❓ Mr. Bowler raises concerns about the impact of the proposed federal resource super profits tax on the WA mining industry. Premier Barnett criticizes the tax, highlighting potential negative consequences and calling for its abandonment or significant modification.
AnsweredQoN 191Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
RESOURCES SECTOR — RESOURCE SUPER PROFITS TAX
A couple of nickel mines in my electorate are still closed. Despite the gold price, I have a couple of mines that are struggling. I have a uranium industry that wants to get off the ground. I believe all this is now under threat because of the federal government’s proposed super tax. Can the Premier elaborate his point to the house that the six per cent is not a super profit? Mr C.J. BARNETT
A couple of nickel mines in my electorate are still closed. Despite the gold price, I have a couple of mines that are struggling. I have a uranium industry that wants to get off the ground. I believe all this is now under threat because of the federal government’s proposed super tax. Can the Premier elaborate his point to the house that the six per cent is not a super profit? Mr C.J. BARNETT
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Kalgoorlie for the question. He is literally at the mine face in his electorate and seeing the effects of this proposal. Mine employees are concerned—and rightly they should be. If we look at the consequence of the announcement on Sunday by the Prime Minister, with the release of the Henry tax review, we have already seen $16 billion taken off the share market valuation of Australia’s top 100 mining companies. The market is informed. That is the immediate valuation or negative valuation of the effect of the proposal. It is creating great uncertainty. As the member for Kalgoorlie indicated, the nickel industry is not in great shape; it is still struggling. Some nickel mines that closed during the downturn in the global market have yet to reopen, and are probably far off that. Not all gold producers are doing well, despite high gold prices. As I said yesterday, I hope that the Prime Minister will abandon this proposal. It is ill thought out. The more and more one looks at the detail, the more obvious it is that the commonwealth government has very little understanding of the mining industry. It has little understanding of what drives mining industry investment and very little understanding of the vagaries of the industry. What they propose will certainly cost future projects and will probably cost existing marginal projects in this state. This government opposes it. Yesterday I tried to put forward some suggestions. Mr M.P. Whitely : It is not a marginal tax; it is a tax on profits. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Okay. Let us say the member has $100 million. If he could get a guaranteed return of seven per cent, would he put it into a nickel mine? I do not think so. Dr M.D. Nahan : He might! Mr C.J. BARNETT : He might, but a rational investor would not. The member would not take the risk for a seven per cent return. If the federal government is not prepared to abandon this proposal totally, it certainly needs to raise the threshold level very significantly and, probably even more fundamentally, it would need to reduce the rate. A 40 per cent tax on profit is a massive impost. Members on this side of the house have been fair-minded and have looked at some of the detail, and we have made that known to the commonwealth. Where does the Labor Party of Western Australia stand on this issue? Everybody is waiting to hear. It has been 48 hours since the report was released and the Labor Party must have had the opportunity to form its opinion. Does the Leader of the Opposition support the resource super profits tax? Mr E.S. Ripper : If you give a ministerial statement, it will give me an opportunity to reply, and I will do so. Mr C.J. BARNETT : All it takes is either a three-letter word, yes, or a two-letter word, no. It is not that hard. The Leader of the Opposition has had 48 hours to think this through. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the member for Armadale and candidate for Canning support it? Her potential voters need to know today where she stands on this issue. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Will you give me the opportunity to respond? Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will be quiet—yes or no. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I don’t answer yes or no. Mr C.J. BARNETT : The member for Armadale cannot answer yes or no. For the first time in the history of this Parliament the member for Armadale is lost for words; she has nothing to say. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I will not answer yes or no. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : This is a serious issue for this state. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Don’t be so gutless. Give us a chance to respond. You just want a yes or no. Point of Order Mr P.B. WATSON : The question was asked and we have not got an answer yet. Mr M. McGOWAN : The member for Albany — The SPEAKER : Order! Before you proceed, member for Rockingham, there is no point of order from the member for Albany. Now to your point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : Mr Speaker, questions are put to ministers or the Premier, who is also a minister. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have given the member for Rockingham the opportunity to make a point with respect to standing orders. All members should familiarise themselves with how standing orders work. This is your opportunity, member for Rockingham. Mr M. McGOWAN : Standing order 75 states that questions may be asked of ministers, the leader of a party in government and so forth. The Premier should not be asking members of opposing parties questions. That is the way the standing orders work. I would simply ask that the Premier abide by the standing orders. Speaker’s Ruling The SPEAKER : I will give a ruling on that point of order. In this place there is an expectation that members can interject and get some responses. I presume that is what the Premier is endeavouring to do. That is all I can presume; he is endeavouring to get some responses, just as members can interject from either side during question time.
