Dylan Caporn: Chamber of Minerals and Energy chief will be under scrutiny as WA’s new Agent General

Some 14,470km north west of Perth sits the office of one of WA’s cushiest jobs — Agent General. Created in the 1890s, the role was designed to be a vital economic connection to the homeland, when WA’s most important trade partner was Britain. But with changing fortunes, WA’s relationship with the UK has become more about stealing their workforce in times of skills crises. In recent years, the Agent General role has become somewhat of a pre-retirement gig for its holders, which includes former political leaders, with the most recent appointment, former Under Treasurer John Langoulant, flourishing under generous pay and conditions. After pocketing $378,000 a year, and $300,000 in rental allowance, Langoulant also received three return business class flights to Perth each year for himself and his wife. Those flights could be transferred to any location at a similar or lower cost — leading the Premier’s former man in London to fly twice in a month to the US for a holiday at a cost to taxpayers of $40,000. Prompted by ongoing reporting of the role, Premier Roger Cook committed last year to conducting a review into the pay and conditions and whether they met “community expectations” following Langoulant’s decision to return home. That was code for: “I’ve got an election coming up, please stop asking me”. This week, Cook introduced a changed system for the new Agent General — the Chamber of Minerals and Energy WA’s chief executive Rebecca Tomkinson. In a shock decision, Tomkinson is walking away her role at a critical time for the peak resources body, with the Federal Government indicating an eagerness to work with it on new nature positive reforms. Instead, she has chosen now to cash out on a high, and move herself to the obscure position of WA’s chief voice in London. Careful consideration by the Government led to the decision to reduce her salary — from $376,560 to $365,350. That $11,000 would have come in handy, because she’s also seen her rental allowance drop from $326,524 to $231,512. She also has 10 fewer days off and can only fly back to Perth instead of around the world on taxpayer coin. The Cook Government can make the case it needs a permanent representative in the UK with ties to Europe, as the Premier did this week in unveiling Tomkinson. “It’s obviously a position which has higher levels of seniority and obligations in terms of the contact of their business,” he said. Where the argument falters is the almost $200,000 pay discrepancy with other trade commissioners in places such as China and India, where WA’s economic relationship is arguably much more critical. The Premier claimed the new contract was more in line with what the community expects. With that sort of deal, Western Australia should be expecting a lot from Tomkinson in London.