Rita Saffioti | |
---|---|
Deputy Premier of Western Australia | |
Assumed office 8 June 2023 | |
Premier | Roger Cook |
Preceded by | Roger Cook |
Treasurer of Western Australia | |
Assumed office 8 June 2023 | |
Premier | Roger Cook |
Preceded by | Mark McGowan |
Minister for Transport | |
Assumed office 17 March 2017 | |
Premier | Mark McGowan Roger Cook |
Preceded by | Bill Marmion |
Minister for Tourism | |
Assumed office 8 June 2023 | |
Premier | Roger Cook |
Preceded by | Roger Cook |
Minister for Planning | |
In office 17 March 2017 –8 June 2023 | |
Premier | Mark McGowan |
Preceded by | Donna Faragher |
Succeeded by | John Carey |
Minister for Ports | |
In office 19 March 2021 –8 June 2023 | |
Premier | Mark McGowan |
Preceded by | Alannah MacTiernan |
Succeeded by | David Michael |
Minister for Lands | |
In office 17 March 2017 –13 December 2018 | |
Premier | Mark McGowan |
Preceded by | Terry Redman |
Succeeded by | Ben Wyatt |
Deputy Leader of the Western Australian Labor Party | |
Assumed office 6 June 2023 | |
Leader | Roger Cook |
Preceded by | Roger Cook |
Member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly for West Swan | |
Assumed office 6 September 2008 | |
Preceded by | New seat |
Personal details | |
Born | Perth,Western Australia,Australia | 26 May 1972
Political party | Labor Party |
Children | 3 |
Alma mater | Curtin University |
Rita Saffioti (born 26 May 1972) is an Australian politician. Representing the Australian Labor Party,she has been the member for the electoral district of West Swan in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly,the lower house of the Parliament of Western Australia,since 6 September 2008. Since June 2023,she has been the deputy premier of Western Australia,the treasurer of Western Australia,the minister for transport,and the minister for tourism. From March 2017 to June 2023,she was the minister for transport and minister for planning. From March 2021 to June 2023,she was also the minister for ports. From March 2017 to December 2018,she was also the minister for lands.
Saffioti was born on 26 May 1972 in Perth,Western Australia,to Nicodemo Saffioti,an orchardist,and Guiseppina Ienco,a cook's assistant. [1] [2] : 494 Saffioti's parents were post-war immigrants from the Italian region of Calabria. [3] [2] : 494 She grew up on an orchard in Roleystone in the Perth Hills with an older sister, [4] and attended Roleystone Primary School,Roleystone District High School,and Kelmscott Senior High School, [1] [2] : 495 at which she became dux. [4] [5]
She graduated with a Bachelor of Business degree with distinction from Curtin University,majoring in economics. She then worked in Canberra and Perth for the Department of Finance and then in Perth for the Department of Treasury. She joined the Australian Labor Party in 1996, [2] : 495 [5] and from 1997,she worked as an economics adviser for Geoff Gallop,the leader of the opposition until 2001 and Premier of Western Australia following 2001. From February 2003 to February 2005,Saffioti was the director of the economics policy unit of the Department of the Premier and Cabinet. From February 2005 to January 2006,she was a strategic management advisor for the Office of the Premier. In January 2006,Alan Carpenter replaced Gallop as the premier. From January 2006 to April 2008,Saffioti was the chief of staff for the Office of the Premier. Following her preselection for the electoral district of West Swan,she worked as a strategic consultant for the Fremantle Football Club from April to July 2008. [1] [6] [2] : 495
Saffioti unsuccessfully stood for election at the 2005 Western Australian state election. She was sixth place on the Labor Party's ticket for the East Metropolitan Region in the Western Australian Legislative Council (upper house). [1] [7] She won preselection for West Swan in April 2008,with Carpenter controversially hand-picking her over Swan Hills MP Jaye Radisich [4] and the Labor Right's Belinda Coniglio. [8] At the 2008 Western Australian state election on 6 September,Saffioti was elected to the newly created electoral district of West Swan in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly,the lower house of the Parliament of Western Australia. She was re-elected at the elections in 2013,2017 and 2021. [1] Over its existence,West Swan has covered the north-eastern Perth suburbs of Ballajura,Caversham,Ellenbrook,Landsdale and parts of the Swan Valley. [9] [10]
