❓ Mr. Zempilas questions the Premier about a significant payout to the former Director General of the Department of Premier and Cabinet, seeking clarification on the reasons for departure and discrepancies in reported payout amounts. The Premier's response is evasive, focusing on the election victory and praising the former Director General without directly addressing the specific financial concerns.
AnsweredQoN 18Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Emily Roper—Payout18.Mr Basil Zempilasto
the Premier:I refer to
confirmation provided today in an estimates committee hearing that the former
Director General of the Department of the Premier and Cabinet received a payout
of more than $900,000.(1) Can the Premier confirm that the departure of
Ms Roper was due to a change in direction, as was noted at this morning's
hearing?(2) Acknowledging that Ms
Roper's payout would have reflected the entitlements she was due, was thePremier
aware that that payout would cost taxpayers almost $1 million?(3) Can the Premier explain the discrepancy
between the payout cost provided by the Premier last year in answer to a
parliamentary question to the Premier and the figure provided today?
the Premier:I refer to
confirmation provided today in an estimates committee hearing that the former
Director General of the Department of the Premier and Cabinet received a payout
of more than $900,000.(1) Can the Premier confirm that the departure of
Ms Roper was due to a change in direction, as was noted at this morning's
hearing?(2) Acknowledging that Ms
Roper's payout would have reflected the entitlements she was due, was thePremier
aware that that payout would cost taxpayers almost $1 million?(3) Can the Premier explain the discrepancy
between the payout cost provided by the Premier last year in answer to a
parliamentary question to the Premier and the figure provided today?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
18 February 2026
Response time
0 days
Mr Roger Cook replied:(1)–(3) I thank the member for the
question. March 2025 was the month in which the people of Western Australia put
their trust back into the WA Labor government and re-elected us with an
overwhelming majority. The community of Western Australia expects us to deliver
and get on with the job, which is what we did in March 2025 when we were
re-elected. That included making some important decisions with regard to
machinery of government and of the positions of some key personnel. As has been
reported, the Director General of the Department of the Premier and Cabinet
took a severance payment as part of that process, and I wish her all the very
best for the future. She was a great public servant and did some wonderful work
on behalf of the people of Western Australia.I have reported to this place in
relation to questions with regard to that severance payment. I do not have the
details of what the member has said.Mr Basil Zempilas:You said $615,000, Premier.Mr Roger Cook:I do not have the details of what the
member says he heard in the other place, but, obviously, I will acquaint myself
with theHansardand I can perhaps answer a
question of a subsequent nature in the future.
Emily Roper—Payout
question. March 2025 was the month in which the people of Western Australia put
their trust back into the WA Labor government and re-elected us with an
overwhelming majority. The community of Western Australia expects us to deliver
and get on with the job, which is what we did in March 2025 when we were
re-elected. That included making some important decisions with regard to
machinery of government and of the positions of some key personnel. As has been
reported, the Director General of the Department of the Premier and Cabinet
took a severance payment as part of that process, and I wish her all the very
best for the future. She was a great public servant and did some wonderful work
on behalf of the people of Western Australia.I have reported to this place in
relation to questions with regard to that severance payment. I do not have the
details of what the member has said.Mr Basil Zempilas:You said $615,000, Premier.Mr Roger Cook:I do not have the details of what the
member says he heard in the other place, but, obviously, I will acquaint myself
with theHansardand I can perhaps answer a
question of a subsequent nature in the future.
Emily Roper—Payout
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.