Roger Hugh Cook(born 20 August 1965) is an Australian politician serving as the 31st and currentpremier of Western Australiasince 2023. He has been the leader of theWestern Australian branchof theAustralian Labor Party(ALP) since 2023 and a member of theWestern Australian Legislative Assembly(MLA) for theelectoral district of Kwinanasince 2008. He was previouslydeputy premier of Western Australiafrom 2017 to 2023.
Roger Cook | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Cook in 2015 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 31stPremier of Western Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 8 June 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Monarch | Charles III | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Governor | Chris Dawson | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deputy | Rita Saffioti | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Mark McGowan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 17thDeputy Premier of Western Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 17 March 2017 – 8 June 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Premier | Mark McGowan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Liza Harvey | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Rita Saffioti | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Leader of theWestern Australian Labor Party | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 6 June 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deputy | Rita Saffioti | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Mark McGowan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deputy Leader of theWestern Australian Labor Party | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 16 September 2008 – 6 June 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leader | Eric Ripper Mark McGowan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Eric Ripper | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Rita Saffioti | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Member of theLegislative Assembly ofWestern Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 6 September 2008 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | District created | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Constituency | Kwinana | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 20 August 1965 Cottesloe,Western Australia,Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Labor | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Signature |  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | kwinana | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cook was born inPerthand holds degrees fromMurdoch UniversityandCurtin University.Prior to being elected to parliament he was involved in student politics, serving as the first president of theNational Union of Students,and worked as a public relations consultant and in management roles withAboriginal corporations.Cook was elected to theWestern Australian Legislative Assemblyat the2008 state election,representing theseat of Kwinana.He was elected deputy leader of the Labor Party ten days after first being elected to parliament, and held this position until his appointment as leader of the party in 2023. He held senior ministerial office underMark McGowanfrom 2017 to 2023, beforebeing electedas McGowan's successor after his mid-term resignation.
Early life
editCook was born on 20 August 1965 inCottesloe, Western Australia.He is the youngest of seven children born to Hugh David Cook, a child psychiatrist, and Lynette Ada Owen, an early childhood educator.[1]Cook grew up in the suburb ofClaremontand was educated atScotch College.As a teenager he represented Western Australia in rugby union.[2]
Cook graduated fromMurdoch Universitywith a Bachelor of Arts in public administration and later completed a graduate diploma in business (public relations) and aMaster of Business AdministrationatCurtin University.[1]Whilst at Murdoch, he became involved in student politics, serving as a student representative on the university's senate. He was also involved in the establishment of theNational Union of Studentsin mid-1986, becoming its first national president as a representative of the National Organisation of Labor Students.[3]
Career
editAfter graduating, Cook worked in the offices of a number of Labor MPs, includingStephen Smith,Jim McGinty,andChris Evans.[4]He served as state president of the Labor Party from 1999 to 2000. Cook later became involved with Aboriginal advocacy groups, serving at various times as a policy coordinator for the Western Australian Aboriginal Native Title Working Group, as CEO of the Yamatji Marlpa Barna Baba Maaja Aboriginal Corporation, and as government relations manager for theSouth West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council.[1]From 2004 to 2008, he was state manager of CPR, a public relations firm which is closely associated with the Labor Party.[5]
