❓ Opposition Leader Buswell questions the Premier on whether the government has capitalised on the economic boom to improve infrastructure and public services, particularly hospitals, education, and crime. The Premier defends the government's record, citing improvements in regional areas and key sectors.
AnsweredQoN 224Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
ECONOMIC BOOM OPPORTUNITIES 224. Mr T. BUSWELL to the Premier: I note the announcement today of the government’s budget. (1) Does the Premier agree that the economic boom in Western Australia has provided a massive opportunity for the government to build infrastructure and make our public services the best in the country? (2) Will he now confirm that, despite this opportunity, his government has not completed constructing one major hospital in the Perth metropolitan area since 2001, has failed to solve the teacher shortage crisis and has let crime spiral out of control? (3) Is it not time that he apologised to the people of Western Australia for missing this once-in-a-generation opportunity — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! The Leader of the Opposition needs to finish the last part of the question. Mr M.P. Murray interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Collie-Wellington! Mr T. BUSWELL : I continue — (3) Is it not time that he apologised to the people of Western Australia for missing this once-in-a-generation opportunity and, effectively, blowing the boom? Mr A.J. CARPENTER
AnswerView source ↗
(1)-(3) It might not be that long before the people of Western Australia get to make their own judgement. We will see how they go then. That will be the ultimate test. This is not just a once-in-a-generation opportunity. This is a once-in-a-century opportunity. The very fact that Western Australia is not missing out is due in some substantial part to the hard work done by this government over the past seven and a half years. Dr K.D. Hames : Sir Charles Court is the one who created the boom. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : John Forrest probably had a hand in it as well, if the member wants to go back that far. That is the truth of it. Nobody who seriously analyses what is going on in Western Australia disputes that fact. The Western Australian government’s policy settings, development of infrastructure, change in education and training settings and repair of our neglected health system over a period have played a pivotal role. Nobody of any substance seriously questions the pivotal role that this government has played since it was first elected to government under Dr Geoffrey Gallop. I will pluck one example out of the air—Geraldton. What did we inherit with Geraldton? We inherited a very sad town, a town that was depressed and a town that had no future. I remember with crystal clarity our first regional cabinet meeting that was held in Geraldton. We went to a dinner at the airport in Geraldton and we heard about the woes of a town that saw itself going nowhere. Mr T. Buswell interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition would not know; he was running the bus service down in Busselton. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : We made the decision then that we would invest heavily in the City of Geraldton. We gave a commitment that we would reverse its fortunes. We gave a commitment that we would give the city a future, and we have done that. It is almost completely unrecognisable physically, and, spiritually, it is totally different. The people have a great optimism about the future. I use Geraldton as an example of what has happened across Western Australia. We are the economic success story of the nation. We are the freight train that is tugging along the national economy. I remind members that the economy that we inherited was shrinking. Mr C.J. Barnett : It was not. Don’t be ridiculous. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was. It had suffered from the incompetence of ministers who had no idea what they were doing. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Cottesloe, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Now we have a thriving economy, with virtually full employment. What did I inherit as education minister? Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Do members know what we inherited in education? We inherited a structural model that was probably 40 years old. Schoolchildren could still leave school at the age of 14. The compulsory retention age was 15. The retention figure was 60 per cent and declining. In places such as Bunbury, in the modern economy that we were trying to shape, less than 50 per cent of boys proceeded past year 10 to year 12. What did we have? We had youth unemployment in excess of 30 per cent; youths were undereducated, undertrained and unemployed, which built in long-term social dysfunction. We reversed all that. We made massive changes to the industrial model so that people could undertake training to become tradespeople according to their capacity to advance, rather than under the old four-year system. It took a heck of a lot of work to get agreement on that model. The whole system is now geared up for a modern economy. I remember when we undertook these processes that there was criticism that it could not be done; it was too expensive and difficult. It has happened. We are the envy of the country. What has happened in the area of the arts? Members should ask people in the arts and creative communities of Western Australia what they think of this government. If they ever turn up to a show, they should ask those people what they think. The member for Darling Range knows. They are ecstatic with the support they are getting now. They see this as the birth of a new era in the arts and creative communities in this state. They see this as the flowering of a new twenty-first century Western Australian culture, the likes of which the state has never seen before. We have to broaden the base of the economy and reach out for new trade partners; hence, we go to places such as Russia. We have to broaden the base of our economic activity. We have to highlight the scientific capacity of the community and invest in research and people so that we create the circumstances to achieve long-term economic success. That is what we have done in under eight years. We had a situation in which the state’s economy was in decline, the unemployment rate was nearly double digits, and there was 30 per cent youth unemployment. We have a very different situation today. I think this government and the people who formed it from day one—I am talking about every member of this government from those years on—have a lot to be proud of. When we announce that there is funding for the sports stadium, the Museum, the Perth foreshore development and 26 new schools, that there are billions of dollars for the hospital system and that we are running a surplus, every member who sits on this side of Parliament has a right to feel proud of their contribution. I have said previously that all great and successful societies invest in the physical infrastructure of their economy. They build things. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
ECONOMIC BOOM OPPORTUNITIES
I note the announcement today of the government’s budget. (1) Does the Premier agree that the economic boom in Western Australia has provided a massive opportunity for the government to build infrastructure and make our public services the best in the country? (2) Will he now confirm that, despite this opportunity, his government has not completed constructing one major hospital in the Perth metropolitan area since 2001, has failed to solve the teacher shortage crisis and has let crime spiral out of control? (3) Is it not time that he apologised to the people of Western Australia for missing this once-in-a-generation opportunity — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! The Leader of the Opposition needs to finish the last part of the question. Mr M.P. Murray interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Collie-Wellington! Mr T. BUSWELL : I continue — (3) Is it not time that he apologised to the people of Western Australia for missing this once-in-a-generation opportunity and, effectively, blowing the boom? Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: (1)-(3) It might not be that long before the people of Western Australia get to make their own judgement. We will see how they go then. That will be the ultimate test. This is not just a once-in-a-generation opportunity. This is a once-in-a-century opportunity. The very fact that Western Australia is not missing out is due in some substantial part to the hard work done by this government over the past seven and a half years. Dr K.D. Hames : Sir Charles Court is the one who created the boom. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : John Forrest probably had a hand in it as well, if the member wants to go back that far. That is the truth of it. Nobody who seriously analyses what is going on in Western Australia disputes that fact. The Western Australian government’s policy settings, development of infrastructure, change in education and training settings and repair of our neglected health system over a period have played a pivotal role. Nobody of any substance seriously questions the pivotal role that this government has played since it was first elected to government under Dr Geoffrey Gallop. I will pluck one example out of the air—Geraldton. What did we inherit with Geraldton? We inherited a very sad town, a town that was depressed and a town that had no future. I remember with crystal clarity our first regional cabinet meeting that was held in Geraldton. We went to a dinner at the airport in Geraldton and we heard about the woes of a town that saw itself going nowhere. Mr T. Buswell interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition would not know; he was running the bus service down in Busselton. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : We made the decision then that we would invest heavily in the City of Geraldton. We gave a commitment that we would reverse its fortunes. We gave a commitment that we would give the city a future, and we have done that. It is almost completely unrecognisable physically, and, spiritually, it is totally different. The people have a great optimism about the future. I use Geraldton as an example of what has happened across Western Australia. We are the economic success story of the nation. We are the freight train that is tugging along the national economy. I remind members that the economy that we inherited was shrinking. Mr C.J. Barnett : It was not. Don’t be ridiculous. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was. It had suffered from the incompetence of ministers who had no idea what they were doing. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Cottesloe, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Now we have a thriving economy, with virtually full employment. What did I inherit as education minister? Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Do members know what we inherited in education? We inherited a structural model that was probably 40 years old. Schoolchildren could still leave school at the age of 14. The compulsory retention age was 15. The retention figure was 60 per cent and declining. In places such as Bunbury, in the modern economy that we were trying to shape, less than 50 per cent of boys proceeded past year 10 to year 12. What did we have? We had youth unemployment in excess of 30 per cent; youths were undereducated, undertrained and unemployed, which built in long-term social dysfunction. We reversed all that. We made massive changes to the industrial model so that people could undertake training to become tradespeople according to their capacity to advance, rather than under the old four-year system. It took a heck of a lot of work to get agreement on that model. The whole system is now geared up for a modern economy. I remember when we undertook these processes that there was criticism that it could not be done; it was too expensive and difficult. It has happened. We are the envy of the country. What has happened in the area of the arts? Members should ask people in the arts and creative communities of Western Australia what they think of this government. If they ever turn up to a show, they should ask those people what they think. The member for Darling Range knows. They are ecstatic with the support they are getting now. They see this as the birth of a new era in the arts and creative communities in this state. They see this as the flowering of a new twenty-first century Western Australian culture, the likes of which the state has never seen before. We have to broaden the base of the economy and reach out for new trade partners; hence, we go to places such as Russia. We have to broaden the base of our economic activity. We have to highlight the scientific capacity of the community and invest in research and people so that we create the circumstances to achieve long-term economic success. That is what we have done in under eight years. We had a situation in which the state’s economy was in decline, the unemployment rate was nearly double digits, and there was 30 per cent youth unemployment. We have a very different situation today. I think this government and the people who formed it from day one—I am talking about every member of this government from those years on—have a lot to be proud of. When we announce that there is funding for the sports stadium, the Museum, the Perth foreshore development and 26 new schools, that there are billions of dollars for the hospital system and that we are running a surplus, every member who sits on this side of Parliament has a right to feel proud of their contribution. I have said previously that all great and successful societies invest in the physical infrastructure of their economy. They build things. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
(1) Does the Premier agree that the economic boom in Western Australia has provided a massive opportunity for the government to build infrastructure and make our public services the best in the country? (2) Will he now confirm that, despite this opportunity, his government has not completed constructing one major hospital in the Perth metropolitan area since 2001, has failed to solve the teacher shortage crisis and has let crime spiral out of control? (3) Is it not time that he apologised to the people of Western Australia for missing this once-in-a-generation opportunity — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! The Leader of the Opposition needs to finish the last part of the question. Mr M.P. Murray interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Collie-Wellington! Mr T. BUSWELL : I continue — (3) Is it not time that he apologised to the people of Western Australia for missing this once-in-a-generation opportunity and, effectively, blowing the boom? Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: (1)-(3) It might not be that long before the people of Western Australia get to make their own judgement. We will see how they go then. That will be the ultimate test. This is not just a once-in-a-generation opportunity. This is a once-in-a-century opportunity. The very fact that Western Australia is not missing out is due in some substantial part to the hard work done by this government over the past seven and a half years. Dr K.D. Hames : Sir Charles Court is the one who created the boom. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : John Forrest probably had a hand in it as well, if the member wants to go back that far. That is the truth of it. Nobody who seriously analyses what is going on in Western Australia disputes that fact. The Western Australian government’s policy settings, development of infrastructure, change in education and training settings and repair of our neglected health system over a period have played a pivotal role. Nobody of any substance seriously questions the pivotal role that this government has played since it was first elected to government under Dr Geoffrey Gallop. I will pluck one example out of the air—Geraldton. What did we inherit with Geraldton? We inherited a very sad town, a town that was depressed and a town that had no future. I remember with crystal clarity our first regional cabinet meeting that was held in Geraldton. We went to a dinner at the airport in Geraldton and we heard about the woes of a town that saw itself going nowhere. Mr T. Buswell interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition would not know; he was running the bus service down in Busselton. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : We made the decision then that we would invest heavily in the City of Geraldton. We gave a commitment that we would reverse its fortunes. We gave a commitment that we would give the city a future, and we have done that. It is almost completely unrecognisable physically, and, spiritually, it is totally different. The people have a great optimism about the future. I use Geraldton as an example of what has happened across Western Australia. We are the economic success story of the nation. We are the freight train that is tugging along the national economy. I remind members that the economy that we inherited was shrinking. Mr C.J. Barnett : It was not. Don’t be ridiculous. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was. It had suffered from the incompetence of ministers who had no idea what they were doing. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Cottesloe, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Now we have a thriving economy, with virtually full employment. What did I inherit as education minister? Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Do members know what we inherited in education? We inherited a structural model that was probably 40 years old. Schoolchildren could still leave school at the age of 14. The compulsory retention age was 15. The retention figure was 60 per cent and declining. In places such as Bunbury, in the modern economy that we were trying to shape, less than 50 per cent of boys proceeded past year 10 to year 12. What did we have? We had youth unemployment in excess of 30 per cent; youths were undereducated, undertrained and unemployed, which built in long-term social dysfunction. We reversed all that. We made massive changes to the industrial model so that people could undertake training to become tradespeople according to their capacity to advance, rather than under the old four-year system. It took a heck of a lot of work to get agreement on that model. The whole system is now geared up for a modern economy. I remember when we undertook these processes that there was criticism that it could not be done; it was too expensive and difficult. It has happened. We are the envy of the country. What has happened in the area of the arts? Members should ask people in the arts and creative communities of Western Australia what they think of this government. If they ever turn up to a show, they should ask those people what they think. The member for Darling Range knows. They are ecstatic with the support they are getting now. They see this as the birth of a new era in the arts and creative communities in this state. They see this as the flowering of a new twenty-first century Western Australian culture, the likes of which the state has never seen before. We have to broaden the base of the economy and reach out for new trade partners; hence, we go to places such as Russia. We have to broaden the base of our economic activity. We have to highlight the scientific capacity of the community and invest in research and people so that we create the circumstances to achieve long-term economic success. That is what we have done in under eight years. We had a situation in which the state’s economy was in decline, the unemployment rate was nearly double digits, and there was 30 per cent youth unemployment. We have a very different situation today. I think this government and the people who formed it from day one—I am talking about every member of this government from those years on—have a lot to be proud of. When we announce that there is funding for the sports stadium, the Museum, the Perth foreshore development and 26 new schools, that there are billions of dollars for the hospital system and that we are running a surplus, every member who sits on this side of Parliament has a right to feel proud of their contribution. I have said previously that all great and successful societies invest in the physical infrastructure of their economy. They build things. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
(2) Will he now confirm that, despite this opportunity, his government has not completed constructing one major hospital in the Perth metropolitan area since 2001, has failed to solve the teacher shortage crisis and has let crime spiral out of control? (3) Is it not time that he apologised to the people of Western Australia for missing this once-in-a-generation opportunity — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! The Leader of the Opposition needs to finish the last part of the question. Mr M.P. Murray interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Collie-Wellington! Mr T. BUSWELL : I continue — (3) Is it not time that he apologised to the people of Western Australia for missing this once-in-a-generation opportunity and, effectively, blowing the boom? Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: (1)-(3) It might not be that long before the people of Western Australia get to make their own judgement. We will see how they go then. That will be the ultimate test. This is not just a once-in-a-generation opportunity. This is a once-in-a-century opportunity. The very fact that Western Australia is not missing out is due in some substantial part to the hard work done by this government over the past seven and a half years. Dr K.D. Hames : Sir Charles Court is the one who created the boom. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : John Forrest probably had a hand in it as well, if the member wants to go back that far. That is the truth of it. Nobody who seriously analyses what is going on in Western Australia disputes that fact. The Western Australian government’s policy settings, development of infrastructure, change in education and training settings and repair of our neglected health system over a period have played a pivotal role. Nobody of any substance seriously questions the pivotal role that this government has played since it was first elected to government under Dr Geoffrey Gallop. I will pluck one example out of the air—Geraldton. What did we inherit with Geraldton? We inherited a very sad town, a town that was depressed and a town that had no future. I remember with crystal clarity our first regional cabinet meeting that was held in Geraldton. We went to a dinner at the airport in Geraldton and we heard about the woes of a town that saw itself going nowhere. Mr T. Buswell interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition would not know; he was running the bus service down in Busselton. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : We made the decision then that we would invest heavily in the City of Geraldton. We gave a commitment that we would reverse its fortunes. We gave a commitment that we would give the city a future, and we have done that. It is almost completely unrecognisable physically, and, spiritually, it is totally different. The people have a great optimism about the future. I use Geraldton as an example of what has happened across Western Australia. We are the economic success story of the nation. We are the freight train that is tugging along the national economy. I remind members that the economy that we inherited was shrinking. Mr C.J. Barnett : It was not. Don’t be ridiculous. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was. It had suffered from the incompetence of ministers who had no idea what they were doing. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Cottesloe, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Now we have a thriving economy, with virtually full employment. What did I inherit as education minister? Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Do members know what we inherited in education? We inherited a structural model that was probably 40 years old. Schoolchildren could still leave school at the age of 14. The compulsory retention age was 15. The retention figure was 60 per cent and declining. In places such as Bunbury, in the modern economy that we were trying to shape, less than 50 per cent of boys proceeded past year 10 to year 12. What did we have? We had youth unemployment in excess of 30 per cent; youths were undereducated, undertrained and unemployed, which built in long-term social dysfunction. We reversed all that. We made massive changes to the industrial model so that people could undertake training to become tradespeople according to their capacity to advance, rather than under the old four-year system. It took a heck of a lot of work to get agreement on that model. The whole system is now geared up for a modern economy. I remember when we undertook these processes that there was criticism that it could not be done; it was too expensive and difficult. It has happened. We are the envy of the country. What has happened in the area of the arts? Members should ask people in the arts and creative communities of Western Australia what they think of this government. If they ever turn up to a show, they should ask those people what they think. The member for Darling Range knows. They are ecstatic with the support they are getting now. They see this as the birth of a new era in the arts and creative communities in this state. They see this as the flowering of a new twenty-first century Western Australian culture, the likes of which the state has never seen before. We have to broaden the base of the economy and reach out for new trade partners; hence, we go to places such as Russia. We have to broaden the base of our economic activity. We have to highlight the scientific capacity of the community and invest in research and people so that we create the circumstances to achieve long-term economic success. That is what we have done in under eight years. We had a situation in which the state’s economy was in decline, the unemployment rate was nearly double digits, and there was 30 per cent youth unemployment. We have a very different situation today. I think this government and the people who formed it from day one—I am talking about every member of this government from those years on—have a lot to be proud of. When we announce that there is funding for the sports stadium, the Museum, the Perth foreshore development and 26 new schools, that there are billions of dollars for the hospital system and that we are running a surplus, every member who sits on this side of Parliament has a right to feel proud of their contribution. I have said previously that all great and successful societies invest in the physical infrastructure of their economy. They build things. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
(3) Is it not time that he apologised to the people of Western Australia for missing this once-in-a-generation opportunity — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! The Leader of the Opposition needs to finish the last part of the question. Mr M.P. Murray interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Collie-Wellington! Mr T. BUSWELL : I continue — (3) Is it not time that he apologised to the people of Western Australia for missing this once-in-a-generation opportunity and, effectively, blowing the boom? Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: (1)-(3) It might not be that long before the people of Western Australia get to make their own judgement. We will see how they go then. That will be the ultimate test. This is not just a once-in-a-generation opportunity. This is a once-in-a-century opportunity. The very fact that Western Australia is not missing out is due in some substantial part to the hard work done by this government over the past seven and a half years. Dr K.D. Hames : Sir Charles Court is the one who created the boom. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : John Forrest probably had a hand in it as well, if the member wants to go back that far. That is the truth of it. Nobody who seriously analyses what is going on in Western Australia disputes that fact. The Western Australian government’s policy settings, development of infrastructure, change in education and training settings and repair of our neglected health system over a period have played a pivotal role. Nobody of any substance seriously questions the pivotal role that this government has played since it was first elected to government under Dr Geoffrey Gallop. I will pluck one example out of the air—Geraldton. What did we inherit with Geraldton? We inherited a very sad town, a town that was depressed and a town that had no future. I remember with crystal clarity our first regional cabinet meeting that was held in Geraldton. We went to a dinner at the airport in Geraldton and we heard about the woes of a town that saw itself going nowhere. Mr T. Buswell interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition would not know; he was running the bus service down in Busselton. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : We made the decision then that we would invest heavily in the City of Geraldton. We gave a commitment that we would reverse its fortunes. We gave a commitment that we would give the city a future, and we have done that. It is almost completely unrecognisable physically, and, spiritually, it is totally different. The people have a great optimism about the future. I use Geraldton as an example of what has happened across Western Australia. We are the economic success story of the nation. We are the freight train that is tugging along the national economy. I remind members that the economy that we inherited was shrinking. Mr C.J. Barnett : It was not. Don’t be ridiculous. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was. It had suffered from the incompetence of ministers who had no idea what they were doing. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Cottesloe, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Now we have a thriving economy, with virtually full employment. What did I inherit as education minister? Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Do members know what we inherited in education? We inherited a structural model that was probably 40 years old. Schoolchildren could still leave school at the age of 14. The compulsory retention age was 15. The retention figure was 60 per cent and declining. In places such as Bunbury, in the modern economy that we were trying to shape, less than 50 per cent of boys proceeded past year 10 to year 12. What did we have? We had youth unemployment in excess of 30 per cent; youths were undereducated, undertrained and unemployed, which built in long-term social dysfunction. We reversed all that. We made massive changes to the industrial model so that people could undertake training to become tradespeople according to their capacity to advance, rather than under the old four-year system. It took a heck of a lot of work to get agreement on that model. The whole system is now geared up for a modern economy. I remember when we undertook these processes that there was criticism that it could not be done; it was too expensive and difficult. It has happened. We are the envy of the country. What has happened in the area of the arts? Members should ask people in the arts and creative communities of Western Australia what they think of this government. If they ever turn up to a show, they should ask those people what they think. The member for Darling Range knows. They are ecstatic with the support they are getting now. They see this as the birth of a new era in the arts and creative communities in this state. They see this as the flowering of a new twenty-first century Western Australian culture, the likes of which the state has never seen before. We have to broaden the base of the economy and reach out for new trade partners; hence, we go to places such as Russia. We have to broaden the base of our economic activity. We have to highlight the scientific capacity of the community and invest in research and people so that we create the circumstances to achieve long-term economic success. That is what we have done in under eight years. We had a situation in which the state’s economy was in decline, the unemployment rate was nearly double digits, and there was 30 per cent youth unemployment. We have a very different situation today. I think this government and the people who formed it from day one—I am talking about every member of this government from those years on—have a lot to be proud of. When we announce that there is funding for the sports stadium, the Museum, the Perth foreshore development and 26 new schools, that there are billions of dollars for the hospital system and that we are running a surplus, every member who sits on this side of Parliament has a right to feel proud of their contribution. I have said previously that all great and successful societies invest in the physical infrastructure of their economy. They build things. