❓ Mr. Wyatt questions Premier Barnett about the circumstances surrounding James Larsson's resignation, severance package, and potential involvement of other government staff. The Premier's response is evasive and deflects from directly answering the questions.
AnsweredQoN 74Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
JAMES LARSSON — SEVERANCE PAYOUT
74. Mr B.S. WYATT to the Premier:
I refer to the
Larsson affair.
Mr C.J. Barnett : Larsson affair?
Several members
interjected.
The SPEAKER : Thank you, members. Take a seat, member for Victoria Park. I have
given the member for Victoria Park the call. I want to hear his question
without interruption.
Mr B.S. WYATT : Thank you, Mr Speaker.
Premier, I refer to the Larsson affair.
(1) Can the Premier guarantee that no-one
else in his office or the government secretariat was involved in the events
that led to the resignation of Mr Larsson?
(2) Did the Premier authorise the severance
package for Mr Larsson and can the Premier provide the total figure and confirm
that the Department of the Premier and Cabinet paid for the cleaning of his
apartment and his relocation to Queensland?
(3) Will the Premier guarantee the full
cooperation of his staff and members of the government secretariat with the
investigation into his office?
74. Mr B.S. WYATT to the Premier:
I refer to the
Larsson affair.
Mr C.J. Barnett : Larsson affair?
Several members
interjected.
The SPEAKER : Thank you, members. Take a seat, member for Victoria Park. I have
given the member for Victoria Park the call. I want to hear his question
without interruption.
Mr B.S. WYATT : Thank you, Mr Speaker.
Premier, I refer to the Larsson affair.
(1) Can the Premier guarantee that no-one
else in his office or the government secretariat was involved in the events
that led to the resignation of Mr Larsson?
(2) Did the Premier authorise the severance
package for Mr Larsson and can the Premier provide the total figure and confirm
that the Department of the Premier and Cabinet paid for the cleaning of his
apartment and his relocation to Queensland?
(3) Will the Premier guarantee the full
cooperation of his staff and members of the government secretariat with the
investigation into his office?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(3) I thank the member for
Victoria Park for the question. Members will realise that after the change of
leadership of the Labor Party, this was the number one issue. This was the
issue. The Leader of the Opposition —
Mr B.S. Wyatt : You did sack Mr Larsson, didn't
you? Didn't you ask him to go?
Mr C.J. BARNETT : The member for Victoria Park was out there
on a daily basis. The Leader of the Opposition was in his bunker, bunkered down
as he pursued this issue of breathtaking significance.
Point of Order
Mr B.S. Wyatt : Again, like my question to the Treasurer
yesterday, my question is in three parts and particularly specific. I did not
ask about the issues the Premier is currently canvassing. I ask you to bring
him back to the question, Mr Speaker.
The SPEAKER : I am sure the Premier will return to the question.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Mr C.J. BARNETT : This is up there with Watergate, and
Burgess, Philby and Maclean. We now have the Larsson affair.
Mr B.S. Wyatt : Two staff members have now gone.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : This is the Labor Party's number
one issue. I remind the house what James Larsson did. He sent a publicly available
—
Mr B.S. Wyatt : Why did you sack him if it was not that big
a deal?
Mr C.J. BARNETT : How many questions does the member want to
ask?
Mr B.S. Wyatt : It's the same question I asked
before; you're just not answering it.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : I remind members what James Larsson did: he
sent to one journalist a photo from Google Earth that is publicly available —
Mr B.S. Wyatt : You said it ''crossed the line''.
The SPEAKER : Member for Victoria Park.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : I know this issue was the member's
big chance.
Mr B.S. Wyatt : ''Crossed the line'', you
said.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : The member is going to bring down a
president; that will be the next step for him.
Mr B.S. Wyatt : You're not the president yet.
Several members
interjected.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : Unless we become the republic of WA—you
never know; it has got a certain appeal to it!
Several members
interjected.
The SPEAKER : Have you not noticed member for Warnbro that I am on my feet. I
formally call you for the first time and the second time today. Member for West
Swan I formally call you for the first time today.