From 9 April 2013 to 26 June 2015,Saffioti was the shadow minister for planning,finance,government accountability and women's interests. From 26 June 2015 to 11 March 2017,she was the shadow minister for planning,finance,transport and infrastructure. [1]
On 17 March 2017,following the election of the McGowan government on 11 March 2017,Saffioti was appointed as the minister for transport,minister for planning,and minister for lands. [1] She stopped being minister for lands on 13 December 2018,with Premier Mark McGowan saying it would enable Saffioti to focus more on Metronet,the government's expansion program for Perth's rail network. Ben Wyatt succeeded her as minister for lands. [1] [11] Following the 2021 election,on 19 March 2021,Saffioti became the minister for ports,as well as keeping her existing ministries. [1]
Agencies under the responsibility of the minister for transport are the Department of Transport,Main Roads Western Australia and the Public Transport Authority. Agencies under the responsibility of the minister for planning are the Department of Planning,Lands and Heritage and the Western Australian Planning Commission. Agencies under the responsibility of the minister for ports are the Department of Transport,the Fremantle Port Authority,the Kimberley Ports Authority,the Mid West Ports Authority,the Pilbara Ports Authority and the Southern Ports Authority. [6]
Upon becoming minister for transport,Saffioti cancelled the controversial Roe 8 highway project,which would have extended Roe Highway through the Beeliar Wetlands. The cancellation fulfiulled an election promise made by Labor. The contract for the project was renegotiated to instead construct three different road projects:duplication of Wanneroo Road between Joondalup Drive and Flynn Drive,connection between Murdoch Drive and Roe Highway,and duplication of Armadale Road between Tapper Road and Anstey Road. $46.9 million of taxpayer funds was written off by the decision to cancel Roe 8. [12] [13]
As the minister for transport and minister for planning,Saffioti has control over Metronet. Under Metronet,construction started on the Morley–Ellenbrook line,an extension of the Joondalup line (now known as the Yanchep line) to Yanchep,an extension of the Armadale line to Byford,an extension of the Thornlie line to Cockburn Central on the Mandurah line,a new station at Lakelands on the Mandurah line,a rebuild of Bayswater station,Claremont station and Midland station,and the removal of several level crossings along the Armadale/Thornlie lines and Midland line. Railcar manufacturing was also brought back into Western Australia for the first time since the 1990s,with the Transperth C-series trains being manufactured in Bellevue,Western Australia. [14] Redevelopment areas were established around Bayswater station and High Wycombe station in 2019. [15] During the 2017 election campaign,Saffioti promised that all Metronet stage 1 projects would be finished within eight years. [14]
Following Mark McGowan's announcement on 29 May 2023 of his imminent resignation as premier and Labor leader,Saffioti entered the ensuing leadership ballot as one of three candidates. As the left faction has a strong position within the Labor Party's caucus,the position was likely to go to a left-aligned candidate such as Roger Cook or Amber-Jade Sanderson rather than the unaligned Saffioti. [16] [17] [18] [19] Polling conducted in January 2023 by Painted Dog Research for The West Australian showed that Saffioti was favoured by 13 percent of voters to succeed McGowan if he were to retire,behind Cook at 15 percent but above Sanderson at 6 percent. [19] On 30 May,the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union chose Cook as its preferred candidate for leader and Saffioti as its preferred candidate for deputy leader. Following that,Saffioti withdrew from leadership contention and backed Cook to be leader and herself as deputy. [20] The Labor Party formally elected her as deputy leader on 6 June 2023. [21] [22]
The Cook ministry was sworn in on 8 June 2023. Saffioti was installed as the deputy premier of Western Australia,treasurer,and minister for tourism,while staying on as transport minister and relinquishing the roles of minister for planning and minister for ports. [23] [24] Some people,including deputy Liberal Party leader Steve Thomas expressed concern about the high workload placed on Saffioti, [25] although ministers have previously had similar portfolios,most recently when Troy Buswell was treasurer,minister for transport,minister for housing,and minister for emergency services in the Barnett ministry. [21]
