February 19, 2025 • 9 mins
Premier Roger Cook is in the studio to talk to Clairsy and Lisa about launching his election campaign this weekend ahead of the upcoming State Election, if he’s worried about Mark McGowan stealing the spotlight and how cost of living and housing will be handled if he’s re-elected.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Well, it's come around quick. The state election, all of
a sudden, is just over two weeks Awayting starts Monday.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Really okay, good morning, Roger Cook.
Speaker 3 (00:09):
Good mornings the Premier.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
How are the hustings. The hustings are alive.
Speaker 4 (00:14):
Busy time of the political cycle, right, but a really
exciting time because it means you've got your ideas out there,
you're testing them, you talking to the community, and that's
why we get involved in this game.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
The official launch of the election campaign always comes into
the campaign. I've never been able to quite understand how
that works.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
It doesn't matter, it's not the point.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
The official launch is this weekend, So what's the plan.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
I will look at it.
Speaker 4 (00:39):
And as you said, I've been campaigning since I was
elected about eighty months ago, and of course since since
Christmas we've been flat out. But yeah, the official launch
is on Sunday. That's a bit of razmataz. It's an
opportunity for me to speak to the crowd about, you know,
our full plan about how we can continue to make
sure we keep the economy strong, continue to cost of
(01:00):
living relief, more housing, continuing to invest in our great
healthcare system. And so it's a I guess a coming
together of your team. So there's a lot of red.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
In the room, yes, a lot of cheering.
Speaker 4 (01:14):
It's exciting and it's a traditional part of the whole campaign.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
Read in the room and that every time you're in
partament at the moment, as we know, that's such a
dominant time. Last time, Now, Roger, what you're going meeting
the people? You're whizzing around the state again today, we're
bundering Connie in a few other places. But when you're
going and talking to people, what are they talking to
you about? When you're pressing the flesh well.
Speaker 4 (01:34):
Cost of living is still a key concern for the community,
and that's why we've put such an emphasis on that,
over a billion dollars in the last twelve months alone
back into the pockets of West Ausies, and we've announced
a bunch of measures throughout this campaign to make sure
that we continue to let people know that we understand
that even though we've got the strongest economy in the country,
(01:55):
there are still people doing it tough, which is the
reason why we're continuing to invest in cost of living measures,
including rally out our next phase of the WA student
assistance payment and we've announce also that we're going to
have free KINDI for four year olds which will roll
out through the through our schooling system. So all those
measures which go to just making that little bit easier
for people to do to deal with their bills on
(02:17):
a day today.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
Basis, housing is another one. Of course, it's a very
big one, ya, because not just getting into a house
but renting availability, so those two are fairly combined.
Speaker 4 (02:29):
So some great news this week, Lisa, which is we've
seen the rental vacancy rate now at two percent, so
you know, that doesn't mean the job's done, but that
means we're going in the right direction. We're starting to
an increase in housing supply. At the moment, we have
around about twenty three thousand homes being built in WA,
(02:49):
so that's an indication that the housing industry has really
come back strongly and starting to respond to this strong demand.
People are coming to Western Australia because they know that
this is where the jobs are, this is where the
opportunities are. So growing population means you've got growing housing
housing needs and we've over the last two and a
half years we've increased our residential construction workforce by thirty
(03:13):
thousand people. So that is tradees, carboners, bricklayers, plasters, and
so that's why we're now starting to see this really
strong growth in our housing construction because.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
Something used to be if you build it, they will come,
but we're we're trying to deal with that. If they come, we.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
Will build it, they.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
Other way around.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Yes, So it was a sort of like the perfect storm, right.
Speaker 4 (03:35):
We came out of this post pandemic period with the
Western Australian economy bouncing back really hard, and a lot
of people came to wa to be part of that
excitement the way that the jobs that are available, but
it was also a time in which our housing industry
was really struggling because we were trying to bring the
workforce back, we had supply chain constraints and so now
(03:58):
we're starting to see that balance into it. Job's not
done yet, but we're making great progress.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
Yeah, Roger spent a time with a lot of announcements,
particularly from yourself and your team, and one of those
has coursed a bit of backlash with the Big Park Council.