If members want to talk while I am on my feet, and if members want to
move while I am on my feet, they will be formally called to order. If members
notice that I am on my feet and continue to speak like you, member for Warnbro,
you may find yourselves more than once formally called to order. If members
wish to hear the remainder of the Premier's answer to the question from
the member for Victoria Park, they may want to do so in silence.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : As I said, James Larsson sent an image that
was publicly available to one reporter. He acted entirely alone. Others have
made it clear that there was no authorisation to do so. No-one else was
involved. It happened I think on 16 January—a bit during the silly time
I guess. Most of the staff, including me, were on leave. It was a silly thing
to do. In my assessment, it crossed that line, which is the term I used,
because it related to the private life of a member of Parliament. When I became
aware of it—I think it was the day following Australia Day—I
made it very clear to my chief of staff that James could not continue in my
office because of that. That was the case. Discussions took place over that
weekend and James resigned. Many people, I have to say, think he paid a high
price for sending a publicly available image of a house to one journalist. How
that was circulated beyond then I do not know. That was the case; he resigned
and he has gone back to Queensland. I wish him well. I do not think it was a
great transgression but it crossed the line of the standard that I expect of
people.
Mr M.P. Whitely interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for Bassendean!
Mr C.J. BARNETT : With respect to the severance package, he
was a term-of-government employee. He had entitlements and his payout, if we
like, was negotiated between him and the Department of the Premier and Cabinet.
Mr W.J. Johnston : He resigned.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : He still had entitlements; he still had
accrued leave and the like. He received his pro rata accrued leave
entitlements. The payout was negotiated by the Department of the Premier and
Cabinet with James Larsson. Neither I nor my office played any role in that. I
cannot tell members today what his payout was, but I can tell them it was not
eight times his salary, as was suggested in the media.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Bassendean, I am going to draw your attention to
standing order 92. You might want to take a very close look at it before you
say anything further—I just draw your attention to that. Other members
might want to take a look at standing order 92 as well at this particular
point. I formally call you to order, member for Bassendean.
Mr
C.J. BARNETT : The payout—the severance, if members like—was
negotiated by the Department of the Premier and Cabinet with James Larsson. I
could not even tell members what the amount is; I do not know. Did I authorise
it? No, I do not get involved in negotiations over salary or payouts, and,
again, it would be entirely improper if I were to do so—entirely
improper. I do not do that; that is not the role.
The final question was: will I fully
cooperate with the investigation? I do not know whether members think this is,
again, akin to the Nuremburg Trials or something. The opposition leader made a
formal complaint to the Public Sector Commissioner. The Leader of the
Opposition may not have realised it, but being opposition leader does carry
some authority within government, even though in opposition, obviously.
Therefore, the Public Sector Commission can hardly ignore a request from an
opposition leader to look at an issue, but he has not set up a public sector
management inquiry; he has simply, as I understand, asked the head of the
Department of the Premier and Cabinet to report back to him. He has to respond
to the Leader of the Opposition, and he will do so, but, unless there is
something I do not know, that is it: he sent an image of a house, it was the
wrong thing to do, he was told he could not work in my office, he resigned, he
has gone back to Queensland, and he received a payout.
Victoria Park for the question. Members will realise that after the change of
leadership of the Labor Party, this was the number one issue. This was the
issue. The Leader of the Opposition —
Mr B.S. Wyatt : You did sack Mr Larsson, didn't
you? Didn't you ask him to go?
Mr C.J. BARNETT : The member for Victoria Park was out there
on a daily basis. The Leader of the Opposition was in his bunker, bunkered down
as he pursued this issue of breathtaking significance.
Point of Order
Mr B.S. Wyatt : Again, like my question to the Treasurer
yesterday, my question is in three parts and particularly specific. I did not
ask about the issues the Premier is currently canvassing. I ask you to bring
him back to the question, Mr Speaker.
The SPEAKER : I am sure the Premier will return to the question.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Mr C.J. BARNETT : This is up there with Watergate, and
Burgess, Philby and Maclean. We now have the Larsson affair.
Mr B.S. Wyatt : Two staff members have now gone.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : This is the Labor Party's number
one issue. I remind the house what James Larsson did. He sent a publicly available
—
Mr B.S. Wyatt : Why did you sack him if it was not that big
a deal?