Mr C.J. BARNETT replied: I thank the member for Kalgoorlie for the question. He is literally at the mine face in his electorate and seeing the effects of this proposal. Mine employees are concerned—and rightly they should be. If we look at the consequence of the announcement on Sunday by the Prime Minister, with the release of the Henry tax review, we have already seen $16 billion taken off the share market valuation of Australia’s top 100 mining companies. The market is informed. That is the immediate valuation or negative valuation of the effect of the proposal. It is creating great uncertainty. As the member for Kalgoorlie indicated, the nickel industry is not in great shape; it is still struggling. Some nickel mines that closed during the downturn in the global market have yet to reopen, and are probably far off that. Not all gold producers are doing well, despite high gold prices. As I said yesterday, I hope that the Prime Minister will abandon this proposal. It is ill thought out. The more and more one looks at the detail, the more obvious it is that the commonwealth government has very little understanding of the mining industry. It has little understanding of what drives mining industry investment and very little understanding of the vagaries of the industry. What they propose will certainly cost future projects and will probably cost existing marginal projects in this state. This government opposes it. Yesterday I tried to put forward some suggestions. Mr M.P. Whitely : It is not a marginal tax; it is a tax on profits. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Okay. Let us say the member has $100 million. If he could get a guaranteed return of seven per cent, would he put it into a nickel mine? I do not think so. Dr M.D. Nahan : He might! Mr C.J. BARNETT : He might, but a rational investor would not. The member would not take the risk for a seven per cent return. If the federal government is not prepared to abandon this proposal totally, it certainly needs to raise the threshold level very significantly and, probably even more fundamentally, it would need to reduce the rate. A 40 per cent tax on profit is a massive impost. Members on this side of the house have been fair-minded and have looked at some of the detail, and we have made that known to the commonwealth. Where does the Labor Party of Western Australia stand on this issue? Everybody is waiting to hear. It has been 48 hours since the report was released and the Labor Party must have had the opportunity to form its opinion. Does the Leader of the Opposition support the resource super profits tax? Mr E.S. Ripper : If you give a ministerial statement, it will give me an opportunity to reply, and I will do so. Mr C.J. BARNETT : All it takes is either a three-letter word, yes, or a two-letter word, no. It is not that hard. The Leader of the Opposition has had 48 hours to think this through. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the member for Armadale and candidate for Canning support it? Her potential voters need to know today where she stands on this issue. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Will you give me the opportunity to respond? Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will be quiet—yes or no. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I don’t answer yes or no. Mr C.J. BARNETT : The member for Armadale cannot answer yes or no. For the first time in the history of this Parliament the member for Armadale is lost for words; she has nothing to say. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I will not answer yes or no. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : This is a serious issue for this state. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Don’t be so gutless. Give us a chance to respond. You just want a yes or no. Point of Order Mr P.B. WATSON : The question was asked and we have not got an answer yet. Mr M. McGOWAN : The member for Albany — The SPEAKER : Order! Before you proceed, member for Rockingham, there is no point of order from the member for Albany. Now to your point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : Mr Speaker, questions are put to ministers or the Premier, who is also a minister. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have given the member for Rockingham the opportunity to make a point with respect to standing orders. All members should familiarise themselves with how standing orders work. This is your opportunity, member for Rockingham. Mr M. McGOWAN : Standing order 75 states that questions may be asked of ministers, the leader of a party in government and so forth. The Premier should not be asking members of opposing parties questions. That is the way the standing orders work. I would simply ask that the Premier abide by the standing orders. Speaker’s Ruling The SPEAKER : I will give a ruling on that point of order. In this place there is an expectation that members can interject and get some responses. I presume that is what the Premier is endeavouring to do. That is all I can presume; he is endeavouring to get some responses, just as members can interject from either side during question time.
