‘What they’re doing isn’t working’: Opposition hits back at premier over poverty report

October 11, 2026 — 5:15pmWA Premier Roger Cook has defended the state’s efforts to relieve cost-of-living pressures for Western Australians, but says it requires governments at all levels to work together to ensure people aren’t falling through the cracks.Leader of the opposition of Western Australia, Basil Zempilas.AAPIMAGEHis comments follow a new report that estimates that 456,000 Western Australians, including almost 99,000 children, are living in poverty in 2026 as rising housing costs and inadequate household incomes push more people below the poverty line.The Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre’s 2026 Poverty Snapshot: The changing face of poverty in Western Australia found 15.1 per cent of Western Australians are now living in poverty, up from 11.8 per cent in 2021.Speaking at a press conference at Dumas House on Sunday, Premier Roger Cook acknowledged that Western Australians are doing it tough.″I remember when I stood in this place and I was elected in June 2023. I said I’d do two things. I said I’d keep the economy strong and to help those that are doing it tough,” he said.“We acknowledge that there are Western Australians at the moment that are doing it tough, and that’s one of the reasons why we’ve provided a billion dollars in this budget alone of cost-of-living relief for Western Australians.“We know that there’s a whole range of circumstances that lead to that, and that’s why our cost-of-living measures go across a range of different areas around public transport, around school costs, around fuel costs, and we’ll continue to look at what we could do to help West Aussies.”WA Premier Roger Cook.Matt JelonekCook said there are a range of targeted measures to make sure the government is supporting those on the poverty line.“It requires governments at all levels to work together to ensure that people aren’t falling through the cracks,that there are people who get supported when they’re not enjoying the best of economic times,” he said.WA opposition leader Basil Zempilas said if 15 per cent of Western Australians are living on or below the poverty line, then what the state government is doing to support the public is not working.“Western Australians are concerned about housing, they’re concerned about health, they’re concerned about police resources, and they are very clearly concerned about the cost of living that is getting beyond them and their families,” he said.“That’s where the people of Western Australia want this state government to focus.”Zempilas said announcements and big sums of money don’t get the job done.“If 15 per cent of West Australians are living on or below the poverty line, what do you think they think when they hear the state government talk about the most prosperous state in the nation?” he said.“It’s not for them. It’s not for ordinary West Australians who are suffering like this.”BCEC director Professor Alan Duncan said while the number of Western Australians living in poverty had increased substantially, we also need to understand how deeply people are experiencing poverty.“Poverty is not just about how many people fall below a particular income threshold. It’s also about how far their incomes fall short of what they need to maintain a basic standard of living,” he said.“The evidence points to two fundamental issues that need to be addressed together – the incomes available to households and the cost of essential expenses, particularly housing.”The report recommends making affordable housing a poverty-reduction priority. This includes expanding access to social and affordable housing, supporting households experiencing rental stress and ensuring incomes keep pace with the cost of living.Anglicare WA chief executive Mark Glasson said the findings should be a wake-up call for WA.“Hundreds of thousands of Western Australians are struggling to afford the basics, and the pressure is getting worse,” he said.“Housing is a huge part of this story. Perth rents have more than doubled since 2020, and more than one in four private renters in WA are now living in poverty.“We need to make sure people can afford a safe and secure home without sacrificing food, electricity or other essentials.”From our partners