Saffioti is one of six Labor MP's in the current state parliament that is not factionally aligned as of 2021. [26] In 2010,she spoke out against parliament rules which prohibited her from taking her baby into the chamber. [27] Government MPs Rob Johnson,Joe Francis and Vince Catania threatened to kick her out of the chamber under rules that meant strangers were not allowed in the chamber. Saffioti has also voiced support for a family room in Parliament House. [4] [2] : 498–9
Saffioti married Timothy Fraser on 21 October 2006 at the Perth Town Hall. They have two daughters and one son born via IVF. [1] [2] : 497 [6] She was the first member of parliament to give birth in over 10 years,with the previous time being Michelle Roberts in 1999. [28] [27] Saffioti is Catholic. She supports the Fremantle Football Club. [1] [6]
The Yanchep line is a suburban railway line and service in Perth,Western Australia,linking the city's central business district (CBD) with its northern suburbs. Operated by the Public Transport Authority as part of the Transperth system,the Yanchep line is 54.5 kilometres (33.9 mi) long and has sixteen stations. It commences in a tunnel under the Perth CBD as a through service with the Mandurah line. North from there,the line enters the median strip of the Mitchell Freeway,where nine of the line's stations are. The Yanchep line diverges from the freeway to serve the centre of Joondalup and permanently leaves the freeway north of Butler for the northernmost four stations to Yanchep.
Paul Papalia CSC is an Australian politician. He has been a Labor Party member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly since February 2007. Originally the member for Peel. He is now the member for Warnbro. A decorated former navy diver who served two tours in Iraq,Papalia entered parliament after winning a by-election sparked by the resignation of scandal-tarred former minister Norm Marlborough.
Alannah Joan Geraldine Cecilia MacTiernan is a former Australian politician. From 1988 to 2023,she has served in politics at a federal,state,and local level,including as a minister in the Western Australian state governments of Geoff Gallop,Alan Carpenter,and Mark McGowan. She is best known for her role as the minister for planning and infrastructure during the construction of the Mandurah line. Born in Melbourne,she moved to Perth to study at the University of Western Australia,graduating with a Bachelor of Arts and later with a law degree. She worked for the Department of Employment before practising as a lawyer between 1986 and 1992. During this time,she also served on the Perth City Council. In 1976,MacTiernan joined the Australian Labor Party,and at the 1993 Western Australian state election,she was elected to the Legislative Council's East Metropolitan Region. She became a shadow minister in October 1994,and she was transferred to the Legislative Assembly at the 1996 state election,winning the seat of Armadale.
Mark McGowan is an Australian former politician and naval officer who served as the 30th premier of Western Australia from 2017 until his retirement in 2023. He was the leader of the Western Australian branch of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 2012 to 2023 and a member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for the district of Rockingham from 1996 to 2023.
Roger Hugh Cook is an Australian politician serving as the 31st and current premier of Western Australia since 2023. He has been the leader of the Western Australian branch of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) since 2023 and a member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly (MLA) for the electoral district of Kwinana since 2008. He was previously deputy premier of Western Australia from 2017 to 2023.
Amber-Jade Sanderson is an Australian Labor Party politician who is the member for Morley in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly,the lower house of the Parliament of Western Australia. Since 21 December 2021,she has been Minister for Health and Minister for Mental health. From 19 March 2021 to 21 December 2021,she was Minister for Environment,Minister for Climate Action and Minister for Commerce. She rose to prominence when she chaired the Joint Select Committee on End of Life Choices. From 22 May 2013 to 5 February 2017,she was a member of the Western Australian Legislative Council,the upper house of the Parliament of Western Australia,for the East Metropolitan Region.