I thank the member for Kalgoorlie for the question. He is literally at the mine face in his electorate and seeing the effects of this proposal. Mine employees are concerned—and rightly they should be. If we look at the consequence of the announcement on Sunday by the Prime Minister, with the release of the Henry tax review, we have already seen $16 billion taken off the share market valuation of Australia’s top 100 mining companies. The market is informed. That is the immediate valuation or negative valuation of the effect of the proposal. It is creating great uncertainty. As the member for Kalgoorlie indicated, the nickel industry is not in great shape; it is still struggling. Some nickel mines that closed during the downturn in the global market have yet to reopen, and are probably far off that. Not all gold producers are doing well, despite high gold prices. As I said yesterday, I hope that the Prime Minister will abandon this proposal. It is ill thought out. The more and more one looks at the detail, the more obvious it is that the commonwealth government has very little understanding of the mining industry. It has little understanding of what drives mining industry investment and very little understanding of the vagaries of the industry. What they propose will certainly cost future projects and will probably cost existing marginal projects in this state. This government opposes it. Yesterday I tried to put forward some suggestions. Mr M.P. Whitely : It is not a marginal tax; it is a tax on profits. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Okay. Let us say the member has $100 million. If he could get a guaranteed return of seven per cent, would he put it into a nickel mine? I do not think so. Dr M.D. Nahan : He might! Mr C.J. BARNETT : He might, but a rational investor would not. The member would not take the risk for a seven per cent return. If the federal government is not prepared to abandon this proposal totally, it certainly needs to raise the threshold level very significantly and, probably even more fundamentally, it would need to reduce the rate. A 40 per cent tax on profit is a massive impost. Members on this side of the house have been fair-minded and have looked at some of the detail, and we have made that known to the commonwealth. Where does the Labor Party of Western Australia stand on this issue? Everybody is waiting to hear. It has been 48 hours since the report was released and the Labor Party must have had the opportunity to form its opinion. Does the Leader of the Opposition support the resource super profits tax? Mr E.S. Ripper : If you give a ministerial statement, it will give me an opportunity to reply, and I will do so. Mr C.J. BARNETT : All it takes is either a three-letter word, yes, or a two-letter word, no. It is not that hard. The Leader of the Opposition has had 48 hours to think this through. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the member for Armadale and candidate for Canning support it? Her potential voters need to know today where she stands on this issue. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Will you give me the opportunity to respond? Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will be quiet—yes or no. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I don’t answer yes or no. Mr C.J. BARNETT : The member for Armadale cannot answer yes or no. For the first time in the history of this Parliament the member for Armadale is lost for words; she has nothing to say. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I will not answer yes or no. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : This is a serious issue for this state. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Don’t be so gutless. Give us a chance to respond. You just want a yes or no. Point of Order Mr P.B. WATSON : The question was asked and we have not got an answer yet. Mr M. McGOWAN : The member for Albany — The SPEAKER : Order! Before you proceed, member for Rockingham, there is no point of order from the member for Albany. Now to your point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : Mr Speaker, questions are put to ministers or the Premier, who is also a minister. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have given the member for Rockingham the opportunity to make a point with respect to standing orders. All members should familiarise themselves with how standing orders work. This is your opportunity, member for Rockingham. Mr M. McGOWAN : Standing order 75 states that questions may be asked of ministers, the leader of a party in government and so forth. The Premier should not be asking members of opposing parties questions. That is the way the standing orders work. I would simply ask that the Premier abide by the standing orders. Speaker’s Ruling The SPEAKER : I will give a ruling on that point of order. In this place there is an expectation that members can interject and get some responses. I presume that is what the Premier is endeavouring to do. That is all I can presume; he is endeavouring to get some responses, just as members can interject from either side during question time.