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! The Leader of the Opposition needs to finish the last part of the question. Mr M.P. Murray interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Collie-Wellington! Mr T. BUSWELL : I continue — (3) Is it not time that he apologised to the people of Western Australia for missing this once-in-a-generation opportunity and, effectively, blowing the boom? Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: (1)-(3) It might not be that long before the people of Western Australia get to make their own judgement. We will see how they go then. That will be the ultimate test. This is not just a once-in-a-generation opportunity. This is a once-in-a-century opportunity. The very fact that Western Australia is not missing out is due in some substantial part to the hard work done by this government over the past seven and a half years. Dr K.D. Hames : Sir Charles Court is the one who created the boom. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : John Forrest probably had a hand in it as well, if the member wants to go back that far. That is the truth of it. Nobody who seriously analyses what is going on in Western Australia disputes that fact. The Western Australian government’s policy settings, development of infrastructure, change in education and training settings and repair of our neglected health system over a period have played a pivotal role. Nobody of any substance seriously questions the pivotal role that this government has played since it was first elected to government under Dr Geoffrey Gallop. I will pluck one example out of the air—Geraldton. What did we inherit with Geraldton? We inherited a very sad town, a town that was depressed and a town that had no future. I remember with crystal clarity our first regional cabinet meeting that was held in Geraldton. We went to a dinner at the airport in Geraldton and we heard about the woes of a town that saw itself going nowhere. Mr T. Buswell interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition would not know; he was running the bus service down in Busselton. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : We made the decision then that we would invest heavily in the City of Geraldton. We gave a commitment that we would reverse its fortunes. We gave a commitment that we would give the city a future, and we have done that. It is almost completely unrecognisable physically, and, spiritually, it is totally different. The people have a great optimism about the future. I use Geraldton as an example of what has happened across Western Australia. We are the economic success story of the nation. We are the freight train that is tugging along the national economy. I remind members that the economy that we inherited was shrinking. Mr C.J. Barnett : It was not. Don’t be ridiculous. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was. It had suffered from the incompetence of ministers who had no idea what they were doing. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Cottesloe, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Now we have a thriving economy, with virtually full employment. What did I inherit as education minister? Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Do members know what we inherited in education? We inherited a structural model that was probably 40 years old. Schoolchildren could still leave school at the age of 14. The compulsory retention age was 15. The retention figure was 60 per cent and declining. In places such as Bunbury, in the modern economy that we were trying to shape, less than 50 per cent of boys proceeded past year 10 to year 12. What did we have? We had youth unemployment in excess of 30 per cent; youths were undereducated, undertrained and unemployed, which built in long-term social dysfunction. We reversed all that. We made massive changes to the industrial model so that people could undertake training to become tradespeople according to their capacity to advance, rather than under the old four-year system. It took a heck of a lot of work to get agreement on that model. The whole system is now geared up for a modern economy. I remember when we undertook these processes that there was criticism that it could not be done; it was too expensive and difficult. It has happened. We are the envy of the country. What has happened in the area of the arts? Members should ask people in the arts and creative communities of Western Australia what they think of this government. If they ever turn up to a show, they should ask those people what they think. The member for Darling Range knows. They are ecstatic with the support they are getting now. They see this as the birth of a new era in the arts and creative communities in this state. They see this as the flowering of a new twenty-first century Western Australian culture, the likes of which the state has never seen before. We have to broaden the base of the economy and reach out for new trade partners; hence, we go to places such as Russia. We have to broaden the base of our economic activity. We have to highlight the scientific capacity of the community and invest in research and people so that we create the circumstances to achieve long-term economic success. That is what we have done in under eight years. We had a situation in which the state’s economy was in decline, the unemployment rate was nearly double digits, and there was 30 per cent youth unemployment. We have a very different situation today. I think this government and the people who formed it from day one—I am talking about every member of this government from those years on—have a lot to be proud of. When we announce that there is funding for the sports stadium, the Museum, the Perth foreshore development and 26 new schools, that there are billions of dollars for the hospital system and that we are running a surplus, every member who sits on this side of Parliament has a right to feel proud of their contribution. I have said previously that all great and successful societies invest in the physical infrastructure of their economy. They build things. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
The SPEAKER : Order, members! The Leader of the Opposition needs to finish the last part of the question. Mr M.P. Murray interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Collie-Wellington! Mr T. BUSWELL : I continue — (3) Is it not time that he apologised to the people of Western Australia for missing this once-in-a-generation opportunity and, effectively, blowing the boom? Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: (1)-(3) It might not be that long before the people of Western Australia get to make their own judgement. We will see how they go then. That will be the ultimate test. This is not just a once-in-a-generation opportunity. This is a once-in-a-century opportunity. The very fact that Western Australia is not missing out is due in some substantial part to the hard work done by this government over the past seven and a half years. Dr K.D. Hames : Sir Charles Court is the one who created the boom. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : John Forrest probably had a hand in it as well, if the member wants to go back that far. That is the truth of it. Nobody who seriously analyses what is going on in Western Australia disputes that fact. The Western Australian government’s policy settings, development of infrastructure, change in education and training settings and repair of our neglected health system over a period have played a pivotal role. Nobody of any substance seriously questions the pivotal role that this government has played since it was first elected to government under Dr Geoffrey Gallop. I will pluck one example out of the air—Geraldton. What did we inherit with Geraldton? We inherited a very sad town, a town that was depressed and a town that had no future. I remember with crystal clarity our first regional cabinet meeting that was held in Geraldton. We went to a dinner at the airport in Geraldton and we heard about the woes of a town that saw itself going nowhere. Mr T. Buswell interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition would not know; he was running the bus service down in Busselton. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : We made the decision then that we would invest heavily in the City of Geraldton. We gave a commitment that we would reverse its fortunes. We gave a commitment that we would give the city a future, and we have done that. It is almost completely unrecognisable physically, and, spiritually, it is totally different. The people have a great optimism about the future. I use Geraldton as an example of what has happened across Western Australia. We are the economic success story of the nation. We are the freight train that is tugging along the national economy. I remind members that the economy that we inherited was shrinking. Mr C.J. Barnett : It was not. Don’t be ridiculous. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was. It had suffered from the incompetence of ministers who had no idea what they were doing. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Cottesloe, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Now we have a thriving economy, with virtually full employment. What did I inherit as education minister? Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Do members know what we inherited in education? We inherited a structural model that was probably 40 years old. Schoolchildren could still leave school at the age of 14. The compulsory retention age was 15. The retention figure was 60 per cent and declining. In places such as Bunbury, in the modern economy that we were trying to shape, less than 50 per cent of boys proceeded past year 10 to year 12. What did we have? We had youth unemployment in excess of 30 per cent; youths were undereducated, undertrained and unemployed, which built in long-term social dysfunction. We reversed all that. We made massive changes to the industrial model so that people could undertake training to become tradespeople according to their capacity to advance, rather than under the old four-year system. It took a heck of a lot of work to get agreement on that model. The whole system is now geared up for a modern economy. I remember when we undertook these processes that there was criticism that it could not be done; it was too expensive and difficult. It has happened. We are the envy of the country. What has happened in the area of the arts? Members should ask people in the arts and creative communities of Western Australia what they think of this government. If they ever turn up to a show, they should ask those people what they think. The member for Darling Range knows. They are ecstatic with the support they are getting now. They see this as the birth of a new era in the arts and creative communities in this state. They see this as the flowering of a new twenty-first century Western Australian culture, the likes of which the state has never seen before. We have to broaden the base of the economy and reach out for new trade partners; hence, we go to places such as Russia. We have to broaden the base of our economic activity. We have to highlight the scientific capacity of the community and invest in research and people so that we create the circumstances to achieve long-term economic success. That is what we have done in under eight years. We had a situation in which the state’s economy was in decline, the unemployment rate was nearly double digits, and there was 30 per cent youth unemployment. We have a very different situation today. I think this government and the people who formed it from day one—I am talking about every member of this government from those years on—have a lot to be proud of. When we announce that there is funding for the sports stadium, the Museum, the Perth foreshore development and 26 new schools, that there are billions of dollars for the hospital system and that we are running a surplus, every member who sits on this side of Parliament has a right to feel proud of their contribution. I have said previously that all great and successful societies invest in the physical infrastructure of their economy. They build things. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
Mr M.P. Murray interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Collie-Wellington! Mr T. BUSWELL : I continue — (3) Is it not time that he apologised to the people of Western Australia for missing this once-in-a-generation opportunity and, effectively, blowing the boom? Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: (1)-(3) It might not be that long before the people of Western Australia get to make their own judgement. We will see how they go then. That will be the ultimate test. This is not just a once-in-a-generation opportunity. This is a once-in-a-century opportunity. The very fact that Western Australia is not missing out is due in some substantial part to the hard work done by this government over the past seven and a half years. Dr K.D. Hames : Sir Charles Court is the one who created the boom. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : John Forrest probably had a hand in it as well, if the member wants to go back that far. That is the truth of it. Nobody who seriously analyses what is going on in Western Australia disputes that fact. The Western Australian government’s policy settings, development of infrastructure, change in education and training settings and repair of our neglected health system over a period have played a pivotal role. Nobody of any substance seriously questions the pivotal role that this government has played since it was first elected to government under Dr Geoffrey Gallop. I will pluck one example out of the air—Geraldton. What did we inherit with Geraldton? We inherited a very sad town, a town that was depressed and a town that had no future. I remember with crystal clarity our first regional cabinet meeting that was held in Geraldton. We went to a dinner at the airport in Geraldton and we heard about the woes of a town that saw itself going nowhere. Mr T. Buswell interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition would not know; he was running the bus service down in Busselton. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : We made the decision then that we would invest heavily in the City of Geraldton. We gave a commitment that we would reverse its fortunes. We gave a commitment that we would give the city a future, and we have done that. It is almost completely unrecognisable physically, and, spiritually, it is totally different. The people have a great optimism about the future. I use Geraldton as an example of what has happened across Western Australia. We are the economic success story of the nation. We are the freight train that is tugging along the national economy. I remind members that the economy that we inherited was shrinking. Mr C.J. Barnett : It was not. Don’t be ridiculous. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was. It had suffered from the incompetence of ministers who had no idea what they were doing. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Cottesloe, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Now we have a thriving economy, with virtually full employment. What did I inherit as education minister? Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Do members know what we inherited in education? We inherited a structural model that was probably 40 years old. Schoolchildren could still leave school at the age of 14. The compulsory retention age was 15. The retention figure was 60 per cent and declining. In places such as Bunbury, in the modern economy that we were trying to shape, less than 50 per cent of boys proceeded past year 10 to year 12. What did we have? We had youth unemployment in excess of 30 per cent; youths were undereducated, undertrained and unemployed, which built in long-term social dysfunction. We reversed all that. We made massive changes to the industrial model so that people could undertake training to become tradespeople according to their capacity to advance, rather than under the old four-year system. It took a heck of a lot of work to get agreement on that model. The whole system is now geared up for a modern economy. I remember when we undertook these processes that there was criticism that it could not be done; it was too expensive and difficult. It has happened. We are the envy of the country. What has happened in the area of the arts? Members should ask people in the arts and creative communities of Western Australia what they think of this government. If they ever turn up to a show, they should ask those people what they think. The member for Darling Range knows. They are ecstatic with the support they are getting now. They see this as the birth of a new era in the arts and creative communities in this state. They see this as the flowering of a new twenty-first century Western Australian culture, the likes of which the state has never seen before. We have to broaden the base of the economy and reach out for new trade partners; hence, we go to places such as Russia. We have to broaden the base of our economic activity. We have to highlight the scientific capacity of the community and invest in research and people so that we create the circumstances to achieve long-term economic success. That is what we have done in under eight years. We had a situation in which the state’s economy was in decline, the unemployment rate was nearly double digits, and there was 30 per cent youth unemployment. We have a very different situation today. I think this government and the people who formed it from day one—I am talking about every member of this government from those years on—have a lot to be proud of. When we announce that there is funding for the sports stadium, the Museum, the Perth foreshore development and 26 new schools, that there are billions of dollars for the hospital system and that we are running a surplus, every member who sits on this side of Parliament has a right to feel proud of their contribution. I have said previously that all great and successful societies invest in the physical infrastructure of their economy. They build things. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
The SPEAKER : Order, member for Collie-Wellington! Mr T. BUSWELL : I continue — (3) Is it not time that he apologised to the people of Western Australia for missing this once-in-a-generation opportunity and, effectively, blowing the boom? Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: (1)-(3) It might not be that long before the people of Western Australia get to make their own judgement. We will see how they go then. That will be the ultimate test. This is not just a once-in-a-generation opportunity. This is a once-in-a-century opportunity. The very fact that Western Australia is not missing out is due in some substantial part to the hard work done by this government over the past seven and a half years. Dr K.D. Hames : Sir Charles Court is the one who created the boom. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : John Forrest probably had a hand in it as well, if the member wants to go back that far. That is the truth of it. Nobody who seriously analyses what is going on in Western Australia disputes that fact. The Western Australian government’s policy settings, development of infrastructure, change in education and training settings and repair of our neglected health system over a period have played a pivotal role. Nobody of any substance seriously questions the pivotal role that this government has played since it was first elected to government under Dr Geoffrey Gallop. I will pluck one example out of the air—Geraldton. What did we inherit with Geraldton? We inherited a very sad town, a town that was depressed and a town that had no future. I remember with crystal clarity our first regional cabinet meeting that was held in Geraldton. We went to a dinner at the airport in Geraldton and we heard about the woes of a town that saw itself going nowhere. Mr T. Buswell interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition would not know; he was running the bus service down in Busselton. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : We made the decision then that we would invest heavily in the City of Geraldton. We gave a commitment that we would reverse its fortunes. We gave a commitment that we would give the city a future, and we have done that. It is almost completely unrecognisable physically, and, spiritually, it is totally different. The people have a great optimism about the future. I use Geraldton as an example of what has happened across Western Australia. We are the economic success story of the nation. We are the freight train that is tugging along the national economy. I remind members that the economy that we inherited was shrinking. Mr C.J. Barnett : It was not. Don’t be ridiculous. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was. It had suffered from the incompetence of ministers who had no idea what they were doing. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Cottesloe, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Now we have a thriving economy, with virtually full employment. What did I inherit as education minister? Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Do members know what we inherited in education? We inherited a structural model that was probably 40 years old. Schoolchildren could still leave school at the age of 14. The compulsory retention age was 15. The retention figure was 60 per cent and declining. In places such as Bunbury, in the modern economy that we were trying to shape, less than 50 per cent of boys proceeded past year 10 to year 12. What did we have? We had youth unemployment in excess of 30 per cent; youths were undereducated, undertrained and unemployed, which built in long-term social dysfunction. We reversed all that. We made massive changes to the industrial model so that people could undertake training to become tradespeople according to their capacity to advance, rather than under the old four-year system. It took a heck of a lot of work to get agreement on that model. The whole system is now geared up for a modern economy. I remember when we undertook these processes that there was criticism that it could not be done; it was too expensive and difficult. It has happened. We are the envy of the country. What has happened in the area of the arts? Members should ask people in the arts and creative communities of Western Australia what they think of this government. If they ever turn up to a show, they should ask those people what they think. The member for Darling Range knows. They are ecstatic with the support they are getting now. They see this as the birth of a new era in the arts and creative communities in this state. They see this as the flowering of a new twenty-first century Western Australian culture, the likes of which the state has never seen before. We have to broaden the base of the economy and reach out for new trade partners; hence, we go to places such as Russia. We have to broaden the base of our economic activity. We have to highlight the scientific capacity of the community and invest in research and people so that we create the circumstances to achieve long-term economic success. That is what we have done in under eight years. We had a situation in which the state’s economy was in decline, the unemployment rate was nearly double digits, and there was 30 per cent youth unemployment. We have a very different situation today. I think this government and the people who formed it from day one—I am talking about every member of this government from those years on—have a lot to be proud of. When we announce that there is funding for the sports stadium, the Museum, the Perth foreshore development and 26 new schools, that there are billions of dollars for the hospital system and that we are running a surplus, every member who sits on this side of Parliament has a right to feel proud of their contribution. I have said previously that all great and successful societies invest in the physical infrastructure of their economy. They build things. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
Mr T. BUSWELL : I continue — (3) Is it not time that he apologised to the people of Western Australia for missing this once-in-a-generation opportunity and, effectively, blowing the boom? Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: (1)-(3) It might not be that long before the people of Western Australia get to make their own judgement. We will see how they go then. That will be the ultimate test. This is not just a once-in-a-generation opportunity. This is a once-in-a-century opportunity. The very fact that Western Australia is not missing out is due in some substantial part to the hard work done by this government over the past seven and a half years. Dr K.D. Hames : Sir Charles Court is the one who created the boom. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : John Forrest probably had a hand in it as well, if the member wants to go back that far. That is the truth of it. Nobody who seriously analyses what is going on in Western Australia disputes that fact. The Western Australian government’s policy settings, development of infrastructure, change in education and training settings and repair of our neglected health system over a period have played a pivotal role. Nobody of any substance seriously questions the pivotal role that this government has played since it was first elected to government under Dr Geoffrey Gallop. I will pluck one example out of the air—Geraldton. What did we inherit with Geraldton? We inherited a very sad town, a town that was depressed and a town that had no future. I remember with crystal clarity our first regional cabinet meeting that was held in Geraldton. We went to a dinner at the airport in Geraldton and we heard about the woes of a town that saw itself going nowhere. Mr T. Buswell interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition would not know; he was running the bus service down in Busselton. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : We made the decision then that we would invest heavily in the City of Geraldton. We gave a commitment that we would reverse its fortunes. We gave a commitment that we would give the city a future, and we have done that. It is almost completely unrecognisable physically, and, spiritually, it is totally different. The people have a great optimism about the future. I use Geraldton as an example of what has happened across Western Australia. We are the economic success story of the nation. We are the freight train that is tugging along the national economy. I remind members that the economy that we inherited was shrinking. Mr C.J. Barnett : It was not. Don’t be ridiculous. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was. It had suffered from the incompetence of ministers who had no idea what they were doing. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Cottesloe, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Now we have a thriving economy, with virtually full employment. What did I inherit as education minister? Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Do members know what we inherited in education? We inherited a structural model that was probably 40 years old. Schoolchildren could still leave school at the age of 14. The compulsory retention age was 15. The retention figure was 60 per cent and declining. In places such as Bunbury, in the modern economy that we were trying to shape, less than 50 per cent of boys proceeded past year 10 to year 12. What did we have? We had youth unemployment in excess of 30 per cent; youths were undereducated, undertrained and unemployed, which built in long-term social dysfunction. We reversed all that. We made massive changes to the industrial model so that people could undertake training to become tradespeople according to their capacity to advance, rather than under the old four-year system. It took a heck of a lot of work to get agreement on that model. The whole system is now geared up for a modern economy. I remember when we undertook these processes that there was criticism that it could not be done; it was too expensive and difficult. It has happened. We are the envy of the country. What has happened in the area of the arts? Members should ask people in the arts and creative communities of Western Australia what they think of this government. If they ever turn up to a show, they should ask those people what they think. The member for Darling Range knows. They are ecstatic with the support they are getting now. They see this as the birth of a new era in the arts and creative communities in this state. They see this as the flowering of a new twenty-first century Western Australian culture, the likes of which the state has never seen before. We have to broaden the base of the economy and reach out for new trade partners; hence, we go to places such as Russia. We have to broaden the base of our economic activity. We have to highlight the scientific capacity of the community and invest in research and people so that we create the circumstances to achieve long-term economic success. That is what we have done in under eight years. We had a situation in which the state’s economy was in decline, the unemployment rate was nearly double digits, and there was 30 per cent youth unemployment. We have a very different situation today. I think this government and the people who formed it from day one—I am talking about every member of this government from those years on—have a lot to be proud of. When we announce that there is funding for the sports stadium, the Museum, the Perth foreshore development and 26 new schools, that there are billions of dollars for the hospital system and that we are running a surplus, every member who sits on this side of Parliament has a right to feel proud of their contribution. I have said previously that all great and successful societies invest in the physical infrastructure of their economy. They build things. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
