| Honorific-Prefix: | The Honourable |
| Rob Johnson | |
| Office: | Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Road Safety |
| Term Start: | 23 September 2008 |
| Term End: | 29 June 2012 |
| Parliament2: | Western Australian |
| Predecessor2: | New creation |
| Successor2: | Peter Katsambanis |
| Term Start2: | 14 December 1996 |
| Term End2: | 11 March 2017 |
| Parliament3: | Western Australian |
| Predecessor3: | Pam Beggs |
| Term Start3: | 6 February 1993 |
| Term End3: | 14 December 1996 |
| Birth Date: | 17 October 1943 |
| Birth Place: | London, England |
| Nationality: | English–Australian |
| Party: | Liberal (to 2016) |
| Otherparty: | Independent (from 2016) |
| Profession: | Company chairman |
Robert Frank Johnson (born 17 October 1943) is an Australian former politician who was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1993 to 2017. He was elected as a member of the Liberal Party, and served as a minister in the government of Colin Barnett from 2008 to 2012, but resigned from the party in April 2016 to sit as an independent[1] . He was defeated at the 2017 election.
Johnson was born in London, England. At the age of 35, he was elected as a councillor for the London Borough of Sutton and subsequently became Mayor.[2]
Soon after emigrating to Australia in 1988, he was elected as a councillor to the City of Wanneroo in 1991. The following year he was elected Mayor.[2]
Johnson was elected as the member for Whitford in 1993 and, following a re-distribution of boundaries, was re-elected for the seat of Hillarys in 1996.[3]
From December 1999 until February 2001, Johnson served in the Court Coalition government, as Minister for Works, Services, Citizenship and Multicultural Interests.[2] He became Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Road Safety with the return to power of the Coalition in September 2008.[3]
Johnson supports reintroducing the Death Penalty, in 2007 he lobbied the Western Australia liberal party to adopt a policy on capital punishment.[4]
In his first two years as minister in the new Barnett government, Johnson introduced 16 bills into the Legislative Assembly.[5] Many of them were controversial and high-profile,[6] including increasing the impounding period of a vehicle for anyone convicted of a "hoon" offence.[7] Other measures were to ensure motorists with a blood alcohol reading of 0.08 or above lost their licence immediately at the roadside,[8] that all revenue from speed and red light cameras would go to road safety projects,[9] and a proposal for Australia's first online sex offender register.[10]
Investigations following a major bushfire in the Perth hills in February 2011, with the loss of 71 homes,[11] [12] and another in the Margaret River area, resulted in severe criticism of Johnson, and he was removed from the Emergency Services portfolio.[13]
In May 2012, federal Liberal MP for Canning, Don Randall, attacked Johnson in Federal Parliament, labelling him bumbling, weak and incompetent.[6] In turn, Johnson called for Randall to be sacked over the misuse of travel expenses.[14]
After a cabinet reshuffle by premier Colin Barnett in June 2012, Johnson was removed from the Police and Road Safety portfolio.[3] [15] [16] At the 2013 Western Australian state election, he was re-elected to the seat of Hillarys.[17]
After arriving in Australia, Johnson started a family business incorporating an investment firm and a national computer distributorship.[2]
He is a former chair of Radio Lollipop (Australia), a charity that cares for children in hospital.[2]