Politics
edit
At the 2008 state election, Cook won theseat of Kwinanain a tightly fought contest, winning by 300 votes from independent candidateCarol Adams,the mayor of theCity of Kwinana.[5]Adams had unsuccessfully attempted to gain Labor pre-selection, and later accusedAlan Carpenterof "parachuting" Cook into the seat.[6]On 16 September, ten days after the election, Cook was elected to the position of deputy leader of the Labor Party underEric Ripper.[7]He is a member of theLabor Leftfaction, backed by theUnited Voicetrade union (previously known as the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union).[6]After Ripper was replaced byMark McGowanasleader of the oppositionin January 2012, Cook maintained his position as deputy leader.[8]He was re-elected at the2013 state electionin a rematch with Adams, winning an increased majority.[1]
However, Kwinana was a very safe Labor seat in a "traditional" two-party matchup with the Liberals; Cook would have won it in both 2008 and 2013 with majorities of well over 10 percent in a traditional contest with a Liberal candidate.[citation needed]Proving this, Cook was easily reelected in2017amid the massive Labor wave that swept through Perth, taking over 68 percent of the two-party vote, a "traditional" two-party swing of seven percent.[citation needed]
Cook was responsible for a high-profile portfolio asminister for healthfrom 2017 to 2021, particularly following the outbreak of theCOVID-19 pandemic in Australiain early 2020. He also played a key role in the passage ofvoluntary assisted dyinglegislation in 2019.[9]
After a ministerial reshuffle[10]in December 2021, Cook was removed from the Health Ministry in favour ofAmber-Jade Sanderson.He assumed the portfolio of Tourism, while retaining his status as Deputy Premier, and the ministries of State Development, Jobs and Trade, and Commerce and Science.[11]After another reshuffle in December 2022, Cook became theminister for hydrogen industry,taking over from the retiringAlannah MacTiernan,and was succeeded as the minister for commerce bySue Ellery.[12]
Premier
editFollowing the resignation of McGowan as premier in May 2023, Cook was the first minister to announce his intention to stand in the ensuingleadership ballot.[13]26 Labor MPs affiliated with theUnited Workers Unionheld a meeting on 30 May, choosing to support Sanderson over Cook, 17 votes to 11.[14][15][16]The 17Australian Manufacturing Workers UnionMPs held a meeting on the afternoon of 30 May, unanimously choosing to back Cook to be leader and Saffioti to be deputy leader andtreasurer.[14][17][18]Saffioti and Sanderson both pulled out of the contest after that, leaving Cook as the sole candidate to be premier.[19][20]
In August 2023, Cook announced theAboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 2021would berepealedand the 1972 act reinstated.[21][22]
Portfolios
edit
Cook has held the following portfolios since his election in 2008:[1]
- 26 September 2008 – 27 January 2012: Deputy Leader of the Opposition; Shadow Minister for Health; Shadow Minister for Mental Health; Shadow Minister for Indigenous Affairs
- 27 January 2012 – 9 April 2013: Deputy Leader of the Opposition; Shadow Minister for Health
- 9 April 2013 – 26 June 2015: Deputy Leader of the Opposition; Shadow Minister for Health; Shadow Minister for Science
- 26 June 2015 – 17 March 2017: Deputy Leader of the Opposition; Shadow Minister for Health
- 17 March 2017 – 21 December 2021: Minister for Health and Minister for Mental Health[23]
- 21 December 2021 – 14 December 2022: Deputy Premier; Minister for Tourism; State Development, Jobs and Trade; Commerce and Science[24]
- 14 December 2022 – 8 June 2023: Deputy Premier; Minister for State Development, Jobs and Trade; Hydrogen Industry; Tourism; Science[12]
- 8 June 2023 – present: Premier; Minister for State and Industry Development, Jobs and Trade; Public Sector Management; Federal-State Relations
Personal life
editCook married his wife Carly Lane in 2010 and has two children from a previous marriage.[2]Lane is a curator of Indigenous Australian art at theArt Gallery of Western Australia.[25]
Cook is a supporter of theFremantle Football Club.[26]
References
edit- ^abcde"Mr Roger Hugh Cook".Parliament of Western Australia.Retrieved30 May2023.
- ^abSpagnolo, Joe (4 June 2023)."Roger Cook: Soon-to-be WA Premier's journey from working at the Sheraton Hotel to Dumas House".The West Australian.Retrieved4 June2023.
- ^Senate minutes 22 June 1987– Murdoch University. Retrieved 10 October 2012.
- ^About Roger– Roger Cook official website. Retrieved 10 October 2012.
- ^abMurray, Paul (11 September 2008)."Labor's plight a child of several dead-beat dads".TheWest.com.au.Archived fromthe originalon 12 September 2008.Retrieved14 September2008.