(3) Is it not time that he apologised to the people of Western Australia for missing this once-in-a-generation opportunity and, effectively, blowing the boom? Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: (1)-(3) It might not be that long before the people of Western Australia get to make their own judgement. We will see how they go then. That will be the ultimate test. This is not just a once-in-a-generation opportunity. This is a once-in-a-century opportunity. The very fact that Western Australia is not missing out is due in some substantial part to the hard work done by this government over the past seven and a half years. Dr K.D. Hames : Sir Charles Court is the one who created the boom. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : John Forrest probably had a hand in it as well, if the member wants to go back that far. That is the truth of it. Nobody who seriously analyses what is going on in Western Australia disputes that fact. The Western Australian government’s policy settings, development of infrastructure, change in education and training settings and repair of our neglected health system over a period have played a pivotal role. Nobody of any substance seriously questions the pivotal role that this government has played since it was first elected to government under Dr Geoffrey Gallop. I will pluck one example out of the air—Geraldton. What did we inherit with Geraldton? We inherited a very sad town, a town that was depressed and a town that had no future. I remember with crystal clarity our first regional cabinet meeting that was held in Geraldton. We went to a dinner at the airport in Geraldton and we heard about the woes of a town that saw itself going nowhere. Mr T. Buswell interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition would not know; he was running the bus service down in Busselton. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : We made the decision then that we would invest heavily in the City of Geraldton. We gave a commitment that we would reverse its fortunes. We gave a commitment that we would give the city a future, and we have done that. It is almost completely unrecognisable physically, and, spiritually, it is totally different. The people have a great optimism about the future. I use Geraldton as an example of what has happened across Western Australia. We are the economic success story of the nation. We are the freight train that is tugging along the national economy. I remind members that the economy that we inherited was shrinking. Mr C.J. Barnett : It was not. Don’t be ridiculous. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was. It had suffered from the incompetence of ministers who had no idea what they were doing. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Cottesloe, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Now we have a thriving economy, with virtually full employment. What did I inherit as education minister? Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Do members know what we inherited in education? We inherited a structural model that was probably 40 years old. Schoolchildren could still leave school at the age of 14. The compulsory retention age was 15. The retention figure was 60 per cent and declining. In places such as Bunbury, in the modern economy that we were trying to shape, less than 50 per cent of boys proceeded past year 10 to year 12. What did we have? We had youth unemployment in excess of 30 per cent; youths were undereducated, undertrained and unemployed, which built in long-term social dysfunction. We reversed all that. We made massive changes to the industrial model so that people could undertake training to become tradespeople according to their capacity to advance, rather than under the old four-year system. It took a heck of a lot of work to get agreement on that model. The whole system is now geared up for a modern economy. I remember when we undertook these processes that there was criticism that it could not be done; it was too expensive and difficult. It has happened. We are the envy of the country. What has happened in the area of the arts? Members should ask people in the arts and creative communities of Western Australia what they think of this government. If they ever turn up to a show, they should ask those people what they think. The member for Darling Range knows. They are ecstatic with the support they are getting now. They see this as the birth of a new era in the arts and creative communities in this state. They see this as the flowering of a new twenty-first century Western Australian culture, the likes of which the state has never seen before. We have to broaden the base of the economy and reach out for new trade partners; hence, we go to places such as Russia. We have to broaden the base of our economic activity. We have to highlight the scientific capacity of the community and invest in research and people so that we create the circumstances to achieve long-term economic success. That is what we have done in under eight years. We had a situation in which the state’s economy was in decline, the unemployment rate was nearly double digits, and there was 30 per cent youth unemployment. We have a very different situation today. I think this government and the people who formed it from day one—I am talking about every member of this government from those years on—have a lot to be proud of. When we announce that there is funding for the sports stadium, the Museum, the Perth foreshore development and 26 new schools, that there are billions of dollars for the hospital system and that we are running a surplus, every member who sits on this side of Parliament has a right to feel proud of their contribution. I have said previously that all great and successful societies invest in the physical infrastructure of their economy. They build things. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: (1)-(3) It might not be that long before the people of Western Australia get to make their own judgement. We will see how they go then. That will be the ultimate test. This is not just a once-in-a-generation opportunity. This is a once-in-a-century opportunity. The very fact that Western Australia is not missing out is due in some substantial part to the hard work done by this government over the past seven and a half years. Dr K.D. Hames : Sir Charles Court is the one who created the boom. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : John Forrest probably had a hand in it as well, if the member wants to go back that far. That is the truth of it. Nobody who seriously analyses what is going on in Western Australia disputes that fact. The Western Australian government’s policy settings, development of infrastructure, change in education and training settings and repair of our neglected health system over a period have played a pivotal role. Nobody of any substance seriously questions the pivotal role that this government has played since it was first elected to government under Dr Geoffrey Gallop. I will pluck one example out of the air—Geraldton. What did we inherit with Geraldton? We inherited a very sad town, a town that was depressed and a town that had no future. I remember with crystal clarity our first regional cabinet meeting that was held in Geraldton. We went to a dinner at the airport in Geraldton and we heard about the woes of a town that saw itself going nowhere. Mr T. Buswell interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition would not know; he was running the bus service down in Busselton. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : We made the decision then that we would invest heavily in the City of Geraldton. We gave a commitment that we would reverse its fortunes. We gave a commitment that we would give the city a future, and we have done that. It is almost completely unrecognisable physically, and, spiritually, it is totally different. The people have a great optimism about the future. I use Geraldton as an example of what has happened across Western Australia. We are the economic success story of the nation. We are the freight train that is tugging along the national economy. I remind members that the economy that we inherited was shrinking. Mr C.J. Barnett : It was not. Don’t be ridiculous. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was. It had suffered from the incompetence of ministers who had no idea what they were doing. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Cottesloe, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Now we have a thriving economy, with virtually full employment. What did I inherit as education minister? Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Do members know what we inherited in education? We inherited a structural model that was probably 40 years old. Schoolchildren could still leave school at the age of 14. The compulsory retention age was 15. The retention figure was 60 per cent and declining. In places such as Bunbury, in the modern economy that we were trying to shape, less than 50 per cent of boys proceeded past year 10 to year 12. What did we have? We had youth unemployment in excess of 30 per cent; youths were undereducated, undertrained and unemployed, which built in long-term social dysfunction. We reversed all that. We made massive changes to the industrial model so that people could undertake training to become tradespeople according to their capacity to advance, rather than under the old four-year system. It took a heck of a lot of work to get agreement on that model. The whole system is now geared up for a modern economy. I remember when we undertook these processes that there was criticism that it could not be done; it was too expensive and difficult. It has happened. We are the envy of the country. What has happened in the area of the arts? Members should ask people in the arts and creative communities of Western Australia what they think of this government. If they ever turn up to a show, they should ask those people what they think. The member for Darling Range knows. They are ecstatic with the support they are getting now. They see this as the birth of a new era in the arts and creative communities in this state. They see this as the flowering of a new twenty-first century Western Australian culture, the likes of which the state has never seen before. We have to broaden the base of the economy and reach out for new trade partners; hence, we go to places such as Russia. We have to broaden the base of our economic activity. We have to highlight the scientific capacity of the community and invest in research and people so that we create the circumstances to achieve long-term economic success. That is what we have done in under eight years. We had a situation in which the state’s economy was in decline, the unemployment rate was nearly double digits, and there was 30 per cent youth unemployment. We have a very different situation today. I think this government and the people who formed it from day one—I am talking about every member of this government from those years on—have a lot to be proud of. When we announce that there is funding for the sports stadium, the Museum, the Perth foreshore development and 26 new schools, that there are billions of dollars for the hospital system and that we are running a surplus, every member who sits on this side of Parliament has a right to feel proud of their contribution. I have said previously that all great and successful societies invest in the physical infrastructure of their economy. They build things. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
(1)-(3) It might not be that long before the people of Western Australia get to make their own judgement. We will see how they go then. That will be the ultimate test. This is not just a once-in-a-generation opportunity. This is a once-in-a-century opportunity. The very fact that Western Australia is not missing out is due in some substantial part to the hard work done by this government over the past seven and a half years. Dr K.D. Hames : Sir Charles Court is the one who created the boom. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : John Forrest probably had a hand in it as well, if the member wants to go back that far. That is the truth of it. Nobody who seriously analyses what is going on in Western Australia disputes that fact. The Western Australian government’s policy settings, development of infrastructure, change in education and training settings and repair of our neglected health system over a period have played a pivotal role. Nobody of any substance seriously questions the pivotal role that this government has played since it was first elected to government under Dr Geoffrey Gallop. I will pluck one example out of the air—Geraldton. What did we inherit with Geraldton? We inherited a very sad town, a town that was depressed and a town that had no future. I remember with crystal clarity our first regional cabinet meeting that was held in Geraldton. We went to a dinner at the airport in Geraldton and we heard about the woes of a town that saw itself going nowhere. Mr T. Buswell interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition would not know; he was running the bus service down in Busselton. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : We made the decision then that we would invest heavily in the City of Geraldton. We gave a commitment that we would reverse its fortunes. We gave a commitment that we would give the city a future, and we have done that. It is almost completely unrecognisable physically, and, spiritually, it is totally different. The people have a great optimism about the future. I use Geraldton as an example of what has happened across Western Australia. We are the economic success story of the nation. We are the freight train that is tugging along the national economy. I remind members that the economy that we inherited was shrinking. Mr C.J. Barnett : It was not. Don’t be ridiculous. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was. It had suffered from the incompetence of ministers who had no idea what they were doing. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Cottesloe, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Now we have a thriving economy, with virtually full employment. What did I inherit as education minister? Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Do members know what we inherited in education? We inherited a structural model that was probably 40 years old. Schoolchildren could still leave school at the age of 14. The compulsory retention age was 15. The retention figure was 60 per cent and declining. In places such as Bunbury, in the modern economy that we were trying to shape, less than 50 per cent of boys proceeded past year 10 to year 12. What did we have? We had youth unemployment in excess of 30 per cent; youths were undereducated, undertrained and unemployed, which built in long-term social dysfunction. We reversed all that. We made massive changes to the industrial model so that people could undertake training to become tradespeople according to their capacity to advance, rather than under the old four-year system. It took a heck of a lot of work to get agreement on that model. The whole system is now geared up for a modern economy. I remember when we undertook these processes that there was criticism that it could not be done; it was too expensive and difficult. It has happened. We are the envy of the country. What has happened in the area of the arts? Members should ask people in the arts and creative communities of Western Australia what they think of this government. If they ever turn up to a show, they should ask those people what they think. The member for Darling Range knows. They are ecstatic with the support they are getting now. They see this as the birth of a new era in the arts and creative communities in this state. They see this as the flowering of a new twenty-first century Western Australian culture, the likes of which the state has never seen before. We have to broaden the base of the economy and reach out for new trade partners; hence, we go to places such as Russia. We have to broaden the base of our economic activity. We have to highlight the scientific capacity of the community and invest in research and people so that we create the circumstances to achieve long-term economic success. That is what we have done in under eight years. We had a situation in which the state’s economy was in decline, the unemployment rate was nearly double digits, and there was 30 per cent youth unemployment. We have a very different situation today. I think this government and the people who formed it from day one—I am talking about every member of this government from those years on—have a lot to be proud of. When we announce that there is funding for the sports stadium, the Museum, the Perth foreshore development and 26 new schools, that there are billions of dollars for the hospital system and that we are running a surplus, every member who sits on this side of Parliament has a right to feel proud of their contribution. I have said previously that all great and successful societies invest in the physical infrastructure of their economy. They build things. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
Dr K.D. Hames : Sir Charles Court is the one who created the boom. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : John Forrest probably had a hand in it as well, if the member wants to go back that far. That is the truth of it. Nobody who seriously analyses what is going on in Western Australia disputes that fact. The Western Australian government’s policy settings, development of infrastructure, change in education and training settings and repair of our neglected health system over a period have played a pivotal role. Nobody of any substance seriously questions the pivotal role that this government has played since it was first elected to government under Dr Geoffrey Gallop. I will pluck one example out of the air—Geraldton. What did we inherit with Geraldton? We inherited a very sad town, a town that was depressed and a town that had no future. I remember with crystal clarity our first regional cabinet meeting that was held in Geraldton. We went to a dinner at the airport in Geraldton and we heard about the woes of a town that saw itself going nowhere. Mr T. Buswell interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition would not know; he was running the bus service down in Busselton. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : We made the decision then that we would invest heavily in the City of Geraldton. We gave a commitment that we would reverse its fortunes. We gave a commitment that we would give the city a future, and we have done that. It is almost completely unrecognisable physically, and, spiritually, it is totally different. The people have a great optimism about the future. I use Geraldton as an example of what has happened across Western Australia. We are the economic success story of the nation. We are the freight train that is tugging along the national economy. I remind members that the economy that we inherited was shrinking. Mr C.J. Barnett : It was not. Don’t be ridiculous. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was. It had suffered from the incompetence of ministers who had no idea what they were doing. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Cottesloe, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Now we have a thriving economy, with virtually full employment. What did I inherit as education minister? Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Do members know what we inherited in education? We inherited a structural model that was probably 40 years old. Schoolchildren could still leave school at the age of 14. The compulsory retention age was 15. The retention figure was 60 per cent and declining. In places such as Bunbury, in the modern economy that we were trying to shape, less than 50 per cent of boys proceeded past year 10 to year 12. What did we have? We had youth unemployment in excess of 30 per cent; youths were undereducated, undertrained and unemployed, which built in long-term social dysfunction. We reversed all that. We made massive changes to the industrial model so that people could undertake training to become tradespeople according to their capacity to advance, rather than under the old four-year system. It took a heck of a lot of work to get agreement on that model. The whole system is now geared up for a modern economy. I remember when we undertook these processes that there was criticism that it could not be done; it was too expensive and difficult. It has happened. We are the envy of the country. What has happened in the area of the arts? Members should ask people in the arts and creative communities of Western Australia what they think of this government. If they ever turn up to a show, they should ask those people what they think. The member for Darling Range knows. They are ecstatic with the support they are getting now. They see this as the birth of a new era in the arts and creative communities in this state. They see this as the flowering of a new twenty-first century Western Australian culture, the likes of which the state has never seen before. We have to broaden the base of the economy and reach out for new trade partners; hence, we go to places such as Russia. We have to broaden the base of our economic activity. We have to highlight the scientific capacity of the community and invest in research and people so that we create the circumstances to achieve long-term economic success. That is what we have done in under eight years. We had a situation in which the state’s economy was in decline, the unemployment rate was nearly double digits, and there was 30 per cent youth unemployment. We have a very different situation today. I think this government and the people who formed it from day one—I am talking about every member of this government from those years on—have a lot to be proud of. When we announce that there is funding for the sports stadium, the Museum, the Perth foreshore development and 26 new schools, that there are billions of dollars for the hospital system and that we are running a surplus, every member who sits on this side of Parliament has a right to feel proud of their contribution. I have said previously that all great and successful societies invest in the physical infrastructure of their economy. They build things. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : John Forrest probably had a hand in it as well, if the member wants to go back that far. That is the truth of it. Nobody who seriously analyses what is going on in Western Australia disputes that fact. The Western Australian government’s policy settings, development of infrastructure, change in education and training settings and repair of our neglected health system over a period have played a pivotal role. Nobody of any substance seriously questions the pivotal role that this government has played since it was first elected to government under Dr Geoffrey Gallop. I will pluck one example out of the air—Geraldton. What did we inherit with Geraldton? We inherited a very sad town, a town that was depressed and a town that had no future. I remember with crystal clarity our first regional cabinet meeting that was held in Geraldton. We went to a dinner at the airport in Geraldton and we heard about the woes of a town that saw itself going nowhere. Mr T. Buswell interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition would not know; he was running the bus service down in Busselton. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : We made the decision then that we would invest heavily in the City of Geraldton. We gave a commitment that we would reverse its fortunes. We gave a commitment that we would give the city a future, and we have done that. It is almost completely unrecognisable physically, and, spiritually, it is totally different. The people have a great optimism about the future. I use Geraldton as an example of what has happened across Western Australia. We are the economic success story of the nation. We are the freight train that is tugging along the national economy. I remind members that the economy that we inherited was shrinking. Mr C.J. Barnett : It was not. Don’t be ridiculous. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was. It had suffered from the incompetence of ministers who had no idea what they were doing. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Cottesloe, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Now we have a thriving economy, with virtually full employment. What did I inherit as education minister? Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Do members know what we inherited in education? We inherited a structural model that was probably 40 years old. Schoolchildren could still leave school at the age of 14. The compulsory retention age was 15. The retention figure was 60 per cent and declining. In places such as Bunbury, in the modern economy that we were trying to shape, less than 50 per cent of boys proceeded past year 10 to year 12. What did we have? We had youth unemployment in excess of 30 per cent; youths were undereducated, undertrained and unemployed, which built in long-term social dysfunction. We reversed all that. We made massive changes to the industrial model so that people could undertake training to become tradespeople according to their capacity to advance, rather than under the old four-year system. It took a heck of a lot of work to get agreement on that model. The whole system is now geared up for a modern economy. I remember when we undertook these processes that there was criticism that it could not be done; it was too expensive and difficult. It has happened. We are the envy of the country. What has happened in the area of the arts? Members should ask people in the arts and creative communities of Western Australia what they think of this government. If they ever turn up to a show, they should ask those people what they think. The member for Darling Range knows. They are ecstatic with the support they are getting now. They see this as the birth of a new era in the arts and creative communities in this state. They see this as the flowering of a new twenty-first century Western Australian culture, the likes of which the state has never seen before. We have to broaden the base of the economy and reach out for new trade partners; hence, we go to places such as Russia. We have to broaden the base of our economic activity. We have to highlight the scientific capacity of the community and invest in research and people so that we create the circumstances to achieve long-term economic success. That is what we have done in under eight years. We had a situation in which the state’s economy was in decline, the unemployment rate was nearly double digits, and there was 30 per cent youth unemployment. We have a very different situation today. I think this government and the people who formed it from day one—I am talking about every member of this government from those years on—have a lot to be proud of. When we announce that there is funding for the sports stadium, the Museum, the Perth foreshore development and 26 new schools, that there are billions of dollars for the hospital system and that we are running a surplus, every member who sits on this side of Parliament has a right to feel proud of their contribution. I have said previously that all great and successful societies invest in the physical infrastructure of their economy. They build things. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
Mr T. Buswell interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition would not know; he was running the bus service down in Busselton. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : We made the decision then that we would invest heavily in the City of Geraldton. We gave a commitment that we would reverse its fortunes. We gave a commitment that we would give the city a future, and we have done that. It is almost completely unrecognisable physically, and, spiritually, it is totally different. The people have a great optimism about the future. I use Geraldton as an example of what has happened across Western Australia. We are the economic success story of the nation. We are the freight train that is tugging along the national economy. I remind members that the economy that we inherited was shrinking. Mr C.J. Barnett : It was not. Don’t be ridiculous. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was. It had suffered from the incompetence of ministers who had no idea what they were doing. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Cottesloe, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Now we have a thriving economy, with virtually full employment. What did I inherit as education minister? Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Do members know what we inherited in education? We inherited a structural model that was probably 40 years old. Schoolchildren could still leave school at the age of 14. The compulsory retention age was 15. The retention figure was 60 per cent and declining. In places such as Bunbury, in the modern economy that we were trying to shape, less than 50 per cent of boys proceeded past year 10 to year 12. What did we have? We had youth unemployment in excess of 30 per cent; youths were undereducated, undertrained and unemployed, which built in long-term social dysfunction. We reversed all that. We made massive changes to the industrial model so that people could undertake training to become tradespeople according to their capacity to advance, rather than under the old four-year system. It took a heck of a lot of work to get agreement on that model. The whole system is now geared up for a modern economy. I remember when we undertook these processes that there was criticism that it could not be done; it was too expensive and difficult. It has happened. We are the envy of the country. What has happened in the area of the arts? Members should ask people in the arts and creative communities of Western Australia what they think of this government. If they ever turn up to a show, they should ask those people what they think. The member for Darling Range knows. They are ecstatic with the support they are getting now. They see this as the birth of a new era in the arts and creative communities in this state. They see this as the flowering of a new twenty-first century Western Australian culture, the likes of which the state has never seen before. We have to broaden the base of the economy and reach out for new trade partners; hence, we go to places such as Russia. We have to broaden the base of our economic activity. We have to highlight the scientific capacity of the community and invest in research and people so that we create the circumstances to achieve long-term economic success. That is what we have done in under eight years. We had a situation in which the state’s economy was in decline, the unemployment rate was nearly double digits, and there was 30 per cent youth unemployment. We have a very different situation today. I think this government and the people who formed it from day one—I am talking about every member of this government from those years on—have a lot to be proud of. When we announce that there is funding for the sports stadium, the Museum, the Perth foreshore development and 26 new schools, that there are billions of dollars for the hospital system and that we are running a surplus, every member who sits on this side of Parliament has a right to feel proud of their contribution. I have said previously that all great and successful societies invest in the physical infrastructure of their economy. They build things. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition would not know; he was running the bus service down in Busselton. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : We made the decision then that we would invest heavily in the City of Geraldton. We gave a commitment that we would reverse its fortunes. We gave a commitment that we would give the city a future, and we have done that. It is almost completely unrecognisable physically, and, spiritually, it is totally different. The people have a great optimism about the future. I use Geraldton as an example of what has happened across Western Australia. We are the economic success story of the nation. We are the freight train that is tugging along the national economy. I remind members that the economy that we inherited was shrinking. Mr C.J. Barnett : It was not. Don’t be ridiculous. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was. It had suffered from the incompetence of ministers who had no idea what they were doing. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Cottesloe, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Now we have a thriving economy, with virtually full employment. What did I inherit as education minister? Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Do members know what we inherited in education? We inherited a structural model that was probably 40 years old. Schoolchildren could still leave school at the age of 14. The compulsory retention age was 15. The retention figure was 60 per cent and declining. In places such as Bunbury, in the modern economy that we were trying to shape, less than 50 per cent of boys proceeded past year 10 to year 12. What did we have? We had youth unemployment in excess of 30 per cent; youths were undereducated, undertrained and unemployed, which built in long-term social dysfunction. We reversed all that. We made massive changes to the industrial model so that people could undertake training to become tradespeople according to their capacity to advance, rather than under the old four-year system. It took a heck of a lot of work to get agreement on that model. The whole system is now geared up for a modern economy. I remember when we undertook these processes that there was criticism that it could not be done; it was too expensive and difficult. It has happened. We are the envy of the country. What has happened in the area of the arts? Members should ask people in the arts and creative communities of Western Australia what they think of this government. If they ever turn up to a show, they should ask those people what they think. The member for Darling Range knows. They are ecstatic with the support they are getting now. They see this as the birth of a new era in the arts and creative communities in this state. They see this as the flowering of a new twenty-first century Western Australian culture, the likes of which the state has never seen before. We have to broaden the base of the economy and reach out for new trade partners; hence, we go to places such as Russia. We have to broaden the base of our economic activity. We have to highlight the scientific capacity of the community and invest in research and people so that we create the circumstances to achieve long-term economic success. That is what we have done in under eight years. We had a situation in which the state’s economy was in decline, the unemployment rate was nearly double digits, and there was 30 per cent youth unemployment. We have a very different situation today. I think this government and the people who formed it from day one—I am talking about every member of this government from those years on—have a lot to be proud of. When we announce that there is funding for the sports stadium, the Museum, the Perth foreshore development and 26 new schools, that there are billions of dollars for the hospital system and that we are running a surplus, every member who sits on this side of Parliament has a right to feel proud of their contribution. I have said previously that all great and successful societies invest in the physical infrastructure of their economy. They build things. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : We made the decision then that we would invest heavily in the City of Geraldton. We gave a commitment that we would reverse its fortunes. We gave a commitment that we would give the city a future, and we have done that. It is almost completely unrecognisable physically, and, spiritually, it is totally different. The people have a great optimism about the future. I use Geraldton as an example of what has happened across Western Australia. We are the economic success story of the nation. We are the freight train that is tugging along the national economy. I remind members that the economy that we inherited was shrinking. Mr C.J. Barnett : It was not. Don’t be ridiculous. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was. It had suffered from the incompetence of ministers who had no idea what they were doing. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Cottesloe, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Now we have a thriving economy, with virtually full employment. What did I inherit as education minister? Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Do members know what we inherited in education? We inherited a structural model that was probably 40 years old. Schoolchildren could still leave school at the age of 14. The compulsory retention age was 15. The retention figure was 60 per cent and declining. In places such as Bunbury, in the modern economy that we were trying to shape, less than 50 per cent of boys proceeded past year 10 to year 12. What did we have? We had youth unemployment in excess of 30 per cent; youths were undereducated, undertrained and unemployed, which built in long-term social dysfunction. We reversed all that. We made massive changes to the industrial model so that people could undertake training to become tradespeople according to their capacity to advance, rather than under the old four-year system. It took a heck of a lot of work to get agreement on that model. The whole system is now geared up for a modern economy. I remember when we undertook these processes that there was criticism that it could not be done; it was too expensive and difficult. It has happened. We are the envy of the country. What has happened in the area of the arts? Members should ask people in the arts and creative communities of Western Australia what they think of this government. If they ever turn up to a show, they should ask those people what they think. The member for Darling Range knows. They are ecstatic with the support they are getting now. They see this as the birth of a new era in the arts and creative communities in this state. They see this as the flowering of a new twenty-first century Western Australian culture, the likes of which the state has never seen before. We have to broaden the base of the economy and reach out for new trade partners; hence, we go to places such as Russia. We have to broaden the base of our economic activity. We have to highlight the scientific capacity of the community and invest in research and people so that we create the circumstances to achieve long-term economic success. That is what we have done in under eight years. We had a situation in which the state’s economy was in decline, the unemployment rate was nearly double digits, and there was 30 per cent youth unemployment. We have a very different situation today. I think this government and the people who formed it from day one—I am talking about every member of this government from those years on—have a lot to be proud of. When we announce that there is funding for the sports stadium, the Museum, the Perth foreshore development and 26 new schools, that there are billions of dollars for the hospital system and that we are running a surplus, every member who sits on this side of Parliament has a right to feel proud of their contribution. I have said previously that all great and successful societies invest in the physical infrastructure of their economy. They build things. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : We made the decision then that we would invest heavily in the City of Geraldton. We gave a commitment that we would reverse its fortunes. We gave a commitment that we would give the city a future, and we have done that. It is almost completely unrecognisable physically, and, spiritually, it is totally different. The people have a great optimism about the future. I use Geraldton as an example of what has happened across Western Australia. We are the economic success story of the nation. We are the freight train that is tugging along the national economy. I remind members that the economy that we inherited was shrinking. Mr C.J. Barnett : It was not. Don’t be ridiculous. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was. It had suffered from the incompetence of ministers who had no idea what they were doing. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Cottesloe, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Now we have a thriving economy, with virtually full employment. What did I inherit as education minister? Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Do members know what we inherited in education? We inherited a structural model that was probably 40 years old. Schoolchildren could still leave school at the age of 14. The compulsory retention age was 15. The retention figure was 60 per cent and declining. In places such as Bunbury, in the modern economy that we were trying to shape, less than 50 per cent of boys proceeded past year 10 to year 12. What did we have? We had youth unemployment in excess of 30 per cent; youths were undereducated, undertrained and unemployed, which built in long-term social dysfunction. We reversed all that. We made massive changes to the industrial model so that people could undertake training to become tradespeople according to their capacity to advance, rather than under the old four-year system. It took a heck of a lot of work to get agreement on that model. The whole system is now geared up for a modern economy. I remember when we undertook these processes that there was criticism that it could not be done; it was too expensive and difficult. It has happened. We are the envy of the country. What has happened in the area of the arts? Members should ask people in the arts and creative communities of Western Australia what they think of this government. If they ever turn up to a show, they should ask those people what they think. The member for Darling Range knows. They are ecstatic with the support they are getting now. They see this as the birth of a new era in the arts and creative communities in this state. They see this as the flowering of a new twenty-first century Western Australian culture, the likes of which the state has never seen before. We have to broaden the base of the economy and reach out for new trade partners; hence, we go to places such as Russia. We have to broaden the base of our economic activity. We have to highlight the scientific capacity of the community and invest in research and people so that we create the circumstances to achieve long-term economic success. That is what we have done in under eight years. We had a situation in which the state’s economy was in decline, the unemployment rate was nearly double digits, and there was 30 per cent youth unemployment. We have a very different situation today. I think this government and the people who formed it from day one—I am talking about every member of this government from those years on—have a lot to be proud of. When we announce that there is funding for the sports stadium, the Museum, the Perth foreshore development and 26 new schools, that there are billions of dollars for the hospital system and that we are running a surplus, every member who sits on this side of Parliament has a right to feel proud of their contribution. I have said previously that all great and successful societies invest in the physical infrastructure of their economy. They build things. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : We made the decision then that we would invest heavily in the City of Geraldton. We gave a commitment that we would reverse its fortunes. We gave a commitment that we would give the city a future, and we have done that. It is almost completely unrecognisable physically, and, spiritually, it is totally different. The people have a great optimism about the future. I use Geraldton as an example of what has happened across Western Australia. We are the economic success story of the nation. We are the freight train that is tugging along the national economy. I remind members that the economy that we inherited was shrinking. Mr C.J. Barnett : It was not. Don’t be ridiculous. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was. It had suffered from the incompetence of ministers who had no idea what they were doing. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Cottesloe, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Now we have a thriving economy, with virtually full employment. What did I inherit as education minister? Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Do members know what we inherited in education? We inherited a structural model that was probably 40 years old. Schoolchildren could still leave school at the age of 14. The compulsory retention age was 15. The retention figure was 60 per cent and declining. In places such as Bunbury, in the modern economy that we were trying to shape, less than 50 per cent of boys proceeded past year 10 to year 12. What did we have? We had youth unemployment in excess of 30 per cent; youths were undereducated, undertrained and unemployed, which built in long-term social dysfunction. We reversed all that. We made massive changes to the industrial model so that people could undertake training to become tradespeople according to their capacity to advance, rather than under the old four-year system. It took a heck of a lot of work to get agreement on that model. The whole system is now geared up for a modern economy. I remember when we undertook these processes that there was criticism that it could not be done; it was too expensive and difficult. It has happened. We are the envy of the country. What has happened in the area of the arts? Members should ask people in the arts and creative communities of Western Australia what they think of this government. If they ever turn up to a show, they should ask those people what they think. The member for Darling Range knows. They are ecstatic with the support they are getting now. They see this as the birth of a new era in the arts and creative communities in this state. They see this as the flowering of a new twenty-first century Western Australian culture, the likes of which the state has never seen before. We have to broaden the base of the economy and reach out for new trade partners; hence, we go to places such as Russia. We have to broaden the base of our economic activity. We have to highlight the scientific capacity of the community and invest in research and people so that we create the circumstances to achieve long-term economic success. That is what we have done in under eight years. We had a situation in which the state’s economy was in decline, the unemployment rate was nearly double digits, and there was 30 per cent youth unemployment. We have a very different situation today. I think this government and the people who formed it from day one—I am talking about every member of this government from those years on—have a lot to be proud of. When we announce that there is funding for the sports stadium, the Museum, the Perth foreshore development and 26 new schools, that there are billions of dollars for the hospital system and that we are running a surplus, every member who sits on this side of Parliament has a right to feel proud of their contribution. I have said previously that all great and successful societies invest in the physical infrastructure of their economy. They build things. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
Mr C.J. Barnett : It was not. Don’t be ridiculous. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was. It had suffered from the incompetence of ministers who had no idea what they were doing. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Cottesloe, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Now we have a thriving economy, with virtually full employment. What did I inherit as education minister? Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Do members know what we inherited in education? We inherited a structural model that was probably 40 years old. Schoolchildren could still leave school at the age of 14. The compulsory retention age was 15. The retention figure was 60 per cent and declining. In places such as Bunbury, in the modern economy that we were trying to shape, less than 50 per cent of boys proceeded past year 10 to year 12. What did we have? We had youth unemployment in excess of 30 per cent; youths were undereducated, undertrained and unemployed, which built in long-term social dysfunction. We reversed all that. We made massive changes to the industrial model so that people could undertake training to become tradespeople according to their capacity to advance, rather than under the old four-year system. It took a heck of a lot of work to get agreement on that model. The whole system is now geared up for a modern economy. I remember when we undertook these processes that there was criticism that it could not be done; it was too expensive and difficult. It has happened. We are the envy of the country. What has happened in the area of the arts? Members should ask people in the arts and creative communities of Western Australia what they think of this government. If they ever turn up to a show, they should ask those people what they think. The member for Darling Range knows. They are ecstatic with the support they are getting now. They see this as the birth of a new era in the arts and creative communities in this state. They see this as the flowering of a new twenty-first century Western Australian culture, the likes of which the state has never seen before. We have to broaden the base of the economy and reach out for new trade partners; hence, we go to places such as Russia. We have to broaden the base of our economic activity. We have to highlight the scientific capacity of the community and invest in research and people so that we create the circumstances to achieve long-term economic success. That is what we have done in under eight years. We had a situation in which the state’s economy was in decline, the unemployment rate was nearly double digits, and there was 30 per cent youth unemployment. We have a very different situation today. I think this government and the people who formed it from day one—I am talking about every member of this government from those years on—have a lot to be proud of. When we announce that there is funding for the sports stadium, the Museum, the Perth foreshore development and 26 new schools, that there are billions of dollars for the hospital system and that we are running a surplus, every member who sits on this side of Parliament has a right to feel proud of their contribution. I have said previously that all great and successful societies invest in the physical infrastructure of their economy. They build things. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was. It had suffered from the incompetence of ministers who had no idea what they were doing. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Cottesloe, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Now we have a thriving economy, with virtually full employment. What did I inherit as education minister? Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Do members know what we inherited in education? We inherited a structural model that was probably 40 years old. Schoolchildren could still leave school at the age of 14. The compulsory retention age was 15. The retention figure was 60 per cent and declining. In places such as Bunbury, in the modern economy that we were trying to shape, less than 50 per cent of boys proceeded past year 10 to year 12. What did we have? We had youth unemployment in excess of 30 per cent; youths were undereducated, undertrained and unemployed, which built in long-term social dysfunction. We reversed all that. We made massive changes to the industrial model so that people could undertake training to become tradespeople according to their capacity to advance, rather than under the old four-year system. It took a heck of a lot of work to get agreement on that model. The whole system is now geared up for a modern economy. I remember when we undertook these processes that there was criticism that it could not be done; it was too expensive and difficult. It has happened. We are the envy of the country. What has happened in the area of the arts? Members should ask people in the arts and creative communities of Western Australia what they think of this government. If they ever turn up to a show, they should ask those people what they think. The member for Darling Range knows. They are ecstatic with the support they are getting now. They see this as the birth of a new era in the arts and creative communities in this state. They see this as the flowering of a new twenty-first century Western Australian culture, the likes of which the state has never seen before. We have to broaden the base of the economy and reach out for new trade partners; hence, we go to places such as Russia. We have to broaden the base of our economic activity. We have to highlight the scientific capacity of the community and invest in research and people so that we create the circumstances to achieve long-term economic success. That is what we have done in under eight years. We had a situation in which the state’s economy was in decline, the unemployment rate was nearly double digits, and there was 30 per cent youth unemployment. We have a very different situation today. I think this government and the people who formed it from day one—I am talking about every member of this government from those years on—have a lot to be proud of. When we announce that there is funding for the sports stadium, the Museum, the Perth foreshore development and 26 new schools, that there are billions of dollars for the hospital system and that we are running a surplus, every member who sits on this side of Parliament has a right to feel proud of their contribution. I have said previously that all great and successful societies invest in the physical infrastructure of their economy. They build things. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Cottesloe, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Now we have a thriving economy, with virtually full employment. What did I inherit as education minister? Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Do members know what we inherited in education? We inherited a structural model that was probably 40 years old. Schoolchildren could still leave school at the age of 14. The compulsory retention age was 15. The retention figure was 60 per cent and declining. In places such as Bunbury, in the modern economy that we were trying to shape, less than 50 per cent of boys proceeded past year 10 to year 12. What did we have? We had youth unemployment in excess of 30 per cent; youths were undereducated, undertrained and unemployed, which built in long-term social dysfunction. We reversed all that. We made massive changes to the industrial model so that people could undertake training to become tradespeople according to their capacity to advance, rather than under the old four-year system. It took a heck of a lot of work to get agreement on that model. The whole system is now geared up for a modern economy. I remember when we undertook these processes that there was criticism that it could not be done; it was too expensive and difficult. It has happened. We are the envy of the country. What has happened in the area of the arts? Members should ask people in the arts and creative communities of Western Australia what they think of this government. If they ever turn up to a show, they should ask those people what they think. The member for Darling Range knows. They are ecstatic with the support they are getting now. They see this as the birth of a new era in the arts and creative communities in this state. They see this as the flowering of a new twenty-first century Western Australian culture, the likes of which the state has never seen before. We have to broaden the base of the economy and reach out for new trade partners; hence, we go to places such as Russia. We have to broaden the base of our economic activity. We have to highlight the scientific capacity of the community and invest in research and people so that we create the circumstances to achieve long-term economic success. That is what we have done in under eight years. We had a situation in which the state’s economy was in decline, the unemployment rate was nearly double digits, and there was 30 per cent youth unemployment. We have a very different situation today. I think this government and the people who formed it from day one—I am talking about every member of this government from those years on—have a lot to be proud of. When we announce that there is funding for the sports stadium, the Museum, the Perth foreshore development and 26 new schools, that there are billions of dollars for the hospital system and that we are running a surplus, every member who sits on this side of Parliament has a right to feel proud of their contribution. I have said previously that all great and successful societies invest in the physical infrastructure of their economy. They build things. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
The SPEAKER : I call the member for Cottesloe, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Now we have a thriving economy, with virtually full employment. What did I inherit as education minister? Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Do members know what we inherited in education? We inherited a structural model that was probably 40 years old. Schoolchildren could still leave school at the age of 14. The compulsory retention age was 15. The retention figure was 60 per cent and declining. In places such as Bunbury, in the modern economy that we were trying to shape, less than 50 per cent of boys proceeded past year 10 to year 12. What did we have? We had youth unemployment in excess of 30 per cent; youths were undereducated, undertrained and unemployed, which built in long-term social dysfunction. We reversed all that. We made massive changes to the industrial model so that people could undertake training to become tradespeople according to their capacity to advance, rather than under the old four-year system. It took a heck of a lot of work to get agreement on that model. The whole system is now geared up for a modern economy. I remember when we undertook these processes that there was criticism that it could not be done; it was too expensive and difficult. It has happened. We are the envy of the country. What has happened in the area of the arts? Members should ask people in the arts and creative communities of Western Australia what they think of this government. If they ever turn up to a show, they should ask those people what they think. The member for Darling Range knows. They are ecstatic with the support they are getting now. They see this as the birth of a new era in the arts and creative communities in this state. They see this as the flowering of a new twenty-first century Western Australian culture, the likes of which the state has never seen before. We have to broaden the base of the economy and reach out for new trade partners; hence, we go to places such as Russia. We have to broaden the base of our economic activity. We have to highlight the scientific capacity of the community and invest in research and people so that we create the circumstances to achieve long-term economic success. That is what we have done in under eight years. We had a situation in which the state’s economy was in decline, the unemployment rate was nearly double digits, and there was 30 per cent youth unemployment. We have a very different situation today. I think this government and the people who formed it from day one—I am talking about every member of this government from those years on—have a lot to be proud of. When we announce that there is funding for the sports stadium, the Museum, the Perth foreshore development and 26 new schools, that there are billions of dollars for the hospital system and that we are running a surplus, every member who sits on this side of Parliament has a right to feel proud of their contribution. I have said previously that all great and successful societies invest in the physical infrastructure of their economy. They build things. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Now we have a thriving economy, with virtually full employment. What did I inherit as education minister? Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Do members know what we inherited in education? We inherited a structural model that was probably 40 years old. Schoolchildren could still leave school at the age of 14. The compulsory retention age was 15. The retention figure was 60 per cent and declining. In places such as Bunbury, in the modern economy that we were trying to shape, less than 50 per cent of boys proceeded past year 10 to year 12. What did we have? We had youth unemployment in excess of 30 per cent; youths were undereducated, undertrained and unemployed, which built in long-term social dysfunction. We reversed all that. We made massive changes to the industrial model so that people could undertake training to become tradespeople according to their capacity to advance, rather than under the old four-year system. It took a heck of a lot of work to get agreement on that model. The whole system is now geared up for a modern economy. I remember when we undertook these processes that there was criticism that it could not be done; it was too expensive and difficult. It has happened. We are the envy of the country. What has happened in the area of the arts? Members should ask people in the arts and creative communities of Western Australia what they think of this government. If they ever turn up to a show, they should ask those people what they think. The member for Darling Range knows. They are ecstatic with the support they are getting now. They see this as the birth of a new era in the arts and creative communities in this state. They see this as the flowering of a new twenty-first century Western Australian culture, the likes of which the state has never seen before. We have to broaden the base of the economy and reach out for new trade partners; hence, we go to places such as Russia. We have to broaden the base of our economic activity. We have to highlight the scientific capacity of the community and invest in research and people so that we create the circumstances to achieve long-term economic success. That is what we have done in under eight years. We had a situation in which the state’s economy was in decline, the unemployment rate was nearly double digits, and there was 30 per cent youth unemployment. We have a very different situation today. I think this government and the people who formed it from day one—I am talking about every member of this government from those years on—have a lot to be proud of. When we announce that there is funding for the sports stadium, the Museum, the Perth foreshore development and 26 new schools, that there are billions of dollars for the hospital system and that we are running a surplus, every member who sits on this side of Parliament has a right to feel proud of their contribution. I have said previously that all great and successful societies invest in the physical infrastructure of their economy. They build things. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Do members know what we inherited in education? We inherited a structural model that was probably 40 years old. Schoolchildren could still leave school at the age of 14. The compulsory retention age was 15. The retention figure was 60 per cent and declining. In places such as Bunbury, in the modern economy that we were trying to shape, less than 50 per cent of boys proceeded past year 10 to year 12. What did we have? We had youth unemployment in excess of 30 per cent; youths were undereducated, undertrained and unemployed, which built in long-term social dysfunction. We reversed all that. We made massive changes to the industrial model so that people could undertake training to become tradespeople according to their capacity to advance, rather than under the old four-year system. It took a heck of a lot of work to get agreement on that model. The whole system is now geared up for a modern economy. I remember when we undertook these processes that there was criticism that it could not be done; it was too expensive and difficult. It has happened. We are the envy of the country. What has happened in the area of the arts? Members should ask people in the arts and creative communities of Western Australia what they think of this government. If they ever turn up to a show, they should ask those people what they think. The member for Darling Range knows. They are ecstatic with the support they are getting now. They see this as the birth of a new era in the arts and creative communities in this state. They see this as the flowering of a new twenty-first century Western Australian culture, the likes of which the state has never seen before. We have to broaden the base of the economy and reach out for new trade partners; hence, we go to places such as Russia. We have to broaden the base of our economic activity. We have to highlight the scientific capacity of the community and invest in research and people so that we create the circumstances to achieve long-term economic success. That is what we have done in under eight years. We had a situation in which the state’s economy was in decline, the unemployment rate was nearly double digits, and there was 30 per cent youth unemployment. We have a very different situation today. I think this government and the people who formed it from day one—I am talking about every member of this government from those years on—have a lot to be proud of. When we announce that there is funding for the sports stadium, the Museum, the Perth foreshore development and 26 new schools, that there are billions of dollars for the hospital system and that we are running a surplus, every member who sits on this side of Parliament has a right to feel proud of their contribution. I have said previously that all great and successful societies invest in the physical infrastructure of their economy. They build things. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Do members know what we inherited in education? We inherited a structural model that was probably 40 years old. Schoolchildren could still leave school at the age of 14. The compulsory retention age was 15. The retention figure was 60 per cent and declining. In places such as Bunbury, in the modern economy that we were trying to shape, less than 50 per cent of boys proceeded past year 10 to year 12. What did we have? We had youth unemployment in excess of 30 per cent; youths were undereducated, undertrained and unemployed, which built in long-term social dysfunction. We reversed all that. We made massive changes to the industrial model so that people could undertake training to become tradespeople according to their capacity to advance, rather than under the old four-year system. It took a heck of a lot of work to get agreement on that model. The whole system is now geared up for a modern economy. I remember when we undertook these processes that there was criticism that it could not be done; it was too expensive and difficult. It has happened. We are the envy of the country. What has happened in the area of the arts? Members should ask people in the arts and creative communities of Western Australia what they think of this government. If they ever turn up to a show, they should ask those people what they think. The member for Darling Range knows. They are ecstatic with the support they are getting now. They see this as the birth of a new era in the arts and creative communities in this state. They see this as the flowering of a new twenty-first century Western Australian culture, the likes of which the state has never seen before. We have to broaden the base of the economy and reach out for new trade partners; hence, we go to places such as Russia. We have to broaden the base of our economic activity. We have to highlight the scientific capacity of the community and invest in research and people so that we create the circumstances to achieve long-term economic success. That is what we have done in under eight years. We had a situation in which the state’s economy was in decline, the unemployment rate was nearly double digits, and there was 30 per cent youth unemployment. We have a very different situation today. I think this government and the people who formed it from day one—I am talking about every member of this government from those years on—have a lot to be proud of. When we announce that there is funding for the sports stadium, the Museum, the Perth foreshore development and 26 new schools, that there are billions of dollars for the hospital system and that we are running a surplus, every member who sits on this side of Parliament has a right to feel proud of their contribution. I have said previously that all great and successful societies invest in the physical infrastructure of their economy. They build things. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
