WA election 2025: Roger Cook rules out taxpayers’ money for NRL deal in last minute campaign revelation

The NRL will not receive a single dollar of taxpayers’ money, Roger Cook has vowed, buckling to pressure over negotiations in a last-minute campaign revelation. Speaking at The West Australian’s Leadership Matters breakfast on Tuesday, the Premier ruled out any money being paid to the League as part of a deal. The comments came after weeks of pressure on Mr Cook to disclose how much he would be willing to spend to bring the Western Bears to Perth as part of expansion negotiations with the NRL. Pushed on whether spending money to lure a team west was appropriate during WA’s prolonged cost-of-living crisis, the Premier making his pitch, insisted a deal would be good for the State’s economy. “Sport and indeed, national sport franchises are big business, and it’s a great opportunity for our economy, but not a single dollar of taxpayers’ dollars will go to the NRL,” he said. “We want to make sure that if Western Australia is to participate in another national competition, and I think we should, and I made that very clear all along, but it has to be good value for money for WA taxpayers, and it has to be a benefit to the WA economy.” Mr Cook’s resolve against a fee to join the league came after revelations last month that he had last-minute talks with NRL boss Peter V’Landys days before the Government entered caretaker mode in February. At the time it was reported the NRL was demanding a deal to bring a side west could be as high as $320 million, including an eye-watering license fee of $120 million. Instead, the Government could offer support for upgrades at HBF Park, expected to be the home of the new side, as well as funding to community level sport across WA to grow the league.