The Transperth C-series trains are a class of electric multiple units part of Alstom's X'Trapolis family of trains for Transperth that are being delivered as part of Metronet. The trains are operating on Perth's suburban rail network and entered service on the Yanchep and Mandurah lines on 8 April 2024.
The Airport line is a suburban railway line and service in Perth,Western Australia,operated by the Public Transport Authority as part of the Transperth system. The Airport line is a branch of the Midland line and runs underground between Bayswater and High Wycombe via Perth Airport. The Airport line branch is 8.6 kilometres (5.3 mi) long and has three stations:Redcliffe,Airport Central,and High Wycombe stations. Airport line services continue west of Bayswater along the Midland and Fremantle lines via Perth station to terminate at Claremont station.
The Perth Freight Link was a proposed $1.9 billion project in Perth,Western Australia to improve the road freight link between Kewdale and Fremantle Harbour. The project was announced by the state government in May 2014,but was cancelled following a change of government at the March 2017 state election.
The First McGowan Ministry was the 36th ministry of the Government of Western Australia. Led by the Premier Mark McGowan and Deputy Premier Roger Cook,it succeeded the Barnett Ministry following the 2017 election.
John Newton Carey is an Australian politician. A member of the Australian Labor Party,Carey has been the member for Perth in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly,the lower house of the Parliament of Western Australia,since 11 March 2017. Since June 2023,Carey has been the minister for planning,minister for lands,minister for housing,and minister for homelessness. He previously served in other ministries from March 2021 to June 2023. From 19 October 2013 to 30 January 2017,he was the mayor of the City of Vincent.
David Robert Michael is an Australian politician. He has been a Labor member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly since the 2017 state election,representing Balcatta. Michael is the WA Parliament's first MP of Finnish descent.
Jessica Mary Christine Stojkovski is an Australian politician. She has been a Labor member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly since the 2017 state election,representing Kingsley,which takes in the areas of Kingsley,Woodvale,Greenwood,Hamersley and Warwick.
The Morley–Ellenbrook line is an under construction suburban railway line and service in Perth,Western Australia,which will be operated by the Public Transport Authority as part of the Transperth system. The line branches from the Midland line at Bayswater station and heads north-north-west to serve five new stations along a 21.3-kilometre (13.2 mi) route to Ellenbrook. Morley–Ellenbrook line services will continue west of Bayswater station alongside Midland and Airport line services to terminate at Perth station in the central business district.
Ellenbrook railway station is an unopened suburban railway station in Ellenbrook,a suburb of Perth,Western Australia. The station is the north-eastern terminus of the under-construction Morley–Ellenbrook line.
Henley Brook bus station is a Transperth bus station located on the corner of Henley Street and Starflower Road,in Henley Brook,Perth,Western Australia. It has six stands served by six regular Transperth routes operated by Swan Transit.
The Bayswater Subway was a road under rail subway in Perth,Western Australia. It was located immediately west of Bayswater railway station,and carried King William Street / Coode Street beneath the Midland line. The subway was demolished in April 2023 as part of Metronet's rebuild of Bayswater station.
The 2025 Western Australian state election is scheduled to be held on 8 March 2025 to elect members to the Parliament of Western Australia,where all 59 seats in the Legislative Assembly and all 37 seats in the Legislative Council will be up for election.
Lakelands railway station is a railway station along the Mandurah line on the Transperth network in Western Australia. The station is in the Mandurah suburb of Lakelands,6.5 kilometres (4.0 mi) north of Mandurah station and 64.5 kilometres (40.1 mi) south of Perth Underground station. Construction started in 2021 and it opened on 11 June 2023.
A leadership election for the Western Australian Labor Party occurred on 6 June 2023 following the resignation of party leader and premier of Western Australia Mark McGowan in June 2023. The three contenders to replace McGowan were Roger Cook,Amber-Jade Sanderson and Rita Saffioti. Saffioti withdrew on 30 May in exchange for being Cook's deputy,and Sanderson withdrew on 30 May,leaving Cook as the sole nominee for leader.