That's the racetrack and that Bouzewood land there. What's the
latest on that yeah, well, so.
Speaker 4 (04:15):
This is what you do in an election, right, You
put your ideas out there and then you have a
debate about it. I love this part of the camp
this part of the political cycle. But what we're proposing
there is a multiplex basically an opportunity to really utilize
was it essentially an historic dump. You know, it's a
nice parkland now, but so what we want to do
is enhance that parkland.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
Through three key projects that we want to run there.
Speaker 4 (04:39):
Obviously, we're talking about our street circuit for motorsports, which
is a great opportunity to bring supercars into the city
so we can showcase the city. Now that would take
place you know, once a year in terms of supercars,
and maybe there'll be some other tournament. But we're also
want to develop the peninsula to make sure we have
(05:00):
a cycling circuit there so we can do bicycle races,
cycling races there, and of course our ten thousand outdoor
auditorium so we can have those big outdoor concerts. It's
a real space in our concert venue offerings at the moment.
We've got Kings Park, which is a great little three
thousand seat outdoor. We've got rac which is great, and
(05:22):
then of course the big concerts we can do at Optus.
So this is an outdoor stadium for a round about
ten thousand people, which will be in the sweet spot
for a lot of those concerts that we want to
bring to WA.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
So the Teskei brothers I saw there with close to
that number, yes, but they hate to set the stage
up and all that them started from that.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
That's right.
Speaker 4 (05:39):
So it's going to be an it's going to be
an outdoor auditorium. Now, look, I mean I understand that
for some residents this change is a little confronting.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
Change is always a little bit challenging.
Speaker 4 (05:49):
But don't forget that this is basically developing a parkland
which sits between a football stadium and a casino. But
for the vast majority of the year it will continue
you to be parkland, and but we want to be
able to activate it for events.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
People are funny with change. So I remember I was
I actually lived in Melbourne at the time when people
were tying yellow ribbons around the trees at Albert Park
because they were upset that it was going to make
way for the Grand Prix. Albert Park was a it
was a swamp and they turned it into something amazing
that brought one of the greatest races on you know,
any race timetable to the town. And it's still there.
(06:29):
And of course those people that were tying yellow ribbons
around the trees, they're first in line now to get
into seaport.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
Yeah. So it's such a good point lead.
Speaker 4 (06:36):
So look, we have street racing in Gold Coast, we
have street racing in Adelaide, we have street racing in
the Formula one in Melbourne.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
So surely Berth can do this. I think we're ready.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
Yeah, all right, Well there are currently fifty five out
of fifty nine seats with Labour bums on them.
Speaker 3 (06:53):
It's a red was is that right?
Speaker 1 (06:55):
You know what I mean? Are you just how confident
are you of winning the election?
Speaker 4 (07:00):
Well, look, we remain confident because we think we've got
the policies which resonate with people of WA, growing our
housing stock, more cost of living relief, investment in our
healthcare system, keeping our economy strong, creating WA jobs. But
we know that every election is a context, and so
on the eighth of March we say, look, this is
a you have to make a choice, a choice.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
Between the WO labor that.
Speaker 4 (07:24):
Is keeping our economy strong and taking the state forward,
or the other mob, who potentially are a little bit
in disarray at the moment, but twenty twenty one was
a very strong result in that post COVID period.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
We understand that. So there will be some reballance.
Speaker 4 (07:38):
We understand that, but we are confident that we have
the right policies and that those are policies which are
resonating with the people of Wa.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
We've got a strong plan. The other mob don't have
a plan.
Speaker 4 (07:49):
They don't have a policy, and they're too busy fighting
each other anyway. So if they can't know, if they're
too busy fighting for each other, they can't fight for you.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
They can't fight for Wa.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
Okay, well, for two weeks and two days out, I've
seen your schedule for the day and it's ridiculous.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
It is ridiculous.