Mine employees are concerned—and rightly they should be. If we look at the consequence of the announcement on Sunday by the Prime Minister, with the release of the Henry tax review, we have already seen $16 billion taken off the share market valuation of Australia’s top 100 mining companies. The market is informed. That is the immediate valuation or negative valuation of the effect of the proposal. It is creating great uncertainty. As the member for Kalgoorlie indicated, the nickel industry is not in great shape; it is still struggling. Some nickel mines that closed during the downturn in the global market have yet to reopen, and are probably far off that. Not all gold producers are doing well, despite high gold prices. As I said yesterday, I hope that the Prime Minister will abandon this proposal. It is ill thought out. The more and more one looks at the detail, the more obvious it is that the commonwealth government has very little understanding of the mining industry. It has little understanding of what drives mining industry investment and very little understanding of the vagaries of the industry. What they propose will certainly cost future projects and will probably cost existing marginal projects in this state. This government opposes it. Yesterday I tried to put forward some suggestions. Mr M.P. Whitely : It is not a marginal tax; it is a tax on profits. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Okay. Let us say the member has $100 million. If he could get a guaranteed return of seven per cent, would he put it into a nickel mine? I do not think so. Dr M.D. Nahan : He might! Mr C.J. BARNETT : He might, but a rational investor would not. The member would not take the risk for a seven per cent return. If the federal government is not prepared to abandon this proposal totally, it certainly needs to raise the threshold level very significantly and, probably even more fundamentally, it would need to reduce the rate. A 40 per cent tax on profit is a massive impost. Members on this side of the house have been fair-minded and have looked at some of the detail, and we have made that known to the commonwealth. Where does the Labor Party of Western Australia stand on this issue? Everybody is waiting to hear. It has been 48 hours since the report was released and the Labor Party must have had the opportunity to form its opinion. Does the Leader of the Opposition support the resource super profits tax? Mr E.S. Ripper : If you give a ministerial statement, it will give me an opportunity to reply, and I will do so. Mr C.J. BARNETT : All it takes is either a three-letter word, yes, or a two-letter word, no. It is not that hard. The Leader of the Opposition has had 48 hours to think this through. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the member for Armadale and candidate for Canning support it? Her potential voters need to know today where she stands on this issue. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Will you give me the opportunity to respond? Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will be quiet—yes or no. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I don’t answer yes or no. Mr C.J. BARNETT : The member for Armadale cannot answer yes or no. For the first time in the history of this Parliament the member for Armadale is lost for words; she has nothing to say. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I will not answer yes or no. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : This is a serious issue for this state. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Don’t be so gutless. Give us a chance to respond. You just want a yes or no. Point of Order Mr P.B. WATSON : The question was asked and we have not got an answer yet. Mr M. McGOWAN : The member for Albany — The SPEAKER : Order! Before you proceed, member for Rockingham, there is no point of order from the member for Albany. Now to your point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : Mr Speaker, questions are put to ministers or the Premier, who is also a minister. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have given the member for Rockingham the opportunity to make a point with respect to standing orders. All members should familiarise themselves with how standing orders work. This is your opportunity, member for Rockingham. Mr M. McGOWAN : Standing order 75 states that questions may be asked of ministers, the leader of a party in government and so forth. The Premier should not be asking members of opposing parties questions. That is the way the standing orders work. I would simply ask that the Premier abide by the standing orders. Speaker’s Ruling The SPEAKER : I will give a ruling on that point of order. In this place there is an expectation that members can interject and get some responses. I presume that is what the Premier is endeavouring to do. That is all I can presume; he is endeavouring to get some responses, just as members can interject from either side during question time.
As I said yesterday, I hope that the Prime Minister will abandon this proposal. It is ill thought out. The more and more one looks at the detail, the more obvious it is that the commonwealth government has very little understanding of the mining industry. It has little understanding of what drives mining industry investment and very little understanding of the vagaries of the industry. What they propose will certainly cost future projects and will probably cost existing marginal projects in this state. This government opposes it. Yesterday I tried to put forward some suggestions. Mr M.P. Whitely : It is not a marginal tax; it is a tax on profits. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Okay. Let us say the member has $100 million. If he could get a guaranteed return of seven per cent, would he put it into a nickel mine? I do not think so. Dr M.D. Nahan : He might! Mr C.J. BARNETT : He might, but a rational investor would not. The member would not take the risk for a seven per cent return. If the federal government is not prepared to abandon this proposal totally, it certainly needs to raise the threshold level very significantly and, probably even more fundamentally, it would need to reduce the rate. A 40 per cent tax on profit is a massive impost. Members on this side of the house have been fair-minded and have looked at some of the detail, and we have made that known to the commonwealth. Where does the Labor Party of Western Australia stand on this issue? Everybody is waiting to hear. It has been 48 hours since the report was released and the Labor Party must have had the opportunity to form its opinion. Does the Leader of the Opposition support the resource super profits tax? Mr E.S. Ripper : If you give a ministerial statement, it will give me an opportunity to reply, and I will do so. Mr C.J. BARNETT : All it takes is either a three-letter word, yes, or a two-letter word, no. It is not that hard. The Leader of the Opposition has had 48 hours to think this through. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the member for Armadale and candidate for Canning support it? Her potential voters need to know today where she stands on this issue. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Will you give me the opportunity to respond? Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will be quiet—yes or no. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I don’t answer yes or no. Mr C.J. BARNETT : The member for Armadale cannot answer yes or no. For the first time in the history of this Parliament the member for Armadale is lost for words; she has nothing to say. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I will not answer yes or no. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : This is a serious issue for this state. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Don’t be so gutless. Give us a chance to respond. You just want a yes or no. Point of Order Mr P.B. WATSON : The question was asked and we have not got an answer yet. Mr M. McGOWAN : The member for Albany — The SPEAKER : Order! Before you proceed, member for Rockingham, there is no point of order from the member for Albany. Now to your point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : Mr Speaker, questions are put to ministers or the Premier, who is also a minister. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have given the member for Rockingham the opportunity to make a point with respect to standing orders. All members should familiarise themselves with how standing orders work. This is your opportunity, member for Rockingham. Mr M. McGOWAN : Standing order 75 states that questions may be asked of ministers, the leader of a party in government and so forth. The Premier should not be asking members of opposing parties questions. That is the way the standing orders work. I would simply ask that the Premier abide by the standing orders. Speaker’s Ruling The SPEAKER : I will give a ruling on that point of order. In this place there is an expectation that members can interject and get some responses. I presume that is what the Premier is endeavouring to do. That is all I can presume; he is endeavouring to get some responses, just as members can interject from either side during question time.