- ^abvan Schoubroeck, Lesley (2010).The Lure of Politics: Geoff Gallop's Government, 2001–2006.Crawley,Western Australia:UWA Publishing.p. 251.ISBN978-1-74258-069-2.
- ^"Ripper elected WA Labor Leader".ABC News. 16 September 2008.Retrieved16 September2008.
- ^Trenwith, Courtney (23 January 2012)."McGowan officially elected Labor leader".The Sydney Morning Herald.Retrieved23 January2012.
- ^Spagnolo, Joe (16 May 2020)."Health Minister Roger Cook on managing COVID-19 in WA, his fear of a second wave, and the mental toll the pandemic has taken on him".The West Australian.Retrieved4 June2023.
- ^ABCWA Cabinet reshuffle: Amber-Jade Sanderson replaces Roger Cook as Health Minister17 December 2021
- ^ABCWA Cabinet reshuffle: Amber-Jade Sanderson replaces Roger Cook as Health Minister17 December 2021
- ^ab"Premier unveils new team with a focus on renewal and experience".Media Statements.14 December 2022. Archived fromthe originalon 19 December 2022.Retrieved14 December2022.
- ^Zimmerman, Josh (29 May 2023)."WA Premier: Roger Cook confirms intention to run as candidate to replace Mark McGowan".Retrieved30 May2023.
- ^abBurmas, Grace (30 May 2023)."Amber-Jade Sanderson the frontrunner to replace Mark McGowan after winning key WA Labor vote".ABC News.Retrieved30 May2023.
- ^Zimmerman, Josh (30 May 2023)."Amber-Jade Sanderson wins vital backing of United Workers Union in bid to be WA's next Premier".The West Australian.Retrieved30 May2023.
- ^Hastie, Hamish (30 May 2023)."Amber-Jade Sanderson gains majority support to be WA's next premier".WAtoday.Retrieved30 May2023.
- ^Rintoul, Caitlyn; Zimmerman, Josh (30 May 2023)."Race to be WA Premier: Roger Cook gets backing of AMWU as Labor's left splits".The West Australian.Retrieved30 May2023.
- ^Hastie, Hamish (30 May 2023)."Roger Cook leapfrogs Amber-Jade Sanderson in race to become WA's next premier".WAtoday.Retrieved30 May2023.
- ^De Ceglie, Anthony; Zimmerman, Josh (30 May 2023)."Roger Cook to be new Premier of WA as Amber-Jade Sanderson withdraws from race".The West Australian.Retrieved30 May2023.
- ^Carmody, James (30 May 2023)."Roger Cook set to become WA's new premier after Amber-Jade Sanderson withdraws".ABC News.Retrieved30 May2023.
- ^"WA to repeal controversial Indigenous cultural heritage laws weeks after they started".ABC News.8 August 2023.Retrieved9 October2023.
- ^Hastie, Hamish (8 August 2023)."'I'm sorry': Roger Cook scraps WA Aboriginal cultural heritage laws ".The Sydney Morning Herald.Retrieved9 October2023.
- ^"McGowan unveils Labor cabinet 'brimming with talent'".ABC News.16 March 2017.Retrieved9 October2023.
- ^"Amber-Jade Sanderson replaces Roger Cook as Health Minister in WA Cabinet reshuffle".ABC News.17 December 2021.Retrieved9 October2023.
- ^Spagnolo, Joe (3 June 2023)."Carly Lane: Incoming WA Premier Roger Cook's Murri wife says The Voice is part of Australia's journey".The West Australian.Retrieved4 June2023.
- ^"As a Dockers supporter, this might seem like a tough post to write. But I feel I'd be remiss if I didn't acknowledge the contributions of Shannon Hurn, Nic Naitanui and Luke Shuey to footy here in WA – they are all champions in their own right. Congratulations on three brilliant careers and I wish them all the best in retirement".Facebook.Roger Cook.Retrieved27 August2023.