The state government has received an open letter urging an inquiry into the handling of the March state election from its political rivals in an early display of unity following the ballot.
The state government has received an open letter urging an inquiry into the handling of the March state election from its political rivals in an early display of unity following the ballot.
The letter calls for a parliamentary inquiry into the $86 million contract signed for PersolKelly to recruit staff for the state election and raises fresh allegations some staff have not been paid.
That claim, and others, have been refuted by PersolKelly.
It has been signed by the WA Nationals, Liberal Party, Greens, One Nation, Legalise Cannabis, Australian Christians, and independent Kate Hulett.
WA Premier Roger Cook said the most important thing now was to get the final votes counted.
“It is frustrating for those voters who had to wait long, it was frustrating for those voters who were initially denied the opportunity to vote at a particular polling place, it is frustrating for us, but we want to now just make sure we get the votes counted and get on with the job,” he said.
“We will certainly make sure that there is an appropriate inquiry into the conduct of the election, and I will work with the opposition parties to make sure that is a collaborative approach.
“We want to make sure that people get the answers that they need in relation to what went wrong, but also what went right in relation to this election.”
The Western Australian Electoral Commission and Singapore-based labour hire firm PersolKelly have been under intense pressure for the past week due to the slow ballot count and numerous complaints about irregulates on election day.
PersolKelly has also been targeted for legally donating money to political parties through sister company, Programmed. Both fall under the Persol Holdings umbrella.
Opposition leader Shane Love said the show of unity sent a clear message to the premier.
“WA’s democratic process is sacrosanct, and we are demanding the premier stop hiding from calls for a parliamentary inquiry, which is the only mechanism which can compel evidence, call witnesses, and deliver answers,” he said.
“The people of WA deserve answers into the countless failures and irregularities which have been reported by voters, polling booth staff, and candidates, and which have left many voters disenfranchised and questioning the integrity of our electoral process.”
“If the claims made by the state government are correct, and this contract was tendered and awarded without any ministerial oversight, then we have a serious problem with accountability in our procurement processes.”
PersolKelly has described the open letter as ‘inaccurate’ and vented its disappointment at the notice.
“PersolKelly Australia would like to reiterate once again that it has not made any donations to political parties in Western Australia,” the spokesperson said.
“PersolKelly Australia has not engaged with political party officials regarding the awarding of this contract.
“PersolKelly Australia's focus remains on partnering with the WAEC to complete the count and finalise the payroll process for our temporary project staff.”
Persol Holdings subsidiary Programmed did donate to the Labor, Liberal and National parties. It was one of at least 16 foreign-owned firms to do so, legally.
About 7,000 staff were contracted for the 2025 election’s 682 polling places and 1.87 million voters, with a handful more expected to come onboard for the final days of the count.
In 2021 about 9,500 workers covered 736 polling places and 1.72m voters.
The 2017 (8,305 workers, 752 booths, 1.59m voters) and 2013 (8,960 workers, 794 booths, 1.41m voters) also had higher recruitments.
An initial tender for the 2025 election had noted the need for about 10,000 staff, however WAEC and PersolKelly have both described that number as “indicative”.
Mr Cook said it appeared counterintuitive to outsource components of the election process.
“But obviously the electoral commissioner made that decision on the basis of good advice,” he said.
“He is an independent commissioner responsible for the conduct of the elections.”
PersolKelly has rejected claims the election was outsourced to the labour hire firm.