Speaker 3 (08:03):
How do you stay healthy?
Speaker 2 (08:04):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (08:04):
Look, I'm continuing to keep my physical you know, fitness
up and that helps me keep my mental figures up.
Get to sleep and you get to sleep at night.
But I've got a great team around me. I feel
so supportive. My team are united, they're working together. We're
out in the streets where we're knocking on people's doors,
having genuine conversations everywhere. And as I said, this is
(08:26):
an exciting time of the political cycle, campaigns and when
the game is really on as and voting starts on Monday,
Prepole vote starts on Monday, with the final final day
of voting on the eighth of March.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
All right, are you getting the band back together a
bit for the campaign too? With Mark who's joining you?
I believe on Mark McGowan joining on some.
Speaker 4 (08:45):
Of the Yeah, well it's certainly coming on Sunday the launch. Yeah,
Mark remains a great mate, you know.
Speaker 2 (08:50):
I know he's moved on from pology.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
He has, but it's an unprecedented sort of duo that,
you know, during an unprecedented because of the unprecedented time.
Speaker 4 (08:59):
Yeah, we went so closely together during COVID and we're
very proud of that period, not just in terms of
the way perhaps the government performed, but the way the
whole community came together under COVID. So I've certainly invited
him along to the campaign launch. I've got a couple
of other old leaders that are joining us as well.
It's a way to bring the WA family together. But
I mean, if Mark and Mark might be helping out
(09:22):
in some of the campaigns around the community as well.
Speaker 3 (09:24):
When you said the word due, I thought about March eight.
There's Roger yet to put the Batman suit back on.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
We'll see.
Speaker 4 (09:30):
I'd love to put the Batman suit back on it
and hopefully I haven't put on too much weight over
the campaign period.
Speaker 2 (09:35):
And doughnuts and coffee.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
All right, so you can start voting on Monday, but
March eight is the big one, two weeks from Saturday.
Thanks for coming in.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
Great to be with you guys.
Well, it's come around quick. The state election, all of
a sudden, is just over two weeks Awayting starts Monday.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Really okay, good morning, Roger Cook.
Speaker 3 (00:09):
Good mornings the Premier.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
How are the hustings. The hustings are alive.
Speaker 4 (00:14):
Busy time of the political cycle, right, but a really
exciting time because it means you've got your ideas out there,
you're testing them, you talking to the community, and that's
why we get involved in this game.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
The official launch of the election campaign always comes into
the campaign. I've never been able to quite understand how
that works.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
It doesn't matter, it's not the point.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
The official launch is this weekend, So what's the plan.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
I will look at it.
Speaker 4 (00:39):
And as you said, I've been campaigning since I was
elected about eighty months ago, and of course since since
Christmas we've been flat out. But yeah, the official launch
is on Sunday. That's a bit of razmataz. It's an
opportunity for me to speak to the crowd about, you know,
our full plan about how we can continue to make
sure we keep the economy strong, continue to cost of
(01:00):
living relief, more housing, continuing to invest in our great
healthcare system. And so it's a I guess a coming
together of your team. So there's a lot of red.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
In the room, yes, a lot of cheering.
Speaker 4 (01:14):
It's exciting and it's a traditional part of the whole campaign.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
Read in the room and that every time you're in
partament at the moment, as we know, that's such a
dominant time. Last time, Now, Roger, what you're going meeting
the people? You're whizzing around the state again today, we're
bundering Connie in a few other places. But when you're
going and talking to people, what are they talking to
you about? When you're pressing the flesh well.