Mr M.P. Whitely : It is not a marginal tax; it is a tax on profits. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Okay. Let us say the member has $100 million. If he could get a guaranteed return of seven per cent, would he put it into a nickel mine? I do not think so. Dr M.D. Nahan : He might! Mr C.J. BARNETT : He might, but a rational investor would not. The member would not take the risk for a seven per cent return. If the federal government is not prepared to abandon this proposal totally, it certainly needs to raise the threshold level very significantly and, probably even more fundamentally, it would need to reduce the rate. A 40 per cent tax on profit is a massive impost. Members on this side of the house have been fair-minded and have looked at some of the detail, and we have made that known to the commonwealth. Where does the Labor Party of Western Australia stand on this issue? Everybody is waiting to hear. It has been 48 hours since the report was released and the Labor Party must have had the opportunity to form its opinion. Does the Leader of the Opposition support the resource super profits tax? Mr E.S. Ripper : If you give a ministerial statement, it will give me an opportunity to reply, and I will do so. Mr C.J. BARNETT : All it takes is either a three-letter word, yes, or a two-letter word, no. It is not that hard. The Leader of the Opposition has had 48 hours to think this through. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the member for Armadale and candidate for Canning support it? Her potential voters need to know today where she stands on this issue. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Will you give me the opportunity to respond? Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will be quiet—yes or no. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I don’t answer yes or no. Mr C.J. BARNETT : The member for Armadale cannot answer yes or no. For the first time in the history of this Parliament the member for Armadale is lost for words; she has nothing to say. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I will not answer yes or no. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : This is a serious issue for this state. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Don’t be so gutless. Give us a chance to respond. You just want a yes or no. Point of Order Mr P.B. WATSON : The question was asked and we have not got an answer yet. Mr M. McGOWAN : The member for Albany — The SPEAKER : Order! Before you proceed, member for Rockingham, there is no point of order from the member for Albany. Now to your point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : Mr Speaker, questions are put to ministers or the Premier, who is also a minister. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have given the member for Rockingham the opportunity to make a point with respect to standing orders. All members should familiarise themselves with how standing orders work. This is your opportunity, member for Rockingham. Mr M. McGOWAN : Standing order 75 states that questions may be asked of ministers, the leader of a party in government and so forth. The Premier should not be asking members of opposing parties questions. That is the way the standing orders work. I would simply ask that the Premier abide by the standing orders. Speaker’s Ruling The SPEAKER : I will give a ruling on that point of order. In this place there is an expectation that members can interject and get some responses. I presume that is what the Premier is endeavouring to do. That is all I can presume; he is endeavouring to get some responses, just as members can interject from either side during question time.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : Okay. Let us say the member has $100 million. If he could get a guaranteed return of seven per cent, would he put it into a nickel mine? I do not think so. Dr M.D. Nahan : He might! Mr C.J. BARNETT : He might, but a rational investor would not. The member would not take the risk for a seven per cent return. If the federal government is not prepared to abandon this proposal totally, it certainly needs to raise the threshold level very significantly and, probably even more fundamentally, it would need to reduce the rate. A 40 per cent tax on profit is a massive impost. Members on this side of the house have been fair-minded and have looked at some of the detail, and we have made that known to the commonwealth. Where does the Labor Party of Western Australia stand on this issue? Everybody is waiting to hear. It has been 48 hours since the report was released and the Labor Party must have had the opportunity to form its opinion. Does the Leader of the Opposition support the resource super profits tax? Mr E.S. Ripper : If you give a ministerial statement, it will give me an opportunity to reply, and I will do so. Mr C.J. BARNETT : All it takes is either a three-letter word, yes, or a two-letter word, no. It is not that hard. The Leader of the Opposition has had 48 hours to think this through. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the member for Armadale and candidate for Canning support it? Her potential voters need to know today where she stands on this issue. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Will you give me the opportunity to respond? Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will be quiet—yes or no. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I don’t answer yes or no. Mr C.J. BARNETT : The member for Armadale cannot answer yes or no. For the first time in the history of this Parliament the member for Armadale is lost for words; she has nothing to say. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I will not answer yes or no. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : This is a serious issue for this state. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Don’t be so gutless. Give us a chance to respond. You just want a yes or no. Point of Order Mr P.B. WATSON : The question was asked and we have not got an answer yet. Mr M. McGOWAN : The member for Albany — The SPEAKER : Order! Before you proceed, member for Rockingham, there is no point of order from the member for Albany. Now to your point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : Mr Speaker, questions are put to ministers or the Premier, who is also a minister. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have given the member for Rockingham the opportunity to make a point with respect to standing orders. All members should familiarise themselves with how standing orders work. This is your opportunity, member for Rockingham. Mr M. McGOWAN : Standing order 75 states that questions may be asked of ministers, the leader of a party in government and so forth. The Premier should not be asking members of opposing parties questions. That is the way the standing orders work. I would simply ask that the Premier abide by the standing orders. Speaker’s Ruling The SPEAKER : I will give a ruling on that point of order. In this place there is an expectation that members can interject and get some responses. I presume that is what the Premier is endeavouring to do. That is all I can presume; he is endeavouring to get some responses, just as members can interject from either side during question time.
Dr M.D. Nahan : He might! Mr C.J. BARNETT : He might, but a rational investor would not. The member would not take the risk for a seven per cent return. If the federal government is not prepared to abandon this proposal totally, it certainly needs to raise the threshold level very significantly and, probably even more fundamentally, it would need to reduce the rate. A 40 per cent tax on profit is a massive impost. Members on this side of the house have been fair-minded and have looked at some of the detail, and we have made that known to the commonwealth. Where does the Labor Party of Western Australia stand on this issue? Everybody is waiting to hear. It has been 48 hours since the report was released and the Labor Party must have had the opportunity to form its opinion. Does the Leader of the Opposition support the resource super profits tax? Mr E.S. Ripper : If you give a ministerial statement, it will give me an opportunity to reply, and I will do so. Mr C.J. BARNETT : All it takes is either a three-letter word, yes, or a two-letter word, no. It is not that hard. The Leader of the Opposition has had 48 hours to think this through. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the member for Armadale and candidate for Canning support it? Her potential voters need to know today where she stands on this issue. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Will you give me the opportunity to respond? Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will be quiet—yes or no. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I don’t answer yes or no. Mr C.J. BARNETT : The member for Armadale cannot answer yes or no. For the first time in the history of this Parliament the member for Armadale is lost for words; she has nothing to say. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I will not answer yes or no. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : This is a serious issue for this state. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Don’t be so gutless. Give us a chance to respond. You just want a yes or no. Point of Order Mr P.B. WATSON : The question was asked and we have not got an answer yet. Mr M. McGOWAN : The member for Albany — The SPEAKER : Order! Before you proceed, member for Rockingham, there is no point of order from the member for Albany. Now to your point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : Mr Speaker, questions are put to ministers or the Premier, who is also a minister. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have given the member for Rockingham the opportunity to make a point with respect to standing orders. All members should familiarise themselves with how standing orders work. This is your opportunity, member for Rockingham. Mr M. McGOWAN : Standing order 75 states that questions may be asked of ministers, the leader of a party in government and so forth. The Premier should not be asking members of opposing parties questions. That is the way the standing orders work. I would simply ask that the Premier abide by the standing orders. Speaker’s Ruling The SPEAKER : I will give a ruling on that point of order. In this place there is an expectation that members can interject and get some responses. I presume that is what the Premier is endeavouring to do. That is all I can presume; he is endeavouring to get some responses, just as members can interject from either side during question time.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : He might, but a rational investor would not. The member would not take the risk for a seven per cent return. If the federal government is not prepared to abandon this proposal totally, it certainly needs to raise the threshold level very significantly and, probably even more fundamentally, it would need to reduce the rate. A 40 per cent tax on profit is a massive impost. Members on this side of the house have been fair-minded and have looked at some of the detail, and we have made that known to the commonwealth. Where does the Labor Party of Western Australia stand on this issue? Everybody is waiting to hear. It has been 48 hours since the report was released and the Labor Party must have had the opportunity to form its opinion. Does the Leader of the Opposition support the resource super profits tax? Mr E.S. Ripper : If you give a ministerial statement, it will give me an opportunity to reply, and I will do so. Mr C.J. BARNETT : All it takes is either a three-letter word, yes, or a two-letter word, no. It is not that hard. The Leader of the Opposition has had 48 hours to think this through. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the member for Armadale and candidate for Canning support it? Her potential voters need to know today where she stands on this issue. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Will you give me the opportunity to respond? Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will be quiet—yes or no. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I don’t answer yes or no. Mr C.J. BARNETT : The member for Armadale cannot answer yes or no. For the first time in the history of this Parliament the member for Armadale is lost for words; she has nothing to say. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I will not answer yes or no. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : This is a serious issue for this state. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Don’t be so gutless. Give us a chance to respond. You just want a yes or no. Point of Order Mr P.B. WATSON : The question was asked and we have not got an answer yet. Mr M. McGOWAN : The member for Albany — The SPEAKER : Order! Before you proceed, member for Rockingham, there is no point of order from the member for Albany. Now to your point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : Mr Speaker, questions are put to ministers or the Premier, who is also a minister. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have given the member for Rockingham the opportunity to make a point with respect to standing orders. All members should familiarise themselves with how standing orders work. This is your opportunity, member for Rockingham. Mr M. McGOWAN : Standing order 75 states that questions may be asked of ministers, the leader of a party in government and so forth. The Premier should not be asking members of opposing parties questions. That is the way the standing orders work. I would simply ask that the Premier abide by the standing orders. Speaker’s Ruling The SPEAKER : I will give a ruling on that point of order. In this place there is an expectation that members can interject and get some responses. I presume that is what the Premier is endeavouring to do. That is all I can presume; he is endeavouring to get some responses, just as members can interject from either side during question time.
If the federal government is not prepared to abandon this proposal totally, it certainly needs to raise the threshold level very significantly and, probably even more fundamentally, it would need to reduce the rate. A 40 per cent tax on profit is a massive impost. Members on this side of the house have been fair-minded and have looked at some of the detail, and we have made that known to the commonwealth. Where does the Labor Party of Western Australia stand on this issue? Everybody is waiting to hear. It has been 48 hours since the report was released and the Labor Party must have had the opportunity to form its opinion. Does the Leader of the Opposition support the resource super profits tax? Mr E.S. Ripper : If you give a ministerial statement, it will give me an opportunity to reply, and I will do so. Mr C.J. BARNETT : All it takes is either a three-letter word, yes, or a two-letter word, no. It is not that hard. The Leader of the Opposition has had 48 hours to think this through. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the member for Armadale and candidate for Canning support it? Her potential voters need to know today where she stands on this issue. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Will you give me the opportunity to respond? Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will be quiet—yes or no. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I don’t answer yes or no. Mr C.J. BARNETT : The member for Armadale cannot answer yes or no. For the first time in the history of this Parliament the member for Armadale is lost for words; she has nothing to say. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I will not answer yes or no. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : This is a serious issue for this state. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Don’t be so gutless. Give us a chance to respond. You just want a yes or no. Point of Order Mr P.B. WATSON : The question was asked and we have not got an answer yet. Mr M. McGOWAN : The member for Albany — The SPEAKER : Order! Before you proceed, member for Rockingham, there is no point of order from the member for Albany. Now to your point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : Mr Speaker, questions are put to ministers or the Premier, who is also a minister. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have given the member for Rockingham the opportunity to make a point with respect to standing orders. All members should familiarise themselves with how standing orders work. This is your opportunity, member for Rockingham. Mr M. McGOWAN : Standing order 75 states that questions may be asked of ministers, the leader of a party in government and so forth. The Premier should not be asking members of opposing parties questions. That is the way the standing orders work. I would simply ask that the Premier abide by the standing orders. Speaker’s Ruling The SPEAKER : I will give a ruling on that point of order. In this place there is an expectation that members can interject and get some responses. I presume that is what the Premier is endeavouring to do. That is all I can presume; he is endeavouring to get some responses, just as members can interject from either side during question time.