What has happened in the area of the arts? Members should ask people in the arts and creative communities of Western Australia what they think of this government. If they ever turn up to a show, they should ask those people what they think. The member for Darling Range knows. They are ecstatic with the support they are getting now. They see this as the birth of a new era in the arts and creative communities in this state. They see this as the flowering of a new twenty-first century Western Australian culture, the likes of which the state has never seen before. We have to broaden the base of the economy and reach out for new trade partners; hence, we go to places such as Russia. We have to broaden the base of our economic activity. We have to highlight the scientific capacity of the community and invest in research and people so that we create the circumstances to achieve long-term economic success. That is what we have done in under eight years. We had a situation in which the state’s economy was in decline, the unemployment rate was nearly double digits, and there was 30 per cent youth unemployment. We have a very different situation today. I think this government and the people who formed it from day one—I am talking about every member of this government from those years on—have a lot to be proud of. When we announce that there is funding for the sports stadium, the Museum, the Perth foreshore development and 26 new schools, that there are billions of dollars for the hospital system and that we are running a surplus, every member who sits on this side of Parliament has a right to feel proud of their contribution. I have said previously that all great and successful societies invest in the physical infrastructure of their economy. They build things. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
ECONOMIC BOOM OPPORTUNITIES
I note the announcement today of the government’s budget. (1) Does the Premier agree that the economic boom in Western Australia has provided a massive opportunity for the government to build infrastructure and make our public services the best in the country? (2) Will he now confirm that, despite this opportunity, his government has not completed constructing one major hospital in the Perth metropolitan area since 2001, has failed to solve the teacher shortage crisis and has let crime spiral out of control? (3) Is it not time that he apologised to the people of Western Australia for missing this once-in-a-generation opportunity — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! The Leader of the Opposition needs to finish the last part of the question. Mr M.P. Murray interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Collie-Wellington! Mr T. BUSWELL : I continue — (3) Is it not time that he apologised to the people of Western Australia for missing this once-in-a-generation opportunity and, effectively, blowing the boom? Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: (1)-(3) It might not be that long before the people of Western Australia get to make their own judgement. We will see how they go then. That will be the ultimate test. This is not just a once-in-a-generation opportunity. This is a once-in-a-century opportunity. The very fact that Western Australia is not missing out is due in some substantial part to the hard work done by this government over the past seven and a half years. Dr K.D. Hames : Sir Charles Court is the one who created the boom. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : John Forrest probably had a hand in it as well, if the member wants to go back that far. That is the truth of it. Nobody who seriously analyses what is going on in Western Australia disputes that fact. The Western Australian government’s policy settings, development of infrastructure, change in education and training settings and repair of our neglected health system over a period have played a pivotal role. Nobody of any substance seriously questions the pivotal role that this government has played since it was first elected to government under Dr Geoffrey Gallop. I will pluck one example out of the air—Geraldton. What did we inherit with Geraldton? We inherited a very sad town, a town that was depressed and a town that had no future. I remember with crystal clarity our first regional cabinet meeting that was held in Geraldton. We went to a dinner at the airport in Geraldton and we heard about the woes of a town that saw itself going nowhere. Mr T. Buswell interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition would not know; he was running the bus service down in Busselton. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : We made the decision then that we would invest heavily in the City of Geraldton. We gave a commitment that we would reverse its fortunes. We gave a commitment that we would give the city a future, and we have done that. It is almost completely unrecognisable physically, and, spiritually, it is totally different. The people have a great optimism about the future. I use Geraldton as an example of what has happened across Western Australia. We are the economic success story of the nation. We are the freight train that is tugging along the national economy. I remind members that the economy that we inherited was shrinking. Mr C.J. Barnett : It was not. Don’t be ridiculous. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was. It had suffered from the incompetence of ministers who had no idea what they were doing. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Cottesloe, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Now we have a thriving economy, with virtually full employment. What did I inherit as education minister? Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Do members know what we inherited in education? We inherited a structural model that was probably 40 years old. Schoolchildren could still leave school at the age of 14. The compulsory retention age was 15. The retention figure was 60 per cent and declining. In places such as Bunbury, in the modern economy that we were trying to shape, less than 50 per cent of boys proceeded past year 10 to year 12. What did we have? We had youth unemployment in excess of 30 per cent; youths were undereducated, undertrained and unemployed, which built in long-term social dysfunction. We reversed all that. We made massive changes to the industrial model so that people could undertake training to become tradespeople according to their capacity to advance, rather than under the old four-year system. It took a heck of a lot of work to get agreement on that model. The whole system is now geared up for a modern economy. I remember when we undertook these processes that there was criticism that it could not be done; it was too expensive and difficult. It has happened. We are the envy of the country. What has happened in the area of the arts? Members should ask people in the arts and creative communities of Western Australia what they think of this government. If they ever turn up to a show, they should ask those people what they think. The member for Darling Range knows. They are ecstatic with the support they are getting now. They see this as the birth of a new era in the arts and creative communities in this state. They see this as the flowering of a new twenty-first century Western Australian culture, the likes of which the state has never seen before. We have to broaden the base of the economy and reach out for new trade partners; hence, we go to places such as Russia. We have to broaden the base of our economic activity. We have to highlight the scientific capacity of the community and invest in research and people so that we create the circumstances to achieve long-term economic success. That is what we have done in under eight years. We had a situation in which the state’s economy was in decline, the unemployment rate was nearly double digits, and there was 30 per cent youth unemployment. We have a very different situation today. I think this government and the people who formed it from day one—I am talking about every member of this government from those years on—have a lot to be proud of. When we announce that there is funding for the sports stadium, the Museum, the Perth foreshore development and 26 new schools, that there are billions of dollars for the hospital system and that we are running a surplus, every member who sits on this side of Parliament has a right to feel proud of their contribution. I have said previously that all great and successful societies invest in the physical infrastructure of their economy. They build things. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
(1) Does the Premier agree that the economic boom in Western Australia has provided a massive opportunity for the government to build infrastructure and make our public services the best in the country? (2) Will he now confirm that, despite this opportunity, his government has not completed constructing one major hospital in the Perth metropolitan area since 2001, has failed to solve the teacher shortage crisis and has let crime spiral out of control? (3) Is it not time that he apologised to the people of Western Australia for missing this once-in-a-generation opportunity — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! The Leader of the Opposition needs to finish the last part of the question. Mr M.P. Murray interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Collie-Wellington! Mr T. BUSWELL : I continue — (3) Is it not time that he apologised to the people of Western Australia for missing this once-in-a-generation opportunity and, effectively, blowing the boom? Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: (1)-(3) It might not be that long before the people of Western Australia get to make their own judgement. We will see how they go then. That will be the ultimate test. This is not just a once-in-a-generation opportunity. This is a once-in-a-century opportunity. The very fact that Western Australia is not missing out is due in some substantial part to the hard work done by this government over the past seven and a half years. Dr K.D. Hames : Sir Charles Court is the one who created the boom. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : John Forrest probably had a hand in it as well, if the member wants to go back that far. That is the truth of it. Nobody who seriously analyses what is going on in Western Australia disputes that fact. The Western Australian government’s policy settings, development of infrastructure, change in education and training settings and repair of our neglected health system over a period have played a pivotal role. Nobody of any substance seriously questions the pivotal role that this government has played since it was first elected to government under Dr Geoffrey Gallop. I will pluck one example out of the air—Geraldton. What did we inherit with Geraldton? We inherited a very sad town, a town that was depressed and a town that had no future. I remember with crystal clarity our first regional cabinet meeting that was held in Geraldton. We went to a dinner at the airport in Geraldton and we heard about the woes of a town that saw itself going nowhere. Mr T. Buswell interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition would not know; he was running the bus service down in Busselton. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : We made the decision then that we would invest heavily in the City of Geraldton. We gave a commitment that we would reverse its fortunes. We gave a commitment that we would give the city a future, and we have done that. It is almost completely unrecognisable physically, and, spiritually, it is totally different. The people have a great optimism about the future. I use Geraldton as an example of what has happened across Western Australia. We are the economic success story of the nation. We are the freight train that is tugging along the national economy. I remind members that the economy that we inherited was shrinking. Mr C.J. Barnett : It was not. Don’t be ridiculous. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was. It had suffered from the incompetence of ministers who had no idea what they were doing. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Cottesloe, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Now we have a thriving economy, with virtually full employment. What did I inherit as education minister? Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Do members know what we inherited in education? We inherited a structural model that was probably 40 years old. Schoolchildren could still leave school at the age of 14. The compulsory retention age was 15. The retention figure was 60 per cent and declining. In places such as Bunbury, in the modern economy that we were trying to shape, less than 50 per cent of boys proceeded past year 10 to year 12. What did we have? We had youth unemployment in excess of 30 per cent; youths were undereducated, undertrained and unemployed, which built in long-term social dysfunction. We reversed all that. We made massive changes to the industrial model so that people could undertake training to become tradespeople according to their capacity to advance, rather than under the old four-year system. It took a heck of a lot of work to get agreement on that model. The whole system is now geared up for a modern economy. I remember when we undertook these processes that there was criticism that it could not be done; it was too expensive and difficult. It has happened. We are the envy of the country. What has happened in the area of the arts? Members should ask people in the arts and creative communities of Western Australia what they think of this government. If they ever turn up to a show, they should ask those people what they think. The member for Darling Range knows. They are ecstatic with the support they are getting now. They see this as the birth of a new era in the arts and creative communities in this state. They see this as the flowering of a new twenty-first century Western Australian culture, the likes of which the state has never seen before. We have to broaden the base of the economy and reach out for new trade partners; hence, we go to places such as Russia. We have to broaden the base of our economic activity. We have to highlight the scientific capacity of the community and invest in research and people so that we create the circumstances to achieve long-term economic success. That is what we have done in under eight years. We had a situation in which the state’s economy was in decline, the unemployment rate was nearly double digits, and there was 30 per cent youth unemployment. We have a very different situation today. I think this government and the people who formed it from day one—I am talking about every member of this government from those years on—have a lot to be proud of. When we announce that there is funding for the sports stadium, the Museum, the Perth foreshore development and 26 new schools, that there are billions of dollars for the hospital system and that we are running a surplus, every member who sits on this side of Parliament has a right to feel proud of their contribution. I have said previously that all great and successful societies invest in the physical infrastructure of their economy. They build things. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
(2) Will he now confirm that, despite this opportunity, his government has not completed constructing one major hospital in the Perth metropolitan area since 2001, has failed to solve the teacher shortage crisis and has let crime spiral out of control? (3) Is it not time that he apologised to the people of Western Australia for missing this once-in-a-generation opportunity — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! The Leader of the Opposition needs to finish the last part of the question. Mr M.P. Murray interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Collie-Wellington! Mr T. BUSWELL : I continue — (3) Is it not time that he apologised to the people of Western Australia for missing this once-in-a-generation opportunity and, effectively, blowing the boom? Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: (1)-(3) It might not be that long before the people of Western Australia get to make their own judgement. We will see how they go then. That will be the ultimate test. This is not just a once-in-a-generation opportunity. This is a once-in-a-century opportunity. The very fact that Western Australia is not missing out is due in some substantial part to the hard work done by this government over the past seven and a half years. Dr K.D. Hames : Sir Charles Court is the one who created the boom. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : John Forrest probably had a hand in it as well, if the member wants to go back that far. That is the truth of it. Nobody who seriously analyses what is going on in Western Australia disputes that fact. The Western Australian government’s policy settings, development of infrastructure, change in education and training settings and repair of our neglected health system over a period have played a pivotal role. Nobody of any substance seriously questions the pivotal role that this government has played since it was first elected to government under Dr Geoffrey Gallop. I will pluck one example out of the air—Geraldton. What did we inherit with Geraldton? We inherited a very sad town, a town that was depressed and a town that had no future. I remember with crystal clarity our first regional cabinet meeting that was held in Geraldton. We went to a dinner at the airport in Geraldton and we heard about the woes of a town that saw itself going nowhere. Mr T. Buswell interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition would not know; he was running the bus service down in Busselton. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : We made the decision then that we would invest heavily in the City of Geraldton. We gave a commitment that we would reverse its fortunes. We gave a commitment that we would give the city a future, and we have done that. It is almost completely unrecognisable physically, and, spiritually, it is totally different. The people have a great optimism about the future. I use Geraldton as an example of what has happened across Western Australia. We are the economic success story of the nation. We are the freight train that is tugging along the national economy. I remind members that the economy that we inherited was shrinking. Mr C.J. Barnett : It was not. Don’t be ridiculous. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was. It had suffered from the incompetence of ministers who had no idea what they were doing. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Cottesloe, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Now we have a thriving economy, with virtually full employment. What did I inherit as education minister? Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Do members know what we inherited in education? We inherited a structural model that was probably 40 years old. Schoolchildren could still leave school at the age of 14. The compulsory retention age was 15. The retention figure was 60 per cent and declining. In places such as Bunbury, in the modern economy that we were trying to shape, less than 50 per cent of boys proceeded past year 10 to year 12. What did we have? We had youth unemployment in excess of 30 per cent; youths were undereducated, undertrained and unemployed, which built in long-term social dysfunction. We reversed all that. We made massive changes to the industrial model so that people could undertake training to become tradespeople according to their capacity to advance, rather than under the old four-year system. It took a heck of a lot of work to get agreement on that model. The whole system is now geared up for a modern economy. I remember when we undertook these processes that there was criticism that it could not be done; it was too expensive and difficult. It has happened. We are the envy of the country. What has happened in the area of the arts? Members should ask people in the arts and creative communities of Western Australia what they think of this government. If they ever turn up to a show, they should ask those people what they think. The member for Darling Range knows. They are ecstatic with the support they are getting now. They see this as the birth of a new era in the arts and creative communities in this state. They see this as the flowering of a new twenty-first century Western Australian culture, the likes of which the state has never seen before. We have to broaden the base of the economy and reach out for new trade partners; hence, we go to places such as Russia. We have to broaden the base of our economic activity. We have to highlight the scientific capacity of the community and invest in research and people so that we create the circumstances to achieve long-term economic success. That is what we have done in under eight years. We had a situation in which the state’s economy was in decline, the unemployment rate was nearly double digits, and there was 30 per cent youth unemployment. We have a very different situation today. I think this government and the people who formed it from day one—I am talking about every member of this government from those years on—have a lot to be proud of. When we announce that there is funding for the sports stadium, the Museum, the Perth foreshore development and 26 new schools, that there are billions of dollars for the hospital system and that we are running a surplus, every member who sits on this side of Parliament has a right to feel proud of their contribution. I have said previously that all great and successful societies invest in the physical infrastructure of their economy. They build things. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
(3) Is it not time that he apologised to the people of Western Australia for missing this once-in-a-generation opportunity — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! The Leader of the Opposition needs to finish the last part of the question. Mr M.P. Murray interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Collie-Wellington! Mr T. BUSWELL : I continue — (3) Is it not time that he apologised to the people of Western Australia for missing this once-in-a-generation opportunity and, effectively, blowing the boom? Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: (1)-(3) It might not be that long before the people of Western Australia get to make their own judgement. We will see how they go then. That will be the ultimate test. This is not just a once-in-a-generation opportunity. This is a once-in-a-century opportunity. The very fact that Western Australia is not missing out is due in some substantial part to the hard work done by this government over the past seven and a half years. Dr K.D. Hames : Sir Charles Court is the one who created the boom. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : John Forrest probably had a hand in it as well, if the member wants to go back that far. That is the truth of it. Nobody who seriously analyses what is going on in Western Australia disputes that fact. The Western Australian government’s policy settings, development of infrastructure, change in education and training settings and repair of our neglected health system over a period have played a pivotal role. Nobody of any substance seriously questions the pivotal role that this government has played since it was first elected to government under Dr Geoffrey Gallop. I will pluck one example out of the air—Geraldton. What did we inherit with Geraldton? We inherited a very sad town, a town that was depressed and a town that had no future. I remember with crystal clarity our first regional cabinet meeting that was held in Geraldton. We went to a dinner at the airport in Geraldton and we heard about the woes of a town that saw itself going nowhere. Mr T. Buswell interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition would not know; he was running the bus service down in Busselton. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : We made the decision then that we would invest heavily in the City of Geraldton. We gave a commitment that we would reverse its fortunes. We gave a commitment that we would give the city a future, and we have done that. It is almost completely unrecognisable physically, and, spiritually, it is totally different. The people have a great optimism about the future. I use Geraldton as an example of what has happened across Western Australia. We are the economic success story of the nation. We are the freight train that is tugging along the national economy. I remind members that the economy that we inherited was shrinking. Mr C.J. Barnett : It was not. Don’t be ridiculous. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was. It had suffered from the incompetence of ministers who had no idea what they were doing. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Cottesloe, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Now we have a thriving economy, with virtually full employment. What did I inherit as education minister? Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Do members know what we inherited in education? We inherited a structural model that was probably 40 years old. Schoolchildren could still leave school at the age of 14. The compulsory retention age was 15. The retention figure was 60 per cent and declining. In places such as Bunbury, in the modern economy that we were trying to shape, less than 50 per cent of boys proceeded past year 10 to year 12. What did we have? We had youth unemployment in excess of 30 per cent; youths were undereducated, undertrained and unemployed, which built in long-term social dysfunction. We reversed all that. We made massive changes to the industrial model so that people could undertake training to become tradespeople according to their capacity to advance, rather than under the old four-year system. It took a heck of a lot of work to get agreement on that model. The whole system is now geared up for a modern economy. I remember when we undertook these processes that there was criticism that it could not be done; it was too expensive and difficult. It has happened. We are the envy of the country. What has happened in the area of the arts? Members should ask people in the arts and creative communities of Western Australia what they think of this government. If they ever turn up to a show, they should ask those people what they think. The member for Darling Range knows. They are ecstatic with the support they are getting now. They see this as the birth of a new era in the arts and creative communities in this state. They see this as the flowering of a new twenty-first century Western Australian culture, the likes of which the state has never seen before. We have to broaden the base of the economy and reach out for new trade partners; hence, we go to places such as Russia. We have to broaden the base of our economic activity. We have to highlight the scientific capacity of the community and invest in research and people so that we create the circumstances to achieve long-term economic success. That is what we have done in under eight years. We had a situation in which the state’s economy was in decline, the unemployment rate was nearly double digits, and there was 30 per cent youth unemployment. We have a very different situation today. I think this government and the people who formed it from day one—I am talking about every member of this government from those years on—have a lot to be proud of. When we announce that there is funding for the sports stadium, the Museum, the Perth foreshore development and 26 new schools, that there are billions of dollars for the hospital system and that we are running a surplus, every member who sits on this side of Parliament has a right to feel proud of their contribution. I have said previously that all great and successful societies invest in the physical infrastructure of their economy. They build things. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! The Leader of the Opposition needs to finish the last part of the question. Mr M.P. Murray interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Collie-Wellington! Mr T. BUSWELL : I continue — (3) Is it not time that he apologised to the people of Western Australia for missing this once-in-a-generation opportunity and, effectively, blowing the boom? Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: (1)-(3) It might not be that long before the people of Western Australia get to make their own judgement. We will see how they go then. That will be the ultimate test. This is not just a once-in-a-generation opportunity. This is a once-in-a-century opportunity. The very fact that Western Australia is not missing out is due in some substantial part to the hard work done by this government over the past seven and a half years. Dr K.D. Hames : Sir Charles Court is the one who created the boom. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : John Forrest probably had a hand in it as well, if the member wants to go back that far. That is the truth of it. Nobody who seriously analyses what is going on in Western Australia disputes that fact. The Western Australian government’s policy settings, development of infrastructure, change in education and training settings and repair of our neglected health system over a period have played a pivotal role. Nobody of any substance seriously questions the pivotal role that this government has played since it was first elected to government under Dr Geoffrey Gallop. I will pluck one example out of the air—Geraldton. What did we inherit with Geraldton? We inherited a very sad town, a town that was depressed and a town that had no future. I remember with crystal clarity our first regional cabinet meeting that was held in Geraldton. We went to a dinner at the airport in Geraldton and we heard about the woes of a town that saw itself going nowhere. Mr T. Buswell interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition would not know; he was running the bus service down in Busselton. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : We made the decision then that we would invest heavily in the City of Geraldton. We gave a commitment that we would reverse its fortunes. We gave a commitment that we would give the city a future, and we have done that. It is almost completely unrecognisable physically, and, spiritually, it is totally different. The people have a great optimism about the future. I use Geraldton as an example of what has happened across Western Australia. We are the economic success story of the nation. We are the freight train that is tugging along the national economy. I remind members that the economy that we inherited was shrinking. Mr C.J. Barnett : It was not. Don’t be ridiculous. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was. It had suffered from the incompetence of ministers who had no idea what they were doing. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Cottesloe, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Now we have a thriving economy, with virtually full employment. What did I inherit as education minister? Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Do members know what we inherited in education? We inherited a structural model that was probably 40 years old. Schoolchildren could still leave school at the age of 14. The compulsory retention age was 15. The retention figure was 60 per cent and declining. In places such as Bunbury, in the modern economy that we were trying to shape, less than 50 per cent of boys proceeded past year 10 to year 12. What did we have? We had youth unemployment in excess of 30 per cent; youths were undereducated, undertrained and unemployed, which built in long-term social dysfunction. We reversed all that. We made massive changes to the industrial model so that people could undertake training to become tradespeople according to their capacity to advance, rather than under the old four-year system. It took a heck of a lot of work to get agreement on that model. The whole system is now geared up for a modern economy. I remember when we undertook these processes that there was criticism that it could not be done; it was too expensive and difficult. It has happened. We are the envy of the country. What has happened in the area of the arts? Members should ask people in the arts and creative communities of Western Australia what they think of this government. If they ever turn up to a show, they should ask those people what they think. The member for Darling Range knows. They are ecstatic with the support they are getting now. They see this as the birth of a new era in the arts and creative communities in this state. They see this as the flowering of a new twenty-first century Western Australian culture, the likes of which the state has never seen before. We have to broaden the base of the economy and reach out for new trade partners; hence, we go to places such as Russia. We have to broaden the base of our economic activity. We have to highlight the scientific capacity of the community and invest in research and people so that we create the circumstances to achieve long-term economic success. That is what we have done in under eight years. We had a situation in which the state’s economy was in decline, the unemployment rate was nearly double digits, and there was 30 per cent youth unemployment. We have a very different situation today. I think this government and the people who formed it from day one—I am talking about every member of this government from those years on—have a lot to be proud of. When we announce that there is funding for the sports stadium, the Museum, the Perth foreshore development and 26 new schools, that there are billions of dollars for the hospital system and that we are running a surplus, every member who sits on this side of Parliament has a right to feel proud of their contribution. I have said previously that all great and successful societies invest in the physical infrastructure of their economy. They build things. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