Mr C.J. BARNETT : How many questions does the member want to
ask?
Mr B.S. Wyatt : It's the same question I asked
before; you're just not answering it.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : I remind members what James Larsson did: he
sent to one journalist a photo from Google Earth that is publicly available —
Mr B.S. Wyatt : You said it ''crossed the line''.
The SPEAKER : Member for Victoria Park.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : I know this issue was the member's
big chance.
Mr B.S. Wyatt : ''Crossed the line'', you
said.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : The member is going to bring down a
president; that will be the next step for him.
Mr B.S. Wyatt : You're not the president yet.
Several members
interjected.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : Unless we become the republic of WA—you
never know; it has got a certain appeal to it!
Several members
interjected.
The SPEAKER : Have you not noticed member for Warnbro that I am on my feet. I
formally call you for the first time and the second time today. Member for West
Swan I formally call you for the first time today.
If members want to talk while I am on my feet, and if members want to
move while I am on my feet, they will be formally called to order. If members
notice that I am on my feet and continue to speak like you, member for Warnbro,
you may find yourselves more than once formally called to order. If members
wish to hear the remainder of the Premier's answer to the question from
the member for Victoria Park, they may want to do so in silence.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : As I said, James Larsson sent an image that
was publicly available to one reporter. He acted entirely alone. Others have
made it clear that there was no authorisation to do so. No-one else was
involved. It happened I think on 16 January—a bit during the silly time
I guess. Most of the staff, including me, were on leave. It was a silly thing
to do. In my assessment, it crossed that line, which is the term I used,
because it related to the private life of a member of Parliament. When I became
aware of it—I think it was the day following Australia Day—I
made it very clear to my chief of staff that James could not continue in my
office because of that. That was the case. Discussions took place over that
weekend and James resigned. Many people, I have to say, think he paid a high
price for sending a publicly available image of a house to one journalist. How
that was circulated beyond then I do not know. That was the case; he resigned
and he has gone back to Queensland. I wish him well. I do not think it was a
great transgression but it crossed the line of the standard that I expect of
people.
Mr M.P. Whitely interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for Bassendean!
Mr C.J. BARNETT : With respect to the severance package, he
was a term-of-government employee. He had entitlements and his payout, if we
like, was negotiated between him and the Department of the Premier and Cabinet.
Mr W.J. Johnston : He resigned.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : He still had entitlements; he still had
accrued leave and the like. He received his pro rata accrued leave
entitlements. The payout was negotiated by the Department of the Premier and
Cabinet with James Larsson. Neither I nor my office played any role in that. I
cannot tell members today what his payout was, but I can tell them it was not
eight times his salary, as was suggested in the media.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Bassendean, I am going to draw your attention to
standing order 92. You might want to take a very close look at it before you
say anything further—I just draw your attention to that. Other members
might want to take a look at standing order 92 as well at this particular
point. I formally call you to order, member for Bassendean.
Mr
C.J. BARNETT : The payout—the severance, if members like—was
negotiated by the Department of the Premier and Cabinet with James Larsson. I
could not even tell members what the amount is; I do not know. Did I authorise
it? No, I do not get involved in negotiations over salary or payouts, and,
again, it would be entirely improper if I were to do so—entirely
improper. I do not do that; that is not the role.
The final question was: will I fully
cooperate with the investigation? I do not know whether members think this is,
again, akin to the Nuremburg Trials or something. The opposition leader made a
formal complaint to the Public Sector Commissioner. The Leader of the
Opposition may not have realised it, but being opposition leader does carry
some authority within government, even though in opposition, obviously.
Therefore, the Public Sector Commission can hardly ignore a request from an
opposition leader to look at an issue, but he has not set up a public sector
management inquiry; he has simply, as I understand, asked the head of the
Department of the Premier and Cabinet to report back to him. He has to respond
to the Leader of the Opposition, and he will do so, but, unless there is
something I do not know, that is it: he sent an image of a house, it was the
wrong thing to do, he was told he could not work in my office, he resigned, he
has gone back to Queensland, and he received a payout.
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