Wednesday 10 June 2026: Legislative Assembly Question Time
12 questions · 5 Dorothy Dixers removed · 30m
Summary
Zempilas asked Minister Papalia to accept responsibility for Hakea overcrowding after a judge cited conditions in reducing a sentence; Papalia stated sentencing decisions rest with the judiciary. Zempilas pressed Papalia on whether he should step aside over what was described as a functional collapse in the prison system; Papalia characterised the claim as a personal opinion he disputed. Hort asked the Attorney General whether the minister was proud a paedophile received a shortened sentence, framing it as a Corrective Services problem; the minister's direct response was not recorded in available material. Love questioned the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs on the delayed release of the Glen Kelly Review and the allocation of $3.2 million for 25 recommendations; the minister cited ongoing consultation with industry bodies including AMEC and the Chamber of Minerals and Energy. The Premier outlined a $100 fuel support payment available to approximately 2.3 million Western Australians from 1 July 2026, accessible via the ServiceWA app, in response to a question from Munday on cost-of-living relief.
Questions
Asked of the Minister for Corrective Services
Hakea Prison—Capacity—Judicial comment
A member raised concerns about a District Court judge reducing a serious child sex offender's sentence due to overcrowding at Hakea Prison, asking if the minister would accept responsibility for prison management failures. The minister deflected by stating that sentencing and release decisions rest entirely with the judiciary, without directly addressing questions about his portfolio's responsibility for prison conditions.
Asked of the Minister for Corrective Services
Hakea Prison—Capacity—Judicial comment
Opposition member Basil Zempilas called on the Minister for Corrective Services to resign over a "functional collapse" in the prison system, citing judicial commentary. The Minister rejected this characterisation as a personal opinion rather than shared assessment, attributing prison challenges to unprecedented growth rather than addressing the call for his resignation.
Native Title and Cultural Heritage Processes Review
Shane Love questioned the government's handling of the Glen Kelly Review into Native Title and Heritage Processes, criticising the delay in releasing the report and what he characterised as inadequate funding of $3.2 million to implement 25 recommendations addressing systemic failures affecting traditional owners, industry and regional communities. The minister's response to these criticisms was not provided in the question text.
Asked of the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs
Native Title and Cultural Heritage Processes Review
The member for Central Wheatbelt asked when the government would release a detailed analysis of the Native Title and Cultural Heritage Processes Review report, its response, and implementation timeline. The Minister for Aboriginal Affairs did not directly answer the question, instead defending the government's commitment and stating it would work systematically with industry bodies and the Minister for Mines and Petroleum on the matter.
Hakea Prison—Capacity—Judicial comment
# Summary Member Adam Hort raised concerns about statements made by the Minister for Corrective Services regarding capacity issues at Hakea Prison, indicating shock at the minister's comments. The exchange began with interjections from several members, though the specific details of the minister's response and whether they directly addressed the concerns about prison capacity were not fully captured in the provided extract.
Hakea Prison—Capacity—Judicial comment
Member for Kalgoorlie Adam Hort asked the Attorney General whether the minister was proud of a judicial decision by Judge Shepherd to give an abbreviated sentence to a paedophile, characterising the resulting prison capacity issue as a problem for Corrective Services to resolve. The Attorney General's response to this supplementary question is not provided in the excerpt.
Asked of the Minister for Health
Kalgoorlie Health Campus—Radiology billing
Liberal member Libby Mettam questioned the Health Minister about billing irregularities at Kalgoorlie Health Campus raised at a January meeting with private radiologists, asking what specific actions were taken and why the investigation was referred to the Corruption and Crime Commission. The Minister responded by characterising the January meeting as discussing general concerns about referrals, signage and business viability, stating that subsequent investigations by the Country Health Service and department found no evidence of irregularity or wrongdoing, but did not directly address the specific questions about what action she personally took or why the matter was referred to the CCC.
Asked of the Minister for Health
Kalgoorlie Health Campus—Radiology billing
Ms Mettam asked whether the minister's referral of the director general's investigation to the Corruption and Crime Commission indicated a lack of confidence in the director general and the department. The minister directly answered "no" and explained that she had received additional information and sought CCC advice in discussion with the director general.
Asked of the Minister for Health
Kalgoorlie Health Campus—Patient imaging data
Member for Thornlie Lachlan Hunter asked whether the Minister for Health had been advised of concerns about patient imaging data being transferred from Kalgoorlie Health Campus to external radiologists outside approved pathways. The Minister for Health responded directly, stating she had no knowledge of such concerns.
Kalgoorlie Health Campus—Patient imaging data
Member for Darling Range Lachlan Hunter asked a supplementary question to the Minister for Health regarding patient imaging data at Kalgoorlie Health Campus, though the interjections by several members prevented a clear summary of the question's content or the minister's response.
Asked of the Minister for Education
Schools—Class sizes
Member for Liam Staltari asked the Minister for Education to commit to reviewing maximum class sizes and staffing ratios in public schools, given WA schools have the worst student-to-teacher ratios nationally. The minister did not directly address the request, instead emphasizing the government's value of teachers and her own teaching background.
Asked of the Minister for Education
Schools—Class sizes
Member Liam Staltari asked the Minister for Education to commit to reviewing maximum class sizes and staff ratios during the current crisis. The Minister declined to make a direct commitment, instead explaining that such matters are handled through enterprise bargaining agreement negotiations and suggesting that committing to teachers outside this process would be inappropriate.