The SPEAKER : Order, members! The Leader of the Opposition needs to finish the last part of the question. Mr M.P. Murray interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Collie-Wellington! Mr T. BUSWELL : I continue — (3) Is it not time that he apologised to the people of Western Australia for missing this once-in-a-generation opportunity and, effectively, blowing the boom? Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: (1)-(3) It might not be that long before the people of Western Australia get to make their own judgement. We will see how they go then. That will be the ultimate test. This is not just a once-in-a-generation opportunity. This is a once-in-a-century opportunity. The very fact that Western Australia is not missing out is due in some substantial part to the hard work done by this government over the past seven and a half years. Dr K.D. Hames : Sir Charles Court is the one who created the boom. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : John Forrest probably had a hand in it as well, if the member wants to go back that far. That is the truth of it. Nobody who seriously analyses what is going on in Western Australia disputes that fact. The Western Australian government’s policy settings, development of infrastructure, change in education and training settings and repair of our neglected health system over a period have played a pivotal role. Nobody of any substance seriously questions the pivotal role that this government has played since it was first elected to government under Dr Geoffrey Gallop. I will pluck one example out of the air—Geraldton. What did we inherit with Geraldton? We inherited a very sad town, a town that was depressed and a town that had no future. I remember with crystal clarity our first regional cabinet meeting that was held in Geraldton. We went to a dinner at the airport in Geraldton and we heard about the woes of a town that saw itself going nowhere. Mr T. Buswell interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition would not know; he was running the bus service down in Busselton. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : We made the decision then that we would invest heavily in the City of Geraldton. We gave a commitment that we would reverse its fortunes. We gave a commitment that we would give the city a future, and we have done that. It is almost completely unrecognisable physically, and, spiritually, it is totally different. The people have a great optimism about the future. I use Geraldton as an example of what has happened across Western Australia. We are the economic success story of the nation. We are the freight train that is tugging along the national economy. I remind members that the economy that we inherited was shrinking. Mr C.J. Barnett : It was not. Don’t be ridiculous. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was. It had suffered from the incompetence of ministers who had no idea what they were doing. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Cottesloe, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Now we have a thriving economy, with virtually full employment. What did I inherit as education minister? Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Do members know what we inherited in education? We inherited a structural model that was probably 40 years old. Schoolchildren could still leave school at the age of 14. The compulsory retention age was 15. The retention figure was 60 per cent and declining. In places such as Bunbury, in the modern economy that we were trying to shape, less than 50 per cent of boys proceeded past year 10 to year 12. What did we have? We had youth unemployment in excess of 30 per cent; youths were undereducated, undertrained and unemployed, which built in long-term social dysfunction. We reversed all that. We made massive changes to the industrial model so that people could undertake training to become tradespeople according to their capacity to advance, rather than under the old four-year system. It took a heck of a lot of work to get agreement on that model. The whole system is now geared up for a modern economy. I remember when we undertook these processes that there was criticism that it could not be done; it was too expensive and difficult. It has happened. We are the envy of the country. What has happened in the area of the arts? Members should ask people in the arts and creative communities of Western Australia what they think of this government. If they ever turn up to a show, they should ask those people what they think. The member for Darling Range knows. They are ecstatic with the support they are getting now. They see this as the birth of a new era in the arts and creative communities in this state. They see this as the flowering of a new twenty-first century Western Australian culture, the likes of which the state has never seen before. We have to broaden the base of the economy and reach out for new trade partners; hence, we go to places such as Russia. We have to broaden the base of our economic activity. We have to highlight the scientific capacity of the community and invest in research and people so that we create the circumstances to achieve long-term economic success. That is what we have done in under eight years. We had a situation in which the state’s economy was in decline, the unemployment rate was nearly double digits, and there was 30 per cent youth unemployment. We have a very different situation today. I think this government and the people who formed it from day one—I am talking about every member of this government from those years on—have a lot to be proud of. When we announce that there is funding for the sports stadium, the Museum, the Perth foreshore development and 26 new schools, that there are billions of dollars for the hospital system and that we are running a surplus, every member who sits on this side of Parliament has a right to feel proud of their contribution. I have said previously that all great and successful societies invest in the physical infrastructure of their economy. They build things. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
Mr M.P. Murray interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Collie-Wellington! Mr T. BUSWELL : I continue — (3) Is it not time that he apologised to the people of Western Australia for missing this once-in-a-generation opportunity and, effectively, blowing the boom? Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: (1)-(3) It might not be that long before the people of Western Australia get to make their own judgement. We will see how they go then. That will be the ultimate test. This is not just a once-in-a-generation opportunity. This is a once-in-a-century opportunity. The very fact that Western Australia is not missing out is due in some substantial part to the hard work done by this government over the past seven and a half years. Dr K.D. Hames : Sir Charles Court is the one who created the boom. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : John Forrest probably had a hand in it as well, if the member wants to go back that far. That is the truth of it. Nobody who seriously analyses what is going on in Western Australia disputes that fact. The Western Australian government’s policy settings, development of infrastructure, change in education and training settings and repair of our neglected health system over a period have played a pivotal role. Nobody of any substance seriously questions the pivotal role that this government has played since it was first elected to government under Dr Geoffrey Gallop. I will pluck one example out of the air—Geraldton. What did we inherit with Geraldton? We inherited a very sad town, a town that was depressed and a town that had no future. I remember with crystal clarity our first regional cabinet meeting that was held in Geraldton. We went to a dinner at the airport in Geraldton and we heard about the woes of a town that saw itself going nowhere. Mr T. Buswell interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition would not know; he was running the bus service down in Busselton. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : We made the decision then that we would invest heavily in the City of Geraldton. We gave a commitment that we would reverse its fortunes. We gave a commitment that we would give the city a future, and we have done that. It is almost completely unrecognisable physically, and, spiritually, it is totally different. The people have a great optimism about the future. I use Geraldton as an example of what has happened across Western Australia. We are the economic success story of the nation. We are the freight train that is tugging along the national economy. I remind members that the economy that we inherited was shrinking. Mr C.J. Barnett : It was not. Don’t be ridiculous. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was. It had suffered from the incompetence of ministers who had no idea what they were doing. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Cottesloe, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Now we have a thriving economy, with virtually full employment. What did I inherit as education minister? Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Do members know what we inherited in education? We inherited a structural model that was probably 40 years old. Schoolchildren could still leave school at the age of 14. The compulsory retention age was 15. The retention figure was 60 per cent and declining. In places such as Bunbury, in the modern economy that we were trying to shape, less than 50 per cent of boys proceeded past year 10 to year 12. What did we have? We had youth unemployment in excess of 30 per cent; youths were undereducated, undertrained and unemployed, which built in long-term social dysfunction. We reversed all that. We made massive changes to the industrial model so that people could undertake training to become tradespeople according to their capacity to advance, rather than under the old four-year system. It took a heck of a lot of work to get agreement on that model. The whole system is now geared up for a modern economy. I remember when we undertook these processes that there was criticism that it could not be done; it was too expensive and difficult. It has happened. We are the envy of the country. What has happened in the area of the arts? Members should ask people in the arts and creative communities of Western Australia what they think of this government. If they ever turn up to a show, they should ask those people what they think. The member for Darling Range knows. They are ecstatic with the support they are getting now. They see this as the birth of a new era in the arts and creative communities in this state. They see this as the flowering of a new twenty-first century Western Australian culture, the likes of which the state has never seen before. We have to broaden the base of the economy and reach out for new trade partners; hence, we go to places such as Russia. We have to broaden the base of our economic activity. We have to highlight the scientific capacity of the community and invest in research and people so that we create the circumstances to achieve long-term economic success. That is what we have done in under eight years. We had a situation in which the state’s economy was in decline, the unemployment rate was nearly double digits, and there was 30 per cent youth unemployment. We have a very different situation today. I think this government and the people who formed it from day one—I am talking about every member of this government from those years on—have a lot to be proud of. When we announce that there is funding for the sports stadium, the Museum, the Perth foreshore development and 26 new schools, that there are billions of dollars for the hospital system and that we are running a surplus, every member who sits on this side of Parliament has a right to feel proud of their contribution. I have said previously that all great and successful societies invest in the physical infrastructure of their economy. They build things. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
The SPEAKER : Order, member for Collie-Wellington! Mr T. BUSWELL : I continue — (3) Is it not time that he apologised to the people of Western Australia for missing this once-in-a-generation opportunity and, effectively, blowing the boom? Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: (1)-(3) It might not be that long before the people of Western Australia get to make their own judgement. We will see how they go then. That will be the ultimate test. This is not just a once-in-a-generation opportunity. This is a once-in-a-century opportunity. The very fact that Western Australia is not missing out is due in some substantial part to the hard work done by this government over the past seven and a half years. Dr K.D. Hames : Sir Charles Court is the one who created the boom. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : John Forrest probably had a hand in it as well, if the member wants to go back that far. That is the truth of it. Nobody who seriously analyses what is going on in Western Australia disputes that fact. The Western Australian government’s policy settings, development of infrastructure, change in education and training settings and repair of our neglected health system over a period have played a pivotal role. Nobody of any substance seriously questions the pivotal role that this government has played since it was first elected to government under Dr Geoffrey Gallop. I will pluck one example out of the air—Geraldton. What did we inherit with Geraldton? We inherited a very sad town, a town that was depressed and a town that had no future. I remember with crystal clarity our first regional cabinet meeting that was held in Geraldton. We went to a dinner at the airport in Geraldton and we heard about the woes of a town that saw itself going nowhere. Mr T. Buswell interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition would not know; he was running the bus service down in Busselton. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : We made the decision then that we would invest heavily in the City of Geraldton. We gave a commitment that we would reverse its fortunes. We gave a commitment that we would give the city a future, and we have done that. It is almost completely unrecognisable physically, and, spiritually, it is totally different. The people have a great optimism about the future. I use Geraldton as an example of what has happened across Western Australia. We are the economic success story of the nation. We are the freight train that is tugging along the national economy. I remind members that the economy that we inherited was shrinking. Mr C.J. Barnett : It was not. Don’t be ridiculous. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was. It had suffered from the incompetence of ministers who had no idea what they were doing. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Cottesloe, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Now we have a thriving economy, with virtually full employment. What did I inherit as education minister? Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Do members know what we inherited in education? We inherited a structural model that was probably 40 years old. Schoolchildren could still leave school at the age of 14. The compulsory retention age was 15. The retention figure was 60 per cent and declining. In places such as Bunbury, in the modern economy that we were trying to shape, less than 50 per cent of boys proceeded past year 10 to year 12. What did we have? We had youth unemployment in excess of 30 per cent; youths were undereducated, undertrained and unemployed, which built in long-term social dysfunction. We reversed all that. We made massive changes to the industrial model so that people could undertake training to become tradespeople according to their capacity to advance, rather than under the old four-year system. It took a heck of a lot of work to get agreement on that model. The whole system is now geared up for a modern economy. I remember when we undertook these processes that there was criticism that it could not be done; it was too expensive and difficult. It has happened. We are the envy of the country. What has happened in the area of the arts? Members should ask people in the arts and creative communities of Western Australia what they think of this government. If they ever turn up to a show, they should ask those people what they think. The member for Darling Range knows. They are ecstatic with the support they are getting now. They see this as the birth of a new era in the arts and creative communities in this state. They see this as the flowering of a new twenty-first century Western Australian culture, the likes of which the state has never seen before. We have to broaden the base of the economy and reach out for new trade partners; hence, we go to places such as Russia. We have to broaden the base of our economic activity. We have to highlight the scientific capacity of the community and invest in research and people so that we create the circumstances to achieve long-term economic success. That is what we have done in under eight years. We had a situation in which the state’s economy was in decline, the unemployment rate was nearly double digits, and there was 30 per cent youth unemployment. We have a very different situation today. I think this government and the people who formed it from day one—I am talking about every member of this government from those years on—have a lot to be proud of. When we announce that there is funding for the sports stadium, the Museum, the Perth foreshore development and 26 new schools, that there are billions of dollars for the hospital system and that we are running a surplus, every member who sits on this side of Parliament has a right to feel proud of their contribution. I have said previously that all great and successful societies invest in the physical infrastructure of their economy. They build things. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
Mr T. BUSWELL : I continue — (3) Is it not time that he apologised to the people of Western Australia for missing this once-in-a-generation opportunity and, effectively, blowing the boom? Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: (1)-(3) It might not be that long before the people of Western Australia get to make their own judgement. We will see how they go then. That will be the ultimate test. This is not just a once-in-a-generation opportunity. This is a once-in-a-century opportunity. The very fact that Western Australia is not missing out is due in some substantial part to the hard work done by this government over the past seven and a half years. Dr K.D. Hames : Sir Charles Court is the one who created the boom. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : John Forrest probably had a hand in it as well, if the member wants to go back that far. That is the truth of it. Nobody who seriously analyses what is going on in Western Australia disputes that fact. The Western Australian government’s policy settings, development of infrastructure, change in education and training settings and repair of our neglected health system over a period have played a pivotal role. Nobody of any substance seriously questions the pivotal role that this government has played since it was first elected to government under Dr Geoffrey Gallop. I will pluck one example out of the air—Geraldton. What did we inherit with Geraldton? We inherited a very sad town, a town that was depressed and a town that had no future. I remember with crystal clarity our first regional cabinet meeting that was held in Geraldton. We went to a dinner at the airport in Geraldton and we heard about the woes of a town that saw itself going nowhere. Mr T. Buswell interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition would not know; he was running the bus service down in Busselton. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : We made the decision then that we would invest heavily in the City of Geraldton. We gave a commitment that we would reverse its fortunes. We gave a commitment that we would give the city a future, and we have done that. It is almost completely unrecognisable physically, and, spiritually, it is totally different. The people have a great optimism about the future. I use Geraldton as an example of what has happened across Western Australia. We are the economic success story of the nation. We are the freight train that is tugging along the national economy. I remind members that the economy that we inherited was shrinking. Mr C.J. Barnett : It was not. Don’t be ridiculous. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was. It had suffered from the incompetence of ministers who had no idea what they were doing. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Cottesloe, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Now we have a thriving economy, with virtually full employment. What did I inherit as education minister? Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Do members know what we inherited in education? We inherited a structural model that was probably 40 years old. Schoolchildren could still leave school at the age of 14. The compulsory retention age was 15. The retention figure was 60 per cent and declining. In places such as Bunbury, in the modern economy that we were trying to shape, less than 50 per cent of boys proceeded past year 10 to year 12. What did we have? We had youth unemployment in excess of 30 per cent; youths were undereducated, undertrained and unemployed, which built in long-term social dysfunction. We reversed all that. We made massive changes to the industrial model so that people could undertake training to become tradespeople according to their capacity to advance, rather than under the old four-year system. It took a heck of a lot of work to get agreement on that model. The whole system is now geared up for a modern economy. I remember when we undertook these processes that there was criticism that it could not be done; it was too expensive and difficult. It has happened. We are the envy of the country. What has happened in the area of the arts? Members should ask people in the arts and creative communities of Western Australia what they think of this government. If they ever turn up to a show, they should ask those people what they think. The member for Darling Range knows. They are ecstatic with the support they are getting now. They see this as the birth of a new era in the arts and creative communities in this state. They see this as the flowering of a new twenty-first century Western Australian culture, the likes of which the state has never seen before. We have to broaden the base of the economy and reach out for new trade partners; hence, we go to places such as Russia. We have to broaden the base of our economic activity. We have to highlight the scientific capacity of the community and invest in research and people so that we create the circumstances to achieve long-term economic success. That is what we have done in under eight years. We had a situation in which the state’s economy was in decline, the unemployment rate was nearly double digits, and there was 30 per cent youth unemployment. We have a very different situation today. I think this government and the people who formed it from day one—I am talking about every member of this government from those years on—have a lot to be proud of. When we announce that there is funding for the sports stadium, the Museum, the Perth foreshore development and 26 new schools, that there are billions of dollars for the hospital system and that we are running a surplus, every member who sits on this side of Parliament has a right to feel proud of their contribution. I have said previously that all great and successful societies invest in the physical infrastructure of their economy. They build things. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
(3) Is it not time that he apologised to the people of Western Australia for missing this once-in-a-generation opportunity and, effectively, blowing the boom? Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: (1)-(3) It might not be that long before the people of Western Australia get to make their own judgement. We will see how they go then. That will be the ultimate test. This is not just a once-in-a-generation opportunity. This is a once-in-a-century opportunity. The very fact that Western Australia is not missing out is due in some substantial part to the hard work done by this government over the past seven and a half years. Dr K.D. Hames : Sir Charles Court is the one who created the boom. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : John Forrest probably had a hand in it as well, if the member wants to go back that far. That is the truth of it. Nobody who seriously analyses what is going on in Western Australia disputes that fact. The Western Australian government’s policy settings, development of infrastructure, change in education and training settings and repair of our neglected health system over a period have played a pivotal role. Nobody of any substance seriously questions the pivotal role that this government has played since it was first elected to government under Dr Geoffrey Gallop. I will pluck one example out of the air—Geraldton. What did we inherit with Geraldton? We inherited a very sad town, a town that was depressed and a town that had no future. I remember with crystal clarity our first regional cabinet meeting that was held in Geraldton. We went to a dinner at the airport in Geraldton and we heard about the woes of a town that saw itself going nowhere. Mr T. Buswell interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition would not know; he was running the bus service down in Busselton. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : We made the decision then that we would invest heavily in the City of Geraldton. We gave a commitment that we would reverse its fortunes. We gave a commitment that we would give the city a future, and we have done that. It is almost completely unrecognisable physically, and, spiritually, it is totally different. The people have a great optimism about the future. I use Geraldton as an example of what has happened across Western Australia. We are the economic success story of the nation. We are the freight train that is tugging along the national economy. I remind members that the economy that we inherited was shrinking. Mr C.J. Barnett : It was not. Don’t be ridiculous. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was. It had suffered from the incompetence of ministers who had no idea what they were doing. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Cottesloe, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Now we have a thriving economy, with virtually full employment. What did I inherit as education minister? Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Do members know what we inherited in education? We inherited a structural model that was probably 40 years old. Schoolchildren could still leave school at the age of 14. The compulsory retention age was 15. The retention figure was 60 per cent and declining. In places such as Bunbury, in the modern economy that we were trying to shape, less than 50 per cent of boys proceeded past year 10 to year 12. What did we have? We had youth unemployment in excess of 30 per cent; youths were undereducated, undertrained and unemployed, which built in long-term social dysfunction. We reversed all that. We made massive changes to the industrial model so that people could undertake training to become tradespeople according to their capacity to advance, rather than under the old four-year system. It took a heck of a lot of work to get agreement on that model. The whole system is now geared up for a modern economy. I remember when we undertook these processes that there was criticism that it could not be done; it was too expensive and difficult. It has happened. We are the envy of the country. What has happened in the area of the arts? Members should ask people in the arts and creative communities of Western Australia what they think of this government. If they ever turn up to a show, they should ask those people what they think. The member for Darling Range knows. They are ecstatic with the support they are getting now. They see this as the birth of a new era in the arts and creative communities in this state. They see this as the flowering of a new twenty-first century Western Australian culture, the likes of which the state has never seen before. We have to broaden the base of the economy and reach out for new trade partners; hence, we go to places such as Russia. We have to broaden the base of our economic activity. We have to highlight the scientific capacity of the community and invest in research and people so that we create the circumstances to achieve long-term economic success. That is what we have done in under eight years. We had a situation in which the state’s economy was in decline, the unemployment rate was nearly double digits, and there was 30 per cent youth unemployment. We have a very different situation today. I think this government and the people who formed it from day one—I am talking about every member of this government from those years on—have a lot to be proud of. When we announce that there is funding for the sports stadium, the Museum, the Perth foreshore development and 26 new schools, that there are billions of dollars for the hospital system and that we are running a surplus, every member who sits on this side of Parliament has a right to feel proud of their contribution. I have said previously that all great and successful societies invest in the physical infrastructure of their economy. They build things. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: (1)-(3) It might not be that long before the people of Western Australia get to make their own judgement. We will see how they go then. That will be the ultimate test. This is not just a once-in-a-generation opportunity. This is a once-in-a-century opportunity. The very fact that Western Australia is not missing out is due in some substantial part to the hard work done by this government over the past seven and a half years. Dr K.D. Hames : Sir Charles Court is the one who created the boom. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : John Forrest probably had a hand in it as well, if the member wants to go back that far. That is the truth of it. Nobody who seriously analyses what is going on in Western Australia disputes that fact. The Western Australian government’s policy settings, development of infrastructure, change in education and training settings and repair of our neglected health system over a period have played a pivotal role. Nobody of any substance seriously questions the pivotal role that this government has played since it was first elected to government under Dr Geoffrey Gallop. I will pluck one example out of the air—Geraldton. What did we inherit with Geraldton? We inherited a very sad town, a town that was depressed and a town that had no future. I remember with crystal clarity our first regional cabinet meeting that was held in Geraldton. We went to a dinner at the airport in Geraldton and we heard about the woes of a town that saw itself going nowhere. Mr T. Buswell interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition would not know; he was running the bus service down in Busselton. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : We made the decision then that we would invest heavily in the City of Geraldton. We gave a commitment that we would reverse its fortunes. We gave a commitment that we would give the city a future, and we have done that. It is almost completely unrecognisable physically, and, spiritually, it is totally different. The people have a great optimism about the future. I use Geraldton as an example of what has happened across Western Australia. We are the economic success story of the nation. We are the freight train that is tugging along the national economy. I remind members that the economy that we inherited was shrinking. Mr C.J. Barnett : It was not. Don’t be ridiculous. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was. It had suffered from the incompetence of ministers who had no idea what they were doing. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Cottesloe, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Now we have a thriving economy, with virtually full employment. What did I inherit as education minister? Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Do members know what we inherited in education? We inherited a structural model that was probably 40 years old. Schoolchildren could still leave school at the age of 14. The compulsory retention age was 15. The retention figure was 60 per cent and declining. In places such as Bunbury, in the modern economy that we were trying to shape, less than 50 per cent of boys proceeded past year 10 to year 12. What did we have? We had youth unemployment in excess of 30 per cent; youths were undereducated, undertrained and unemployed, which built in long-term social dysfunction. We reversed all that. We made massive changes to the industrial model so that people could undertake training to become tradespeople according to their capacity to advance, rather than under the old four-year system. It took a heck of a lot of work to get agreement on that model. The whole system is now geared up for a modern economy. I remember when we undertook these processes that there was criticism that it could not be done; it was too expensive and difficult. It has happened. We are the envy of the country. What has happened in the area of the arts? Members should ask people in the arts and creative communities of Western Australia what they think of this government. If they ever turn up to a show, they should ask those people what they think. The member for Darling Range knows. They are ecstatic with the support they are getting now. They see this as the birth of a new era in the arts and creative communities in this state. They see this as the flowering of a new twenty-first century Western Australian culture, the likes of which the state has never seen before. We have to broaden the base of the economy and reach out for new trade partners; hence, we go to places such as Russia. We have to broaden the base of our economic activity. We have to highlight the scientific capacity of the community and invest in research and people so that we create the circumstances to achieve long-term economic success. That is what we have done in under eight years. We had a situation in which the state’s economy was in decline, the unemployment rate was nearly double digits, and there was 30 per cent youth unemployment. We have a very different situation today. I think this government and the people who formed it from day one—I am talking about every member of this government from those years on—have a lot to be proud of. When we announce that there is funding for the sports stadium, the Museum, the Perth foreshore development and 26 new schools, that there are billions of dollars for the hospital system and that we are running a surplus, every member who sits on this side of Parliament has a right to feel proud of their contribution. I have said previously that all great and successful societies invest in the physical infrastructure of their economy. They build things. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
(1)-(3) It might not be that long before the people of Western Australia get to make their own judgement. We will see how they go then. That will be the ultimate test. This is not just a once-in-a-generation opportunity. This is a once-in-a-century opportunity. The very fact that Western Australia is not missing out is due in some substantial part to the hard work done by this government over the past seven and a half years. Dr K.D. Hames : Sir Charles Court is the one who created the boom. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : John Forrest probably had a hand in it as well, if the member wants to go back that far. That is the truth of it. Nobody who seriously analyses what is going on in Western Australia disputes that fact. The Western Australian government’s policy settings, development of infrastructure, change in education and training settings and repair of our neglected health system over a period have played a pivotal role. Nobody of any substance seriously questions the pivotal role that this government has played since it was first elected to government under Dr Geoffrey Gallop. I will pluck one example out of the air—Geraldton. What did we inherit with Geraldton? We inherited a very sad town, a town that was depressed and a town that had no future. I remember with crystal clarity our first regional cabinet meeting that was held in Geraldton. We went to a dinner at the airport in Geraldton and we heard about the woes of a town that saw itself going nowhere. Mr T. Buswell interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition would not know; he was running the bus service down in Busselton. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : We made the decision then that we would invest heavily in the City of Geraldton. We gave a commitment that we would reverse its fortunes. We gave a commitment that we would give the city a future, and we have done that. It is almost completely unrecognisable physically, and, spiritually, it is totally different. The people have a great optimism about the future. I use Geraldton as an example of what has happened across Western Australia. We are the economic success story of the nation. We are the freight train that is tugging along the national economy. I remind members that the economy that we inherited was shrinking. Mr C.J. Barnett : It was not. Don’t be ridiculous. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was. It had suffered from the incompetence of ministers who had no idea what they were doing. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Cottesloe, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Now we have a thriving economy, with virtually full employment. What did I inherit as education minister? Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Do members know what we inherited in education? We inherited a structural model that was probably 40 years old. Schoolchildren could still leave school at the age of 14. The compulsory retention age was 15. The retention figure was 60 per cent and declining. In places such as Bunbury, in the modern economy that we were trying to shape, less than 50 per cent of boys proceeded past year 10 to year 12. What did we have? We had youth unemployment in excess of 30 per cent; youths were undereducated, undertrained and unemployed, which built in long-term social dysfunction. We reversed all that. We made massive changes to the industrial model so that people could undertake training to become tradespeople according to their capacity to advance, rather than under the old four-year system. It took a heck of a lot of work to get agreement on that model. The whole system is now geared up for a modern economy. I remember when we undertook these processes that there was criticism that it could not be done; it was too expensive and difficult. It has happened. We are the envy of the country. What has happened in the area of the arts? Members should ask people in the arts and creative communities of Western Australia what they think of this government. If they ever turn up to a show, they should ask those people what they think. The member for Darling Range knows. They are ecstatic with the support they are getting now. They see this as the birth of a new era in the arts and creative communities in this state. They see this as the flowering of a new twenty-first century Western Australian culture, the likes of which the state has never seen before. We have to broaden the base of the economy and reach out for new trade partners; hence, we go to places such as Russia. We have to broaden the base of our economic activity. We have to highlight the scientific capacity of the community and invest in research and people so that we create the circumstances to achieve long-term economic success. That is what we have done in under eight years. We had a situation in which the state’s economy was in decline, the unemployment rate was nearly double digits, and there was 30 per cent youth unemployment. We have a very different situation today. I think this government and the people who formed it from day one—I am talking about every member of this government from those years on—have a lot to be proud of. When we announce that there is funding for the sports stadium, the Museum, the Perth foreshore development and 26 new schools, that there are billions of dollars for the hospital system and that we are running a surplus, every member who sits on this side of Parliament has a right to feel proud of their contribution. I have said previously that all great and successful societies invest in the physical infrastructure of their economy. They build things. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
Dr K.D. Hames : Sir Charles Court is the one who created the boom. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : John Forrest probably had a hand in it as well, if the member wants to go back that far. That is the truth of it. Nobody who seriously analyses what is going on in Western Australia disputes that fact. The Western Australian government’s policy settings, development of infrastructure, change in education and training settings and repair of our neglected health system over a period have played a pivotal role. Nobody of any substance seriously questions the pivotal role that this government has played since it was first elected to government under Dr Geoffrey Gallop. I will pluck one example out of the air—Geraldton. What did we inherit with Geraldton? We inherited a very sad town, a town that was depressed and a town that had no future. I remember with crystal clarity our first regional cabinet meeting that was held in Geraldton. We went to a dinner at the airport in Geraldton and we heard about the woes of a town that saw itself going nowhere. Mr T. Buswell interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition would not know; he was running the bus service down in Busselton. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : We made the decision then that we would invest heavily in the City of Geraldton. We gave a commitment that we would reverse its fortunes. We gave a commitment that we would give the city a future, and we have done that. It is almost completely unrecognisable physically, and, spiritually, it is totally different. The people have a great optimism about the future. I use Geraldton as an example of what has happened across Western Australia. We are the economic success story of the nation. We are the freight train that is tugging along the national economy. I remind members that the economy that we inherited was shrinking. Mr C.J. Barnett : It was not. Don’t be ridiculous. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was. It had suffered from the incompetence of ministers who had no idea what they were doing. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Cottesloe, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Now we have a thriving economy, with virtually full employment. What did I inherit as education minister? Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Do members know what we inherited in education? We inherited a structural model that was probably 40 years old. Schoolchildren could still leave school at the age of 14. The compulsory retention age was 15. The retention figure was 60 per cent and declining. In places such as Bunbury, in the modern economy that we were trying to shape, less than 50 per cent of boys proceeded past year 10 to year 12. What did we have? We had youth unemployment in excess of 30 per cent; youths were undereducated, undertrained and unemployed, which built in long-term social dysfunction. We reversed all that. We made massive changes to the industrial model so that people could undertake training to become tradespeople according to their capacity to advance, rather than under the old four-year system. It took a heck of a lot of work to get agreement on that model. The whole system is now geared up for a modern economy. I remember when we undertook these processes that there was criticism that it could not be done; it was too expensive and difficult. It has happened. We are the envy of the country. What has happened in the area of the arts? Members should ask people in the arts and creative communities of Western Australia what they think of this government. If they ever turn up to a show, they should ask those people what they think. The member for Darling Range knows. They are ecstatic with the support they are getting now. They see this as the birth of a new era in the arts and creative communities in this state. They see this as the flowering of a new twenty-first century Western Australian culture, the likes of which the state has never seen before. We have to broaden the base of the economy and reach out for new trade partners; hence, we go to places such as Russia. We have to broaden the base of our economic activity. We have to highlight the scientific capacity of the community and invest in research and people so that we create the circumstances to achieve long-term economic success. That is what we have done in under eight years. We had a situation in which the state’s economy was in decline, the unemployment rate was nearly double digits, and there was 30 per cent youth unemployment. We have a very different situation today. I think this government and the people who formed it from day one—I am talking about every member of this government from those years on—have a lot to be proud of. When we announce that there is funding for the sports stadium, the Museum, the Perth foreshore development and 26 new schools, that there are billions of dollars for the hospital system and that we are running a surplus, every member who sits on this side of Parliament has a right to feel proud of their contribution. I have said previously that all great and successful societies invest in the physical infrastructure of their economy. They build things. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : John Forrest probably had a hand in it as well, if the member wants to go back that far. That is the truth of it. Nobody who seriously analyses what is going on in Western Australia disputes that fact. The Western Australian government’s policy settings, development of infrastructure, change in education and training settings and repair of our neglected health system over a period have played a pivotal role. Nobody of any substance seriously questions the pivotal role that this government has played since it was first elected to government under Dr Geoffrey Gallop. I will pluck one example out of the air—Geraldton. What did we inherit with Geraldton? We inherited a very sad town, a town that was depressed and a town that had no future. I remember with crystal clarity our first regional cabinet meeting that was held in Geraldton. We went to a dinner at the airport in Geraldton and we heard about the woes of a town that saw itself going nowhere. Mr T. Buswell interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition would not know; he was running the bus service down in Busselton. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : We made the decision then that we would invest heavily in the City of Geraldton. We gave a commitment that we would reverse its fortunes. We gave a commitment that we would give the city a future, and we have done that. It is almost completely unrecognisable physically, and, spiritually, it is totally different. The people have a great optimism about the future. I use Geraldton as an example of what has happened across Western Australia. We are the economic success story of the nation. We are the freight train that is tugging along the national economy. I remind members that the economy that we inherited was shrinking. Mr C.J. Barnett : It was not. Don’t be ridiculous. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was. It had suffered from the incompetence of ministers who had no idea what they were doing. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Cottesloe, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Now we have a thriving economy, with virtually full employment. What did I inherit as education minister? Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Do members know what we inherited in education? We inherited a structural model that was probably 40 years old. Schoolchildren could still leave school at the age of 14. The compulsory retention age was 15. The retention figure was 60 per cent and declining. In places such as Bunbury, in the modern economy that we were trying to shape, less than 50 per cent of boys proceeded past year 10 to year 12. What did we have? We had youth unemployment in excess of 30 per cent; youths were undereducated, undertrained and unemployed, which built in long-term social dysfunction. We reversed all that. We made massive changes to the industrial model so that people could undertake training to become tradespeople according to their capacity to advance, rather than under the old four-year system. It took a heck of a lot of work to get agreement on that model. The whole system is now geared up for a modern economy. I remember when we undertook these processes that there was criticism that it could not be done; it was too expensive and difficult. It has happened. We are the envy of the country. What has happened in the area of the arts? Members should ask people in the arts and creative communities of Western Australia what they think of this government. If they ever turn up to a show, they should ask those people what they think. The member for Darling Range knows. They are ecstatic with the support they are getting now. They see this as the birth of a new era in the arts and creative communities in this state. They see this as the flowering of a new twenty-first century Western Australian culture, the likes of which the state has never seen before. We have to broaden the base of the economy and reach out for new trade partners; hence, we go to places such as Russia. We have to broaden the base of our economic activity. We have to highlight the scientific capacity of the community and invest in research and people so that we create the circumstances to achieve long-term economic success. That is what we have done in under eight years. We had a situation in which the state’s economy was in decline, the unemployment rate was nearly double digits, and there was 30 per cent youth unemployment. We have a very different situation today. I think this government and the people who formed it from day one—I am talking about every member of this government from those years on—have a lot to be proud of. When we announce that there is funding for the sports stadium, the Museum, the Perth foreshore development and 26 new schools, that there are billions of dollars for the hospital system and that we are running a surplus, every member who sits on this side of Parliament has a right to feel proud of their contribution. I have said previously that all great and successful societies invest in the physical infrastructure of their economy. They build things. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
Mr T. Buswell interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition would not know; he was running the bus service down in Busselton. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : We made the decision then that we would invest heavily in the City of Geraldton. We gave a commitment that we would reverse its fortunes. We gave a commitment that we would give the city a future, and we have done that. It is almost completely unrecognisable physically, and, spiritually, it is totally different. The people have a great optimism about the future. I use Geraldton as an example of what has happened across Western Australia. We are the economic success story of the nation. We are the freight train that is tugging along the national economy. I remind members that the economy that we inherited was shrinking. Mr C.J. Barnett : It was not. Don’t be ridiculous. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was. It had suffered from the incompetence of ministers who had no idea what they were doing. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Cottesloe, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Now we have a thriving economy, with virtually full employment. What did I inherit as education minister? Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Do members know what we inherited in education? We inherited a structural model that was probably 40 years old. Schoolchildren could still leave school at the age of 14. The compulsory retention age was 15. The retention figure was 60 per cent and declining. In places such as Bunbury, in the modern economy that we were trying to shape, less than 50 per cent of boys proceeded past year 10 to year 12. What did we have? We had youth unemployment in excess of 30 per cent; youths were undereducated, undertrained and unemployed, which built in long-term social dysfunction. We reversed all that. We made massive changes to the industrial model so that people could undertake training to become tradespeople according to their capacity to advance, rather than under the old four-year system. It took a heck of a lot of work to get agreement on that model. The whole system is now geared up for a modern economy. I remember when we undertook these processes that there was criticism that it could not be done; it was too expensive and difficult. It has happened. We are the envy of the country. What has happened in the area of the arts? Members should ask people in the arts and creative communities of Western Australia what they think of this government. If they ever turn up to a show, they should ask those people what they think. The member for Darling Range knows. They are ecstatic with the support they are getting now. They see this as the birth of a new era in the arts and creative communities in this state. They see this as the flowering of a new twenty-first century Western Australian culture, the likes of which the state has never seen before. We have to broaden the base of the economy and reach out for new trade partners; hence, we go to places such as Russia. We have to broaden the base of our economic activity. We have to highlight the scientific capacity of the community and invest in research and people so that we create the circumstances to achieve long-term economic success. That is what we have done in under eight years. We had a situation in which the state’s economy was in decline, the unemployment rate was nearly double digits, and there was 30 per cent youth unemployment. We have a very different situation today. I think this government and the people who formed it from day one—I am talking about every member of this government from those years on—have a lot to be proud of. When we announce that there is funding for the sports stadium, the Museum, the Perth foreshore development and 26 new schools, that there are billions of dollars for the hospital system and that we are running a surplus, every member who sits on this side of Parliament has a right to feel proud of their contribution. I have said previously that all great and successful societies invest in the physical infrastructure of their economy. They build things. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The Leader of the Opposition would not know; he was running the bus service down in Busselton. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : We made the decision then that we would invest heavily in the City of Geraldton. We gave a commitment that we would reverse its fortunes. We gave a commitment that we would give the city a future, and we have done that. It is almost completely unrecognisable physically, and, spiritually, it is totally different. The people have a great optimism about the future. I use Geraldton as an example of what has happened across Western Australia. We are the economic success story of the nation. We are the freight train that is tugging along the national economy. I remind members that the economy that we inherited was shrinking. Mr C.J. Barnett : It was not. Don’t be ridiculous. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was. It had suffered from the incompetence of ministers who had no idea what they were doing. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Cottesloe, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Now we have a thriving economy, with virtually full employment. What did I inherit as education minister? Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Do members know what we inherited in education? We inherited a structural model that was probably 40 years old. Schoolchildren could still leave school at the age of 14. The compulsory retention age was 15. The retention figure was 60 per cent and declining. In places such as Bunbury, in the modern economy that we were trying to shape, less than 50 per cent of boys proceeded past year 10 to year 12. What did we have? We had youth unemployment in excess of 30 per cent; youths were undereducated, undertrained and unemployed, which built in long-term social dysfunction. We reversed all that. We made massive changes to the industrial model so that people could undertake training to become tradespeople according to their capacity to advance, rather than under the old four-year system. It took a heck of a lot of work to get agreement on that model. The whole system is now geared up for a modern economy. I remember when we undertook these processes that there was criticism that it could not be done; it was too expensive and difficult. It has happened. We are the envy of the country. What has happened in the area of the arts? Members should ask people in the arts and creative communities of Western Australia what they think of this government. If they ever turn up to a show, they should ask those people what they think. The member for Darling Range knows. They are ecstatic with the support they are getting now. They see this as the birth of a new era in the arts and creative communities in this state. They see this as the flowering of a new twenty-first century Western Australian culture, the likes of which the state has never seen before. We have to broaden the base of the economy and reach out for new trade partners; hence, we go to places such as Russia. We have to broaden the base of our economic activity. We have to highlight the scientific capacity of the community and invest in research and people so that we create the circumstances to achieve long-term economic success. That is what we have done in under eight years. We had a situation in which the state’s economy was in decline, the unemployment rate was nearly double digits, and there was 30 per cent youth unemployment. We have a very different situation today. I think this government and the people who formed it from day one—I am talking about every member of this government from those years on—have a lot to be proud of. When we announce that there is funding for the sports stadium, the Museum, the Perth foreshore development and 26 new schools, that there are billions of dollars for the hospital system and that we are running a surplus, every member who sits on this side of Parliament has a right to feel proud of their contribution. I have said previously that all great and successful societies invest in the physical infrastructure of their economy. They build things. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : We made the decision then that we would invest heavily in the City of Geraldton. We gave a commitment that we would reverse its fortunes. We gave a commitment that we would give the city a future, and we have done that. It is almost completely unrecognisable physically, and, spiritually, it is totally different. The people have a great optimism about the future. I use Geraldton as an example of what has happened across Western Australia. We are the economic success story of the nation. We are the freight train that is tugging along the national economy. I remind members that the economy that we inherited was shrinking. Mr C.J. Barnett : It was not. Don’t be ridiculous. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was. It had suffered from the incompetence of ministers who had no idea what they were doing. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Cottesloe, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Now we have a thriving economy, with virtually full employment. What did I inherit as education minister? Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Do members know what we inherited in education? We inherited a structural model that was probably 40 years old. Schoolchildren could still leave school at the age of 14. The compulsory retention age was 15. The retention figure was 60 per cent and declining. In places such as Bunbury, in the modern economy that we were trying to shape, less than 50 per cent of boys proceeded past year 10 to year 12. What did we have? We had youth unemployment in excess of 30 per cent; youths were undereducated, undertrained and unemployed, which built in long-term social dysfunction. We reversed all that. We made massive changes to the industrial model so that people could undertake training to become tradespeople according to their capacity to advance, rather than under the old four-year system. It took a heck of a lot of work to get agreement on that model. The whole system is now geared up for a modern economy. I remember when we undertook these processes that there was criticism that it could not be done; it was too expensive and difficult. It has happened. We are the envy of the country. What has happened in the area of the arts? Members should ask people in the arts and creative communities of Western Australia what they think of this government. If they ever turn up to a show, they should ask those people what they think. The member for Darling Range knows. They are ecstatic with the support they are getting now. They see this as the birth of a new era in the arts and creative communities in this state. They see this as the flowering of a new twenty-first century Western Australian culture, the likes of which the state has never seen before. We have to broaden the base of the economy and reach out for new trade partners; hence, we go to places such as Russia. We have to broaden the base of our economic activity. We have to highlight the scientific capacity of the community and invest in research and people so that we create the circumstances to achieve long-term economic success. That is what we have done in under eight years. We had a situation in which the state’s economy was in decline, the unemployment rate was nearly double digits, and there was 30 per cent youth unemployment. We have a very different situation today. I think this government and the people who formed it from day one—I am talking about every member of this government from those years on—have a lot to be proud of. When we announce that there is funding for the sports stadium, the Museum, the Perth foreshore development and 26 new schools, that there are billions of dollars for the hospital system and that we are running a surplus, every member who sits on this side of Parliament has a right to feel proud of their contribution. I have said previously that all great and successful societies invest in the physical infrastructure of their economy. They build things. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : We made the decision then that we would invest heavily in the City of Geraldton. We gave a commitment that we would reverse its fortunes. We gave a commitment that we would give the city a future, and we have done that. It is almost completely unrecognisable physically, and, spiritually, it is totally different. The people have a great optimism about the future. I use Geraldton as an example of what has happened across Western Australia. We are the economic success story of the nation. We are the freight train that is tugging along the national economy. I remind members that the economy that we inherited was shrinking. Mr C.J. Barnett : It was not. Don’t be ridiculous. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was. It had suffered from the incompetence of ministers who had no idea what they were doing. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Cottesloe, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Now we have a thriving economy, with virtually full employment. What did I inherit as education minister? Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Do members know what we inherited in education? We inherited a structural model that was probably 40 years old. Schoolchildren could still leave school at the age of 14. The compulsory retention age was 15. The retention figure was 60 per cent and declining. In places such as Bunbury, in the modern economy that we were trying to shape, less than 50 per cent of boys proceeded past year 10 to year 12. What did we have? We had youth unemployment in excess of 30 per cent; youths were undereducated, undertrained and unemployed, which built in long-term social dysfunction. We reversed all that. We made massive changes to the industrial model so that people could undertake training to become tradespeople according to their capacity to advance, rather than under the old four-year system. It took a heck of a lot of work to get agreement on that model. The whole system is now geared up for a modern economy. I remember when we undertook these processes that there was criticism that it could not be done; it was too expensive and difficult. It has happened. We are the envy of the country. What has happened in the area of the arts? Members should ask people in the arts and creative communities of Western Australia what they think of this government. If they ever turn up to a show, they should ask those people what they think. The member for Darling Range knows. They are ecstatic with the support they are getting now. They see this as the birth of a new era in the arts and creative communities in this state. They see this as the flowering of a new twenty-first century Western Australian culture, the likes of which the state has never seen before. We have to broaden the base of the economy and reach out for new trade partners; hence, we go to places such as Russia. We have to broaden the base of our economic activity. We have to highlight the scientific capacity of the community and invest in research and people so that we create the circumstances to achieve long-term economic success. That is what we have done in under eight years. We had a situation in which the state’s economy was in decline, the unemployment rate was nearly double digits, and there was 30 per cent youth unemployment. We have a very different situation today. I think this government and the people who formed it from day one—I am talking about every member of this government from those years on—have a lot to be proud of. When we announce that there is funding for the sports stadium, the Museum, the Perth foreshore development and 26 new schools, that there are billions of dollars for the hospital system and that we are running a surplus, every member who sits on this side of Parliament has a right to feel proud of their contribution. I have said previously that all great and successful societies invest in the physical infrastructure of their economy. They build things. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : We made the decision then that we would invest heavily in the City of Geraldton. We gave a commitment that we would reverse its fortunes. We gave a commitment that we would give the city a future, and we have done that. It is almost completely unrecognisable physically, and, spiritually, it is totally different. The people have a great optimism about the future. I use Geraldton as an example of what has happened across Western Australia. We are the economic success story of the nation. We are the freight train that is tugging along the national economy. I remind members that the economy that we inherited was shrinking. Mr C.J. Barnett : It was not. Don’t be ridiculous. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was. It had suffered from the incompetence of ministers who had no idea what they were doing. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Cottesloe, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Now we have a thriving economy, with virtually full employment. What did I inherit as education minister? Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Do members know what we inherited in education? We inherited a structural model that was probably 40 years old. Schoolchildren could still leave school at the age of 14. The compulsory retention age was 15. The retention figure was 60 per cent and declining. In places such as Bunbury, in the modern economy that we were trying to shape, less than 50 per cent of boys proceeded past year 10 to year 12. What did we have? We had youth unemployment in excess of 30 per cent; youths were undereducated, undertrained and unemployed, which built in long-term social dysfunction. We reversed all that. We made massive changes to the industrial model so that people could undertake training to become tradespeople according to their capacity to advance, rather than under the old four-year system. It took a heck of a lot of work to get agreement on that model. The whole system is now geared up for a modern economy. I remember when we undertook these processes that there was criticism that it could not be done; it was too expensive and difficult. It has happened. We are the envy of the country. What has happened in the area of the arts? Members should ask people in the arts and creative communities of Western Australia what they think of this government. If they ever turn up to a show, they should ask those people what they think. The member for Darling Range knows. They are ecstatic with the support they are getting now. They see this as the birth of a new era in the arts and creative communities in this state. They see this as the flowering of a new twenty-first century Western Australian culture, the likes of which the state has never seen before. We have to broaden the base of the economy and reach out for new trade partners; hence, we go to places such as Russia. We have to broaden the base of our economic activity. We have to highlight the scientific capacity of the community and invest in research and people so that we create the circumstances to achieve long-term economic success. That is what we have done in under eight years. We had a situation in which the state’s economy was in decline, the unemployment rate was nearly double digits, and there was 30 per cent youth unemployment. We have a very different situation today. I think this government and the people who formed it from day one—I am talking about every member of this government from those years on—have a lot to be proud of. When we announce that there is funding for the sports stadium, the Museum, the Perth foreshore development and 26 new schools, that there are billions of dollars for the hospital system and that we are running a surplus, every member who sits on this side of Parliament has a right to feel proud of their contribution. I have said previously that all great and successful societies invest in the physical infrastructure of their economy. They build things. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
Mr C.J. Barnett : It was not. Don’t be ridiculous. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was. It had suffered from the incompetence of ministers who had no idea what they were doing. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Cottesloe, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Now we have a thriving economy, with virtually full employment. What did I inherit as education minister? Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Do members know what we inherited in education? We inherited a structural model that was probably 40 years old. Schoolchildren could still leave school at the age of 14. The compulsory retention age was 15. The retention figure was 60 per cent and declining. In places such as Bunbury, in the modern economy that we were trying to shape, less than 50 per cent of boys proceeded past year 10 to year 12. What did we have? We had youth unemployment in excess of 30 per cent; youths were undereducated, undertrained and unemployed, which built in long-term social dysfunction. We reversed all that. We made massive changes to the industrial model so that people could undertake training to become tradespeople according to their capacity to advance, rather than under the old four-year system. It took a heck of a lot of work to get agreement on that model. The whole system is now geared up for a modern economy. I remember when we undertook these processes that there was criticism that it could not be done; it was too expensive and difficult. It has happened. We are the envy of the country. What has happened in the area of the arts? Members should ask people in the arts and creative communities of Western Australia what they think of this government. If they ever turn up to a show, they should ask those people what they think. The member for Darling Range knows. They are ecstatic with the support they are getting now. They see this as the birth of a new era in the arts and creative communities in this state. They see this as the flowering of a new twenty-first century Western Australian culture, the likes of which the state has never seen before. We have to broaden the base of the economy and reach out for new trade partners; hence, we go to places such as Russia. We have to broaden the base of our economic activity. We have to highlight the scientific capacity of the community and invest in research and people so that we create the circumstances to achieve long-term economic success. That is what we have done in under eight years. We had a situation in which the state’s economy was in decline, the unemployment rate was nearly double digits, and there was 30 per cent youth unemployment. We have a very different situation today. I think this government and the people who formed it from day one—I am talking about every member of this government from those years on—have a lot to be proud of. When we announce that there is funding for the sports stadium, the Museum, the Perth foreshore development and 26 new schools, that there are billions of dollars for the hospital system and that we are running a surplus, every member who sits on this side of Parliament has a right to feel proud of their contribution. I have said previously that all great and successful societies invest in the physical infrastructure of their economy. They build things. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was. It had suffered from the incompetence of ministers who had no idea what they were doing. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Cottesloe, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Now we have a thriving economy, with virtually full employment. What did I inherit as education minister? Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Do members know what we inherited in education? We inherited a structural model that was probably 40 years old. Schoolchildren could still leave school at the age of 14. The compulsory retention age was 15. The retention figure was 60 per cent and declining. In places such as Bunbury, in the modern economy that we were trying to shape, less than 50 per cent of boys proceeded past year 10 to year 12. What did we have? We had youth unemployment in excess of 30 per cent; youths were undereducated, undertrained and unemployed, which built in long-term social dysfunction. We reversed all that. We made massive changes to the industrial model so that people could undertake training to become tradespeople according to their capacity to advance, rather than under the old four-year system. It took a heck of a lot of work to get agreement on that model. The whole system is now geared up for a modern economy. I remember when we undertook these processes that there was criticism that it could not be done; it was too expensive and difficult. It has happened. We are the envy of the country. What has happened in the area of the arts? Members should ask people in the arts and creative communities of Western Australia what they think of this government. If they ever turn up to a show, they should ask those people what they think. The member for Darling Range knows. They are ecstatic with the support they are getting now. They see this as the birth of a new era in the arts and creative communities in this state. They see this as the flowering of a new twenty-first century Western Australian culture, the likes of which the state has never seen before. We have to broaden the base of the economy and reach out for new trade partners; hence, we go to places such as Russia. We have to broaden the base of our economic activity. We have to highlight the scientific capacity of the community and invest in research and people so that we create the circumstances to achieve long-term economic success. That is what we have done in under eight years. We had a situation in which the state’s economy was in decline, the unemployment rate was nearly double digits, and there was 30 per cent youth unemployment. We have a very different situation today. I think this government and the people who formed it from day one—I am talking about every member of this government from those years on—have a lot to be proud of. When we announce that there is funding for the sports stadium, the Museum, the Perth foreshore development and 26 new schools, that there are billions of dollars for the hospital system and that we are running a surplus, every member who sits on this side of Parliament has a right to feel proud of their contribution. I have said previously that all great and successful societies invest in the physical infrastructure of their economy. They build things. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call the member for Cottesloe, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Now we have a thriving economy, with virtually full employment. What did I inherit as education minister? Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Do members know what we inherited in education? We inherited a structural model that was probably 40 years old. Schoolchildren could still leave school at the age of 14. The compulsory retention age was 15. The retention figure was 60 per cent and declining. In places such as Bunbury, in the modern economy that we were trying to shape, less than 50 per cent of boys proceeded past year 10 to year 12. What did we have? We had youth unemployment in excess of 30 per cent; youths were undereducated, undertrained and unemployed, which built in long-term social dysfunction. We reversed all that. We made massive changes to the industrial model so that people could undertake training to become tradespeople according to their capacity to advance, rather than under the old four-year system. It took a heck of a lot of work to get agreement on that model. The whole system is now geared up for a modern economy. I remember when we undertook these processes that there was criticism that it could not be done; it was too expensive and difficult. It has happened. We are the envy of the country. What has happened in the area of the arts? Members should ask people in the arts and creative communities of Western Australia what they think of this government. If they ever turn up to a show, they should ask those people what they think. The member for Darling Range knows. They are ecstatic with the support they are getting now. They see this as the birth of a new era in the arts and creative communities in this state. They see this as the flowering of a new twenty-first century Western Australian culture, the likes of which the state has never seen before. We have to broaden the base of the economy and reach out for new trade partners; hence, we go to places such as Russia. We have to broaden the base of our economic activity. We have to highlight the scientific capacity of the community and invest in research and people so that we create the circumstances to achieve long-term economic success. That is what we have done in under eight years. We had a situation in which the state’s economy was in decline, the unemployment rate was nearly double digits, and there was 30 per cent youth unemployment. We have a very different situation today. I think this government and the people who formed it from day one—I am talking about every member of this government from those years on—have a lot to be proud of. When we announce that there is funding for the sports stadium, the Museum, the Perth foreshore development and 26 new schools, that there are billions of dollars for the hospital system and that we are running a surplus, every member who sits on this side of Parliament has a right to feel proud of their contribution. I have said previously that all great and successful societies invest in the physical infrastructure of their economy. They build things. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
The SPEAKER : I call the member for Cottesloe, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Opposition to order. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Now we have a thriving economy, with virtually full employment. What did I inherit as education minister? Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Do members know what we inherited in education? We inherited a structural model that was probably 40 years old. Schoolchildren could still leave school at the age of 14. The compulsory retention age was 15. The retention figure was 60 per cent and declining. In places such as Bunbury, in the modern economy that we were trying to shape, less than 50 per cent of boys proceeded past year 10 to year 12. What did we have? We had youth unemployment in excess of 30 per cent; youths were undereducated, undertrained and unemployed, which built in long-term social dysfunction. We reversed all that. We made massive changes to the industrial model so that people could undertake training to become tradespeople according to their capacity to advance, rather than under the old four-year system. It took a heck of a lot of work to get agreement on that model. The whole system is now geared up for a modern economy. I remember when we undertook these processes that there was criticism that it could not be done; it was too expensive and difficult. It has happened. We are the envy of the country. What has happened in the area of the arts? Members should ask people in the arts and creative communities of Western Australia what they think of this government. If they ever turn up to a show, they should ask those people what they think. The member for Darling Range knows. They are ecstatic with the support they are getting now. They see this as the birth of a new era in the arts and creative communities in this state. They see this as the flowering of a new twenty-first century Western Australian culture, the likes of which the state has never seen before. We have to broaden the base of the economy and reach out for new trade partners; hence, we go to places such as Russia. We have to broaden the base of our economic activity. We have to highlight the scientific capacity of the community and invest in research and people so that we create the circumstances to achieve long-term economic success. That is what we have done in under eight years. We had a situation in which the state’s economy was in decline, the unemployment rate was nearly double digits, and there was 30 per cent youth unemployment. We have a very different situation today. I think this government and the people who formed it from day one—I am talking about every member of this government from those years on—have a lot to be proud of. When we announce that there is funding for the sports stadium, the Museum, the Perth foreshore development and 26 new schools, that there are billions of dollars for the hospital system and that we are running a surplus, every member who sits on this side of Parliament has a right to feel proud of their contribution. I have said previously that all great and successful societies invest in the physical infrastructure of their economy. They build things. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Now we have a thriving economy, with virtually full employment. What did I inherit as education minister? Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Do members know what we inherited in education? We inherited a structural model that was probably 40 years old. Schoolchildren could still leave school at the age of 14. The compulsory retention age was 15. The retention figure was 60 per cent and declining. In places such as Bunbury, in the modern economy that we were trying to shape, less than 50 per cent of boys proceeded past year 10 to year 12. What did we have? We had youth unemployment in excess of 30 per cent; youths were undereducated, undertrained and unemployed, which built in long-term social dysfunction. We reversed all that. We made massive changes to the industrial model so that people could undertake training to become tradespeople according to their capacity to advance, rather than under the old four-year system. It took a heck of a lot of work to get agreement on that model. The whole system is now geared up for a modern economy. I remember when we undertook these processes that there was criticism that it could not be done; it was too expensive and difficult. It has happened. We are the envy of the country. What has happened in the area of the arts? Members should ask people in the arts and creative communities of Western Australia what they think of this government. If they ever turn up to a show, they should ask those people what they think. The member for Darling Range knows. They are ecstatic with the support they are getting now. They see this as the birth of a new era in the arts and creative communities in this state. They see this as the flowering of a new twenty-first century Western Australian culture, the likes of which the state has never seen before. We have to broaden the base of the economy and reach out for new trade partners; hence, we go to places such as Russia. We have to broaden the base of our economic activity. We have to highlight the scientific capacity of the community and invest in research and people so that we create the circumstances to achieve long-term economic success. That is what we have done in under eight years. We had a situation in which the state’s economy was in decline, the unemployment rate was nearly double digits, and there was 30 per cent youth unemployment. We have a very different situation today. I think this government and the people who formed it from day one—I am talking about every member of this government from those years on—have a lot to be proud of. When we announce that there is funding for the sports stadium, the Museum, the Perth foreshore development and 26 new schools, that there are billions of dollars for the hospital system and that we are running a surplus, every member who sits on this side of Parliament has a right to feel proud of their contribution. I have said previously that all great and successful societies invest in the physical infrastructure of their economy. They build things. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
Mr C.J. Barnett interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Do members know what we inherited in education? We inherited a structural model that was probably 40 years old. Schoolchildren could still leave school at the age of 14. The compulsory retention age was 15. The retention figure was 60 per cent and declining. In places such as Bunbury, in the modern economy that we were trying to shape, less than 50 per cent of boys proceeded past year 10 to year 12. What did we have? We had youth unemployment in excess of 30 per cent; youths were undereducated, undertrained and unemployed, which built in long-term social dysfunction. We reversed all that. We made massive changes to the industrial model so that people could undertake training to become tradespeople according to their capacity to advance, rather than under the old four-year system. It took a heck of a lot of work to get agreement on that model. The whole system is now geared up for a modern economy. I remember when we undertook these processes that there was criticism that it could not be done; it was too expensive and difficult. It has happened. We are the envy of the country. What has happened in the area of the arts? Members should ask people in the arts and creative communities of Western Australia what they think of this government. If they ever turn up to a show, they should ask those people what they think. The member for Darling Range knows. They are ecstatic with the support they are getting now. They see this as the birth of a new era in the arts and creative communities in this state. They see this as the flowering of a new twenty-first century Western Australian culture, the likes of which the state has never seen before. We have to broaden the base of the economy and reach out for new trade partners; hence, we go to places such as Russia. We have to broaden the base of our economic activity. We have to highlight the scientific capacity of the community and invest in research and people so that we create the circumstances to achieve long-term economic success. That is what we have done in under eight years. We had a situation in which the state’s economy was in decline, the unemployment rate was nearly double digits, and there was 30 per cent youth unemployment. We have a very different situation today. I think this government and the people who formed it from day one—I am talking about every member of this government from those years on—have a lot to be proud of. When we announce that there is funding for the sports stadium, the Museum, the Perth foreshore development and 26 new schools, that there are billions of dollars for the hospital system and that we are running a surplus, every member who sits on this side of Parliament has a right to feel proud of their contribution. I have said previously that all great and successful societies invest in the physical infrastructure of their economy. They build things. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Do members know what we inherited in education? We inherited a structural model that was probably 40 years old. Schoolchildren could still leave school at the age of 14. The compulsory retention age was 15. The retention figure was 60 per cent and declining. In places such as Bunbury, in the modern economy that we were trying to shape, less than 50 per cent of boys proceeded past year 10 to year 12. What did we have? We had youth unemployment in excess of 30 per cent; youths were undereducated, undertrained and unemployed, which built in long-term social dysfunction. We reversed all that. We made massive changes to the industrial model so that people could undertake training to become tradespeople according to their capacity to advance, rather than under the old four-year system. It took a heck of a lot of work to get agreement on that model. The whole system is now geared up for a modern economy. I remember when we undertook these processes that there was criticism that it could not be done; it was too expensive and difficult. It has happened. We are the envy of the country. What has happened in the area of the arts? Members should ask people in the arts and creative communities of Western Australia what they think of this government. If they ever turn up to a show, they should ask those people what they think. The member for Darling Range knows. They are ecstatic with the support they are getting now. They see this as the birth of a new era in the arts and creative communities in this state. They see this as the flowering of a new twenty-first century Western Australian culture, the likes of which the state has never seen before. We have to broaden the base of the economy and reach out for new trade partners; hence, we go to places such as Russia. We have to broaden the base of our economic activity. We have to highlight the scientific capacity of the community and invest in research and people so that we create the circumstances to achieve long-term economic success. That is what we have done in under eight years. We had a situation in which the state’s economy was in decline, the unemployment rate was nearly double digits, and there was 30 per cent youth unemployment. We have a very different situation today. I think this government and the people who formed it from day one—I am talking about every member of this government from those years on—have a lot to be proud of. When we announce that there is funding for the sports stadium, the Museum, the Perth foreshore development and 26 new schools, that there are billions of dollars for the hospital system and that we are running a surplus, every member who sits on this side of Parliament has a right to feel proud of their contribution. I have said previously that all great and successful societies invest in the physical infrastructure of their economy. They build things. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
What has happened in the area of the arts? Members should ask people in the arts and creative communities of Western Australia what they think of this government. If they ever turn up to a show, they should ask those people what they think. The member for Darling Range knows. They are ecstatic with the support they are getting now. They see this as the birth of a new era in the arts and creative communities in this state. They see this as the flowering of a new twenty-first century Western Australian culture, the likes of which the state has never seen before. We have to broaden the base of the economy and reach out for new trade partners; hence, we go to places such as Russia. We have to broaden the base of our economic activity. We have to highlight the scientific capacity of the community and invest in research and people so that we create the circumstances to achieve long-term economic success. That is what we have done in under eight years. We had a situation in which the state’s economy was in decline, the unemployment rate was nearly double digits, and there was 30 per cent youth unemployment. We have a very different situation today. I think this government and the people who formed it from day one—I am talking about every member of this government from those years on—have a lot to be proud of. When we announce that there is funding for the sports stadium, the Museum, the Perth foreshore development and 26 new schools, that there are billions of dollars for the hospital system and that we are running a surplus, every member who sits on this side of Parliament has a right to feel proud of their contribution. I have said previously that all great and successful societies invest in the physical infrastructure of their economy. They build things. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : They invest in their creative talents. They educate and train their people. They invest in science and innovation, in the arts and in creative people. That is what we are doing on a scale that has never been matched before in the history of this state. I am proud that every member on this side of the chamber has played a pivotal role in bringing that about.
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