❓ Mr. Watson questions the Premier's lack of support for decentralising government departments to regional areas, specifically Albany. The Premier defends the government's focus on Bunbury as a second administrative centre.
AnsweredQoN 13Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS — DECENTRALISATION
13. Mr P.B. WATSON to the Premier:
I refer to the Premier's statement on Wednesday last
week that he will not move a government department to Albany.
(1) Why does
the Premier not support a government department like the Department of Local
Government moving to Albany?
(2) Given
that the government has been in power for nearly four years, why has there been
no move by a government department to any of the regions?
13. Mr P.B. WATSON to the Premier:
I refer to the Premier's statement on Wednesday last
week that he will not move a government department to Albany.
(1) Why does
the Premier not support a government department like the Department of Local
Government moving to Albany?
(2) Given
that the government has been in power for nearly four years, why has there been
no move by a government department to any of the regions?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I think there is great scope
for decentralising government employment and government accommodation, and
indeed a number of measures are under way in the metropolitan area. As I and
others have said repeatedly —
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Thank you, members!
Mr C.J.
BARNETT: I am happy to answer the question.
The state
government sees Bunbury as the second centre of administration for Western
Australia.
Mr F.M.
Logan : What about Mandurah?
Mr C.J. BARNETT: Mandurah is in the
metropolitan area as far as I am concerned.
Mr D.A.
Templeman : I hope Hansard got that!
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Thank you, members!
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
The focus of this government is on creating a second centre of government
administration, and we have identified Bunbury as that.
Mr P. Papalia : You're
just steaming ahead with that, aren't you—full steam ahead!
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
We would appreciate greater cooperation from the local councils in Bunbury—Bunbury
and its surroundings; we would.
Mr M. McGowan :
What have they done to stop it?
The SPEAKER : Thank
you, members!
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
It is not the Leader of the Opposition's question; it is the member for
Albany's question.
The Liberal Party was in Albany a week ago—fantastic
city; great town; great hospitality. Some of the people walking along Middleton
Beach were a bit odd. But, apart from that, what the member's question
relates to is a policy announcement by the new Leader of the Opposition. Can I
make it quite clear to the Leader of the Opposition, to the public and to the
media: if people want to question Labor Party policy, ask the Labor leader, not
the Liberal leader.
for decentralising government employment and government accommodation, and
indeed a number of measures are under way in the metropolitan area. As I and
others have said repeatedly —
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Thank you, members!
Mr C.J.
BARNETT: I am happy to answer the question.
The state
government sees Bunbury as the second centre of administration for Western
Australia.
Mr F.M.
Logan : What about Mandurah?
Mr C.J. BARNETT: Mandurah is in the
metropolitan area as far as I am concerned.
Mr D.A.
Templeman : I hope Hansard got that!
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Thank you, members!
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
The focus of this government is on creating a second centre of government
administration, and we have identified Bunbury as that.
Mr P. Papalia : You're
just steaming ahead with that, aren't you—full steam ahead!
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
We would appreciate greater cooperation from the local councils in Bunbury—Bunbury
and its surroundings; we would.
Mr M. McGowan :
What have they done to stop it?
The SPEAKER : Thank
you, members!
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
It is not the Leader of the Opposition's question; it is the member for
Albany's question.
The Liberal Party was in Albany a week ago—fantastic
city; great town; great hospitality. Some of the people walking along Middleton
Beach were a bit odd. But, apart from that, what the member's question
relates to is a policy announcement by the new Leader of the Opposition. Can I
make it quite clear to the Leader of the Opposition, to the public and to the
media: if people want to question Labor Party policy, ask the Labor leader, not
the Liberal leader.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.