‘I won’t do that again’: Zempilas apologises over Labor MP ‘intimidation’

Opposition Leader Basil Zempilas has been forced to apologise to Labor’s Swan Hills MP Michelle Maynard for intimidating her during an exchange after a fiery question time on Wednesday, but on Thursday would not be drawn on whether he thought his actions were genuinely intimidating.

Zempilas made a beeline for Maynard after question time to discuss data relating to the Bullsbrook power issues in her electorate, which was brought up during the final question of the session.

Footage of the incident shows an exasperated Zempilas standing over Maynard who remained seated while he pointed to his phone.

Outside Parliament on Thursday, Maynard said four of her colleagues asked Zempilas to walk away, but it wasn’t until a male colleague stood between the pair that he left.

“I was seated. The Leader of the Opposition is a tall man, and he was in my physical space with his phone in my face and waving his hands, which he does. It’s fine,” she said.

“I didn’t feel like I had anywhere that I could go and he wasn’t letting up. I had four colleagues stand up around me and ask him to leave, and he did not. So I didn’t feel OK in that time.

“I understand that Parliament is a robust debate during question time, but question time was over, and I didn’t find the behaviour acceptable at all, and so I asked the speaker for a public apology, which was issued last night, but the behaviour was not okay.”

Speaker Stephen Price said he would investigate the incident, and at about 7pm Zempilas issued a formal apology to Maynard.

“I understand the member felt intimidated during that exchange, which was not my intention, and I apologise to the member. I acknowledge that I acted in an unparliamentary manner and I also apologise to the house,” he said.

Maynard said she had received text messages from Liberal MPs to “express their horror at what happened” but would not reveal which opposition members had reached out.

Zempilas said he apologised because he was asked to, but added it was not his intention to make Maynard feel intimidated.

When pressed whether he thought his behaviour was intimidatory, Zempilas repeated that he had apologised.

“I apologised in the chamber, and I apologised because I was asked to do so, and it was not my intention to cause any of those things. But I accept that, if that’s how Michelle felt, it was the right thing to do, to give an apology,” he said.

Zempilas said he wouldn’t seek out an MP after question time again.

“I won’t do that again,” he said.

“It’s a robust place. I have seen, in my 12 months, many MPs from both sides of the chamber have conversations among one another after question time. I’m not the first person to do that.

“I think we would expect that that is something that can happen. However, I understand I’m the leader of the opposition; perhaps it’s best if I don’t do that.”

The incident stemmed from a few minutes before, when Zempilas had been attacking the government’s management of Western Power after it emerged the agency had 563 computers stolen in two years.

He asked whether the government had confidence in the utility given the recent power outages in Bullsbrook.

During a fiery exchange with Energy Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson, Zempilas was interjecting with stats about the power outages while Maynard, whose electorate includes Bullsbrook, accused him of peddling misinformation.

Zempilas said he was showing Maynard data from Western Power’s own website that backed up his criticism during question time.

Earlier during question time Labor had been dishing it out to opposition members with Housing Minister John Carey responding to interjections from shadow health minister Libby Mettam.

“The member for Vasse is very agitated today. I don’t know what she’s been drinking,” he said.

The incident marks the second major behavioural scandal to erupt from the lower house in just five days of sitting.

Last week WA Education Minister Sabine Winton was forced to apologise for calling Nationals MP Lachlan Hunter an “arsehole” on the first day back at parliament for 2026.

Winton said she was responding to what she thought was a racist taunt by Hunter toward Bibra Lake MP Sook Yee Lai.

Speaker Stephen Price said on Thursday he believed behaviour had actually improved since last year, but still issued a warning to MPs.

“Members just need to remember that what happens in the chamber is important, and what we do gets seen, and it’s like any other workplace where you just have to make sure that you abide by the rules and the standing orders,” he said.