are quality appointments. I will now deal with the question of confidence in the future. The members for Stirling, Roe, Ningaloo, Moore, Dawesville, Murray-Wellington and Kingsley are retiring. What a vote of confidence in the future of the Liberal Party in this State! The SPEAKER: It is now 2.30 pm. We have had four questions from the Opposition and three from the Government side. Question time is now finished. Sitting suspended from 2.30 to 5.20 pm
(1) Did the minister raise this matter with the Premier prior to making his decision public; and, if so, did the Premier support the minister’s decision? (2) Will the minister be resigning immediately from the Cabinet and the Parliament; and, if so, will the Premier be appointing a new Minister for Local Government or will someone act in that capacity until the state election? (3) Will the Premier admit that the resignation of the minister just a few months before a state election sends a strong and negative message that Labor does not care about the 144 local governments across Western Australia? Dr G.I. GALLOP replied: (1)-(3) I hope I speak on behalf of all members of this Parliament to wish one of our colleagues, Hon Tom Stephens, all the best in his bid for a seat in the national Parliament. Do members know why I say that? Should Tom Stephens be elected the member for Kalgoorlie we will have a passionate advocate for regional Western Australia in the national Parliament. He has my 110 per cent support for that job. He will have to resign his position in the State Parliament and from the ministry to contest that seat. That will be done. The Labor Party, as always, will then fill that position as quickly as possible pursuant to its rules. Whenever situations like this occur in the Labor Party and whenever new appointments are made they are quality appointments. I will now deal with the question of confidence in the future. The members for Stirling, Roe, Ningaloo, Moore, Dawesville, Murray-Wellington and Kingsley are retiring. What a vote of confidence in the future of the Liberal Party in this State! The SPEAKER: It is now 2.30 pm. We have had four questions from the Opposition and three from the Government side. Question time is now finished. Sitting suspended from 2.30 to 5.20 pm
(2) Will the minister be resigning immediately from the Cabinet and the Parliament; and, if so, will the Premier be appointing a new Minister for Local Government or will someone act in that capacity until the state election? (3) Will the Premier admit that the resignation of the minister just a few months before a state election sends a strong and negative message that Labor does not care about the 144 local governments across Western Australia? Dr G.I. GALLOP replied: (1)-(3) I hope I speak on behalf of all members of this Parliament to wish one of our colleagues, Hon Tom Stephens, all the best in his bid for a seat in the national Parliament. Do members know why I say that? Should Tom Stephens be elected the member for Kalgoorlie we will have a passionate advocate for regional Western Australia in the national Parliament. He has my 110 per cent support for that job. He will have to resign his position in the State Parliament and from the ministry to contest that seat. That will be done. The Labor Party, as always, will then fill that position as quickly as possible pursuant to its rules. Whenever situations like this occur in the Labor Party and whenever new appointments are made they are quality appointments. I will now deal with the question of confidence in the future. The members for Stirling, Roe, Ningaloo, Moore, Dawesville, Murray-Wellington and Kingsley are retiring. What a vote of confidence in the future of the Liberal Party in this State! The SPEAKER: It is now 2.30 pm. We have had four questions from the Opposition and three from the Government side. Question time is now finished. Sitting suspended from 2.30 to 5.20 pm
(3) Will the Premier admit that the resignation of the minister just a few months before a state election sends a strong and negative message that Labor does not care about the 144 local governments across Western Australia? Dr G.I. GALLOP replied: (1)-(3) I hope I speak on behalf of all members of this Parliament to wish one of our colleagues, Hon Tom Stephens, all the best in his bid for a seat in the national Parliament. Do members know why I say that? Should Tom Stephens be elected the member for Kalgoorlie we will have a passionate advocate for regional Western Australia in the national Parliament. He has my 110 per cent support for that job. He will have to resign his position in the State Parliament and from the ministry to contest that seat. That will be done. The Labor Party, as always, will then fill that position as quickly as possible pursuant to its rules. Whenever situations like this occur in the Labor Party and whenever new appointments are made they are quality appointments. I will now deal with the question of confidence in the future. The members for Stirling, Roe, Ningaloo, Moore, Dawesville, Murray-Wellington and Kingsley are retiring. What a vote of confidence in the future of the Liberal Party in this State! The SPEAKER: It is now 2.30 pm. We have had four questions from the Opposition and three from the Government side. Question time is now finished. Sitting suspended from 2.30 to 5.20 pm
Dr G.I. GALLOP replied: (1)-(3) I hope I speak on behalf of all members of this Parliament to wish one of our colleagues, Hon Tom Stephens, all the best in his bid for a seat in the national Parliament. Do members know why I say that? Should Tom Stephens be elected the member for Kalgoorlie we will have a passionate advocate for regional Western Australia in the national Parliament. He has my 110 per cent support for that job. He will have to resign his position in the State Parliament and from the ministry to contest that seat. That will be done. The Labor Party, as always, will then fill that position as quickly as possible pursuant to its rules. Whenever situations like this occur in the Labor Party and whenever new appointments are made they are quality appointments. I will now deal with the question of confidence in the future. The members for Stirling, Roe, Ningaloo, Moore, Dawesville, Murray-Wellington and Kingsley are retiring. What a vote of confidence in the future of the Liberal Party in this State! The SPEAKER: It is now 2.30 pm. We have had four questions from the Opposition and three from the Government side. Question time is now finished. Sitting suspended from 2.30 to 5.20 pm
(1)-(3) I hope I speak on behalf of all members of this Parliament to wish one of our colleagues, Hon Tom Stephens, all the best in his bid for a seat in the national Parliament. Do members know why I say that? Should Tom Stephens be elected the member for Kalgoorlie we will have a passionate advocate for regional Western Australia in the national Parliament. He has my 110 per cent support for that job. He will have to resign his position in the State Parliament and from the ministry to contest that seat. That will be done. The Labor Party, as always, will then fill that position as quickly as possible pursuant to its rules. Whenever situations like this occur in the Labor Party and whenever new appointments are made they are quality appointments. I will now deal with the question of confidence in the future. The members for Stirling, Roe, Ningaloo, Moore, Dawesville, Murray-Wellington and Kingsley are retiring. What a vote of confidence in the future of the Liberal Party in this State! The SPEAKER: It is now 2.30 pm. We have had four questions from the Opposition and three from the Government side. Question time is now finished. Sitting suspended from 2.30 to 5.20 pm
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