Speaker 4 (01:34):
Cost of living is still a key concern for the community,
and that's why we've put such an emphasis on that,
over a billion dollars in the last twelve months alone
back into the pockets of West Ausies, and we've announced
a bunch of measures throughout this campaign to make sure
that we continue to let people know that we understand
that even though we've got the strongest economy in the country,
(01:55):
there are still people doing it tough, which is the
reason why we're continuing to invest in cost of living measures,
including rally out our next phase of the WA student
assistance payment and we've announce also that we're going to
have free KINDI for four year olds which will roll
out through the through our schooling system. So all those
measures which go to just making that little bit easier
for people to do to deal with their bills on
(02:17):
a day today.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
Basis, housing is another one. Of course, it's a very
big one, ya, because not just getting into a house
but renting availability, so those two are fairly combined.
Speaker 4 (02:29):
So some great news this week, Lisa, which is we've
seen the rental vacancy rate now at two percent, so
you know, that doesn't mean the job's done, but that
means we're going in the right direction. We're starting to
an increase in housing supply. At the moment, we have
around about twenty three thousand homes being built in WA,
(02:49):
so that's an indication that the housing industry has really
come back strongly and starting to respond to this strong demand.
People are coming to Western Australia because they know that
this is where the jobs are, this is where the
opportunities are. So growing population means you've got growing housing
housing needs and we've over the last two and a
half years we've increased our residential construction workforce by thirty
(03:13):
thousand people. So that is tradees, carboners, bricklayers, plasters, and
so that's why we're now starting to see this really
strong growth in our housing construction because.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
Something used to be if you build it, they will come,
but we're we're trying to deal with that. If they come, we.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
Will build it, they.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
Other way around.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Yes, So it was a sort of like the perfect storm, right.
Speaker 4 (03:35):
We came out of this post pandemic period with the
Western Australian economy bouncing back really hard, and a lot
of people came to wa to be part of that
excitement the way that the jobs that are available, but
it was also a time in which our housing industry
was really struggling because we were trying to bring the
workforce back, we had supply chain constraints and so now
(03:58):
we're starting to see that balance into it. Job's not
done yet, but we're making great progress.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
Yeah, Roger spent a time with a lot of announcements,
particularly from yourself and your team, and one of those
has coursed a bit of backlash with the Big Park Council.
That's the racetrack and that Bouzewood land there. What's the
latest on that yeah, well, so.
Speaker 4 (04:15):
This is what you do in an election, right, You
put your ideas out there and then you have a
debate about it. I love this part of the camp
this part of the political cycle. But what we're proposing
there is a multiplex basically an opportunity to really utilize
was it essentially an historic dump. You know, it's a
nice parkland now, but so what we want to do
is enhance that parkland.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
Through three key projects that we want to run there.
Speaker 4 (04:39):
Obviously, we're talking about our street circuit for motorsports, which
is a great opportunity to bring supercars into the city
so we can showcase the city. Now that would take
place you know, once a year in terms of supercars,
and maybe there'll be some other tournament. But we're also
want to develop the peninsula to make sure we have
(05:00):
a cycling circuit there so we can do bicycle races,
cycling races there, and of course our ten thousand outdoor
auditorium so we can have those big outdoor concerts. It's
a real space in our concert venue offerings at the moment.
We've got Kings Park, which is a great little three
thousand seat outdoor. We've got rac which is great, and
(05:22):
then of course the big concerts we can do at Optus.
So this is an outdoor stadium for a round about
ten thousand people, which will be in the sweet spot
for a lot of those concerts that we want to
bring to WA.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
So the Teskei brothers I saw there with close to
that number, yes, but they hate to set the stage
up and all that them started from that.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
That's right.
Speaker 4 (05:39):
So it's going to be an it's going to be
an outdoor auditorium. Now, look, I mean I understand that
for some residents this change is a little confronting.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
Change is always a little bit challenging.
Speaker 4 (05:49):
But don't forget that this is basically developing a parkland
which sits between a football stadium and a casino. But
for the vast majority of the year it will continue
you to be parkland, and but we want to be
able to activate it for events.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
People are funny with change. So I remember I was
I actually lived in Melbourne at the time when people
were tying yellow ribbons around the trees at Albert Park
because they were upset that it was going to make
way for the Grand Prix. Albert Park was a it
was a swamp and they turned it into something amazing
that brought one of the greatest races on you know,
any race timetable to the town. And it's still there.
