Roger Cook (politician)

Roger Hugh Cook (born 20 August 1965) is an Australian politician serving as the 31st and current premier of Western Australia since 2023. He has been the leader of the Western Australian branch of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) since 2023 and a member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly (MLA) for the electoral district of Kwinana since 2008. He was previously deputy premier of Western Australia from 2017 to 2023. Cook was born in Perth and holds degrees from Murdoch University and Curtin University. Prior to being elected to parliament he was involved in student politics, serving as the first president of the National Union of Students, and worked as a public relations consultant and in management roles with Aboriginal corporations. Cook was elected to the Western Australian Legislative Assembly at the 2008 state election, representing the seat of Kwinana. He was elected deputy leader of the Labor Party ten days after first being elected to parliament, and held this position until his appointment as leader of the party in 2023. He held senior ministerial office under Mark McGowan from 2017 to 2023, before being elected as McGowan's successor after his mid-term resignation.