Rita Saffioti takes a shot at Basil Zempilas over attending State of Origin game as Parliament returns

Deputy Premier Rita Saffioti has taken a crack at Opposition Leader Basil Zempilas for attending the State of Origin game she says he previously questioned. But while Mr Zempilas said the game was a success, he kept pressure on for the Cook Government to reveal how much it cost to host. During WA Parliament’s first question time of the year, Ms Saffioti was asked about the return of State of Origin. She took the opportunity to take a jab at her Liberal counterpart. Ms Saffioti read out Mr Zempilas’ previous comments saying there was “no appetite” for the game, but said she was surprised to see him at the game. “This person (Mr Zempilas) really doesn’t believe in State of Origin, so when I walked into the official AFL function, I was surprised to see who there he was, the Leader of the Opposition, enjoying the hospitality there. “Enjoying State of Origin, loving State of Origin now, loving it, but what also struck me was, hang on, you’re here, isn’t there a protest at Perth Park? “There he was, who’s out there opposing Perth Park every immediate opportunity, but when push came to shove, and there were a couple of people out there protesting, where was he? Enjoying the air conditioned hospitality suite at the AFL State of Origin.” Speaking outside Parliament, Mr Zempilas admitted the game was a success, but kept up calls to say how much it cost to bring here. “Credit, where credit’s due. I know they led the charge, and it was a great night, I loved it as much as everybody else, but we would like to know how much it costs,” he said. “I do think West Australians have a right to know when we’re forking out for these big events, how can we know the return on investment? “They do love to tell us about the return of these events and how much it’s been worth to Western Australia, but they don’t tell us the investment. “How can you calculate the ROI without knowing what the I is, and if this Government really believes in transparency, really believes in an open and honest conversation with the public of Western Australia, they would tell us these things, but they never do.”