The best roasts of 2025 in WA’s new parliament

There is no doubt about it, the 42nd Parliament of Western Australia has contained more thrills and spills in its first nine months than the entire four years of the 41st Parliament.

A re-energised and (slightly) better resourced opposition under Basil Zempilas has fired up their Parliamentary strategy and, in turn, prompted the Cook government to fight back a bit harder in the chamber.

Question time in particular has been the site of some soul-crushing barbs and while some MPs’ behaviour is often more childish than the school students watching from the public gallery, for the most part, 2025 has been entertaining political theatre, complete with impeccable comedic timing and deft use of props.

Only a mug

On what was to be the last question time of the year, three senior cabinet members Energy Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson, Deputy Premier Rita Saffioti and Housing Minister John Carey used their dixers to roast the opposition with Christmas-themed props.

Saffioti brought in a home-made advent calendar complete with red and green panels she peeled off to reveal transport projects completed by Labor in 2025 while Carey brought out a “3D Christmas statue” he had brought on Temu for $62, complaining that it was nothing like the item was advertised – like Zempilas.

But it was Amber-Jade Sanderson’s secret Santa gift and liberal use of the word “turd” that earns her entry to this list.

She proudly displayed her secret Santa gift, which was a coffee mug with Zempilas’ face on it with the slogan “only a mug” written on the back.

The joke was a callback to Zempilas’ comments while the Liberals were debating their net zero position earlier this year that “only a mug” wouldn’t connect the Liberals’ poor state and federal election results with climate policies.

“As well as my secret Santa gift, there is another gift doing the rounds, and that is the gift of ditching net zero. It was first gifted by Pauline and Barnaby, and then the Nationals adopted it and gifted it,” Sanderson said.

“They literally handed the Liberal Party a turd. Sussan Ley polished and put glitter on the turd and then pretended it was the best gift she had ever received. She has continued to sell it. The question is: Will the WA Leader of the Liberal Party accept the gilded turd?”

Premier in waiting

The Nationals new Central Wheatbelt MP Lachlan Hunter has comfortably assumed the role of the opposition attack dog – or is it as former Cottesloe MP David Honey would say, attack chichuana.

The 31-year-old has made his presence felt in the chamber this year thanks to constant interjections and a few mumbled comments that earned him the title of the MP most called to order in the chamber at 51 times.

He is also the first MP to be removed from the chamber since November 2020.

While there were many interjections to choose from, it is Hunter’s infatuation with who will lead the Labor party after Cook retires that has probably gained the most traction.

In particular, throughout the year, he has constantly referred to Saffioti and Sanderson as “premier in waiting”.

In December during a debate on the Sport and Entertainment Trust Bill he offered his finest analogy yet, invoking some Catholicism, suggesting that Saffioti’s Burswood Racetrack plan was always met with black smoke in the community, but he hoped Sanderson’s move to the top position would be met with white smoke.

“When the car arrives in front of the union that has ordained the new person to become Premier, we hope that it is the member for Morley, who is sitting behind the Premier of WA, who is the Premier in waiting. Hopefully, there will be some white smoke,” he said.

Inflatable tube man

Not to be outdone by his lieutenants, Premier Roger Cook has also sent some Basil jibes across the chamber this year.

The most memorable moment was in August is when he was being forced to defend his government’s record in the health system and impersonated Zempilas as a flailing inflatable tube man.

“This man is a risk to patients. He is a risk to patients’ lives. We heard his message today. We saw the inflatable flailing of the arms, tube man...he was flailing around this morning, saying, ‘Don’t go to hospital’,” Cook said during question time while waving his arms erratically.

Basil’s socials

While Zempilas may not have used as many props as his Labor counterparts this year, he has used clips from Parliament on his social media to great effect.

His socials have irritated Labor so much so that Saffioti got told off by Speaker Stephen Price for seemingly purposely obstructing the Parliament live feed cameras so he couldn’t clip the videos up.

In particular, he has flipped Cook’s inflatable tube man jibe into Instagram fodder by using his flailing in his videos.

Zempilas’ slicker socials contain some genuine comedy and include a perfectly timed interjection about ambulance ramping he offered up during the August debate on hospitals

“Under a WA Labor government, we have seen a record level of investment, a record level of activity and a...” Cook said before Zempilas interjected with: “a record level of ramping.”

Start the car

Saffioti has relished the new meat in Parliament with which to direct her comedy, coining the phrase “the Commentator” in reference to Zempilas and his former career as a football commentator and broadcaster.

The disdain between her and Zempilas in the chamber is palpable, but it’s her brutality toward her counterpart, shadow treasurer and Cottesloe MP Sandra Brewer that earns her a spot in this list.

It all started in the first week of Parliament in April when Saffioti brought a flip book with old tweets Brewer made while boss of the Property Council of WA praising the Labor government and Metronet.

“The member for Cottesloe said that, to be honest, she wished she could apply that fiscal prudence to her own family finances. She said congrats to the McGowan government on the first budget surplus in five years,” Saffioti said.

It became a recurrent joke for the rest of the year.

“Mark McGowan would hold a press conference and the member for Cottesloe would say, “Start the car! Start the car! Let’s get there!” Saffioti said during question time in May.

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