Renewable energy and health are in focus ahead of a state election, as a premier apologises for his foolish criticism of the US Vice President.
Western Australian Premier Roger Cook says he was just having fun on Tuesday morning when he reportedly called JD Vance a “knob” during a business breakfast speech.
"It was a light-hearted, non-professional moment and I didn't mean any offence," he told reporters at a press conference after the function.
"When I made the comments there was a lot of applause around the room so perhaps some people enjoyed the fun that came with it.
"Other people might have been offended and I apologise."
Asked by a reporter whether his comment could derail the AUKUS deal, which is expected to create thousands of jobs in WA, Mr Cook said: "I don't think the people in the Oval Office are listening to a sub-jurisdictional (chief executive) in Western Australia".
Liberal leader Libby Mettam cautioned Mr Cook and said he should focus on the WA people not international affairs.
“He's just illustrated he's out of his depth, and they are foolish comments from a premier who has got his priorities wrong,” Ms Mettam told reporters on Tuesday.
“There's no bipartisanship on this … The United States is an important security and trading partner.”
Ms Mettam said the incumbent Labor government should prioritise "fixing the broken health system, addressing law and order issues, building more homes and restoring regional services”.
Experts are tipping a comfortable win for Labor in next Saturday's contest. The party holds 53 of 59 seats in the lower house after an unprecedented landslide victory in 2021.
But the Liberals have refused to concede defeat, with Ms Mettam on Tuesday promising to slash elective surgery waiting times if her party is elected.
"We have a range of measures to do this, one of which is our elective surgery guarantee," she said.
"This means partnering with day hospitals, with private hospitals, to ensure that if a patient is at their clinical boundary, we will ensure that that surgery happens or takes place in an alternative, public or private facility."
Mr Cook headed to WA's southwest after the breakfast, where he promised $60 million to help attract renewable energy projects to the state if Labor is re-elected.
"For every dollar we put from the Investment Attraction Fund into a company, we get an investment back into our local economy of around about $6," he said.
"It has been responsible for a whole range of industries, engaging new technology, new plant and equipment, innovative ideas, commercialising inventions, and really continuing to drive industries in Western Australia."
