WA treasurer concedes $950k payout to former public service boss was ‘very, very large’

West Australian Treasurer Rita Saffioti concedes the $950,000 payout to former Department of Premier and Cabinet director-general Emily Roper was a “very, very large amount”.

However, Saffioti denied her government was trying to hide the true size of the payout when it declared to parliament in April last year Roper’s early exit would cost $615,000.

Roper mutually agreed to leave the role with Premier Roger Cook after the March election last year, despite her contract expiring in December this year.

At the time, Cook said Roper had signalled her intention not to seek a contract renewal and the decision was made to release her early so he could begin the search for a new director-general.

The cost of her early termination was priced at $615,000 in answers provided to parliament in April last year, but on Wednesday it was revealed during an upper house committee hearing the total taxpayer cost was actually $950,000 when including leave and other entitlements.

When asked how the payout would sit with the voting public in the midst of a cost-of-living and housing crisis, Saffioti said: “These are the entitlements that senior public servants have.”

“This is what happens in the public service, I assume that’s all been checked by the relevant people, including the head of the agency,” she said.

However, Saffioti said the size of such entitlements may be looked at in the future, but conceded it was a big payout.

“I accept it’s a very, very large amount,” she said.

A spokesman from the Public Sector Commission argued that the figure provided last year was correct because the question was about the cost of Roper’s early contract termination allowed under the Public Sector Management Act, and not about leave entitlements.

“Upon leaving her job, Ms Roper also received entitlements of $336,803 owing to her including leave she was yet to take,” he said.

“All public servants are paid leave owing to them when they leave the sector, Ms Roper would have received these entitlements in the future regardless of her early departure.

“The information provided to Parliament was in response to the question, ‘What is the cost of the early termination of Ms Roper’s contract?’ The answer provided was correct.”

Opposition Leader Basil Zempilas lashed Cook for not revealing the entire cost of the payout last year.

“Our Premier is tricky Roger. He is fast and loose with the truth. He knew what the question was...the question was, what is it going to cost the people of Western Australia for Emily Roper to depart public sector employment? It’s $950,000 plus,” he said.

When asked whether Roper was pushed out on ABC on Thursday morning Cook said it was mutual.

“It was part of a mutual arrangement. After the election I wanted to make sure that we were in the best position to go forward with our agenda, and that included changes both to the structure and the leadership of the public sector,” he said.

“That was a decision that was made because it was agreed between the government and Emily that was the best outcome in terms of the way we were moving forward.”

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