‘Not a game show’: Saffioti hits out at petition to sack WA minister

Deputy Premier Rita Saffioti has labelled a petition launched by the state opposition calling for Aboriginal Affairs Minister Don Punch to resign a ”stunt”, comparing the move to a game show.

On Sunday, WA opposition leader Basil Zempilas said he would be filing a parliamentary petition this week calling on the member for Bunbury to step down, with Punch facing increased pressure over inaction on the child protection crisis in the state’s north and the amount of time he spent at parliament.

The fallout stems from allegations that Punch has been “missing in action” and initially failed to visit front-line elders in Port Hedland and South Hedland during a critical nine-week child welfare emergency.

However, the minister has since said he plans to visit the Pilbara region.

Zempilas said the petition is set to go live on the parliamentary website this week

“We go into this with the express purpose of giving the thousands of West Australians who continue to contact us, the community in South Hedland, and all other forms where they can communicate their displeasure,” he said.

“We want to give those people the opportunity to send a strong message to the Premier, and this is how they can do it.

“He should quit, and if he doesn’t quit, the premier should sack him. And if that doesn’t happen, the people of Western Australia will get their chance through this petition to send the strongest possible message to Roger Cook.

“It is time for Don Punch to go.”

Earlier this year, reports in The Australian revealed that at times up to 15 children were staying at a house on Frisby Court in South Hedland without adult supervision. The Department of Communities had been made aware of the issues at the home for up to nine months.

Speaking at a press conference to announce the unveiling of a new bus depot in Bayswater to support Perth’s transition to a fully electric bus fleet, Saffioti said child protection and community service matters are very serious, while labelling the petition a political stunt.

“It’s a bit of a stunt. Basil Zempilas is treating it like a game show. This isn’t a game show. This is a serious issue,” she said.

“It’s a complex issue. That’s why, as a government, we’re taking it very seriously.

“Our number one aim is supporting the children in the region. That’s why we’re looking at extending and supporting more safe night spaces and seeing what else we can do to provide on the ground support for kids.”

Zempilas said the petition would be tabled in parliament at the appropriate time.

“We only have a couple of weeks of parliament remaining, so we will judge the best time to table that petition,” he said.

“But this is a chance for the people of Western Australia, who clearly are dissatisfied with Don Punch, clearly have lost confidence in him, this is their chance to do something meaningful about that

“A message can be sent to the premier of Western Australia that he too is letting the people down.”