(06:29):
And of course those people that were tying yellow ribbons
around the trees, they're first in line now to get
into seaport.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
Yeah. So it's such a good point lead.
Speaker 4 (06:36):
So look, we have street racing in Gold Coast, we
have street racing in Adelaide, we have street racing in
the Formula one in Melbourne.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
So surely Berth can do this. I think we're ready.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
Yeah, all right, Well there are currently fifty five out
of fifty nine seats with Labour bums on them.
Speaker 3 (06:53):
It's a red was is that right?
Speaker 1 (06:55):
You know what I mean? Are you just how confident
are you of winning the election?
Speaker 4 (07:00):
Well, look, we remain confident because we think we've got
the policies which resonate with people of WA, growing our
housing stock, more cost of living relief, investment in our
healthcare system, keeping our economy strong, creating WA jobs. But
we know that every election is a context, and so
on the eighth of March we say, look, this is
a you have to make a choice, a choice.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
Between the WO labor that.
Speaker 4 (07:24):
Is keeping our economy strong and taking the state forward,
or the other mob, who potentially are a little bit
in disarray at the moment, but twenty twenty one was
a very strong result in that post COVID period.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
We understand that. So there will be some reballance.
Speaker 4 (07:38):
We understand that, but we are confident that we have
the right policies and that those are policies which are
resonating with the people of Wa.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
We've got a strong plan. The other mob don't have
a plan.
Speaker 4 (07:49):
They don't have a policy, and they're too busy fighting
each other anyway. So if they can't know, if they're
too busy fighting for each other, they can't fight for you.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
They can't fight for Wa.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
Okay, well, for two weeks and two days out, I've
seen your schedule for the day and it's ridiculous.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
It is ridiculous.
Speaker 3 (08:03):
How do you stay healthy?
Speaker 2 (08:04):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (08:04):
Look, I'm continuing to keep my physical you know, fitness
up and that helps me keep my mental figures up.
Get to sleep and you get to sleep at night.
But I've got a great team around me. I feel
so supportive. My team are united, they're working together. We're
out in the streets where we're knocking on people's doors,
having genuine conversations everywhere. And as I said, this is
(08:26):
an exciting time of the political cycle, campaigns and when
the game is really on as and voting starts on Monday,
Prepole vote starts on Monday, with the final final day
of voting on the eighth of March.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
All right, are you getting the band back together a
bit for the campaign too? With Mark who's joining you?
I believe on Mark McGowan joining on some.
Speaker 4 (08:45):
Of the Yeah, well it's certainly coming on Sunday the launch. Yeah,
Mark remains a great mate, you know.
Speaker 2 (08:50):
I know he's moved on from pology.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
He has, but it's an unprecedented sort of duo that,
you know, during an unprecedented because of the unprecedented time.
Speaker 4 (08:59):
Yeah, we went so closely together during COVID and we're
very proud of that period, not just in terms of
the way perhaps the government performed, but the way the
whole community came together under COVID. So I've certainly invited
him along to the campaign launch. I've got a couple
of other old leaders that are joining us as well.
It's a way to bring the WA family together. But
I mean, if Mark and Mark might be helping out
(09:22):
in some of the campaigns around the community as well.
Speaker 3 (09:24):
When you said the word due, I thought about March eight.
There's Roger yet to put the Batman suit back on.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
We'll see.
Speaker 4 (09:30):
I'd love to put the Batman suit back on it
and hopefully I haven't put on too much weight over
the campaign period.
Speaker 2 (09:35):
And doughnuts and coffee.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
All right, so you can start voting on Monday, but
March eight is the big one, two weeks from Saturday.
Thanks for coming in.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
Great to be with you guys.
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