Where does the Labor Party of Western Australia stand on this issue? Everybody is waiting to hear. It has been 48 hours since the report was released and the Labor Party must have had the opportunity to form its opinion. Does the Leader of the Opposition support the resource super profits tax? Mr E.S. Ripper : If you give a ministerial statement, it will give me an opportunity to reply, and I will do so. Mr C.J. BARNETT : All it takes is either a three-letter word, yes, or a two-letter word, no. It is not that hard. The Leader of the Opposition has had 48 hours to think this through. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the member for Armadale and candidate for Canning support it? Her potential voters need to know today where she stands on this issue. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Will you give me the opportunity to respond? Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will be quiet—yes or no. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I don’t answer yes or no. Mr C.J. BARNETT : The member for Armadale cannot answer yes or no. For the first time in the history of this Parliament the member for Armadale is lost for words; she has nothing to say. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I will not answer yes or no. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : This is a serious issue for this state. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Don’t be so gutless. Give us a chance to respond. You just want a yes or no. Point of Order Mr P.B. WATSON : The question was asked and we have not got an answer yet. Mr M. McGOWAN : The member for Albany — The SPEAKER : Order! Before you proceed, member for Rockingham, there is no point of order from the member for Albany. Now to your point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : Mr Speaker, questions are put to ministers or the Premier, who is also a minister. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have given the member for Rockingham the opportunity to make a point with respect to standing orders. All members should familiarise themselves with how standing orders work. This is your opportunity, member for Rockingham. Mr M. McGOWAN : Standing order 75 states that questions may be asked of ministers, the leader of a party in government and so forth. The Premier should not be asking members of opposing parties questions. That is the way the standing orders work. I would simply ask that the Premier abide by the standing orders. Speaker’s Ruling The SPEAKER : I will give a ruling on that point of order. In this place there is an expectation that members can interject and get some responses. I presume that is what the Premier is endeavouring to do. That is all I can presume; he is endeavouring to get some responses, just as members can interject from either side during question time.
Mr E.S. Ripper : If you give a ministerial statement, it will give me an opportunity to reply, and I will do so. Mr C.J. BARNETT : All it takes is either a three-letter word, yes, or a two-letter word, no. It is not that hard. The Leader of the Opposition has had 48 hours to think this through. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the member for Armadale and candidate for Canning support it? Her potential voters need to know today where she stands on this issue. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Will you give me the opportunity to respond? Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will be quiet—yes or no. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I don’t answer yes or no. Mr C.J. BARNETT : The member for Armadale cannot answer yes or no. For the first time in the history of this Parliament the member for Armadale is lost for words; she has nothing to say. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I will not answer yes or no. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : This is a serious issue for this state. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Don’t be so gutless. Give us a chance to respond. You just want a yes or no. Point of Order Mr P.B. WATSON : The question was asked and we have not got an answer yet. Mr M. McGOWAN : The member for Albany — The SPEAKER : Order! Before you proceed, member for Rockingham, there is no point of order from the member for Albany. Now to your point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : Mr Speaker, questions are put to ministers or the Premier, who is also a minister. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have given the member for Rockingham the opportunity to make a point with respect to standing orders. All members should familiarise themselves with how standing orders work. This is your opportunity, member for Rockingham. Mr M. McGOWAN : Standing order 75 states that questions may be asked of ministers, the leader of a party in government and so forth. The Premier should not be asking members of opposing parties questions. That is the way the standing orders work. I would simply ask that the Premier abide by the standing orders. Speaker’s Ruling The SPEAKER : I will give a ruling on that point of order. In this place there is an expectation that members can interject and get some responses. I presume that is what the Premier is endeavouring to do. That is all I can presume; he is endeavouring to get some responses, just as members can interject from either side during question time.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : All it takes is either a three-letter word, yes, or a two-letter word, no. It is not that hard. The Leader of the Opposition has had 48 hours to think this through. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the member for Armadale and candidate for Canning support it? Her potential voters need to know today where she stands on this issue. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Will you give me the opportunity to respond? Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will be quiet—yes or no. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I don’t answer yes or no. Mr C.J. BARNETT : The member for Armadale cannot answer yes or no. For the first time in the history of this Parliament the member for Armadale is lost for words; she has nothing to say. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I will not answer yes or no. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : This is a serious issue for this state. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Don’t be so gutless. Give us a chance to respond. You just want a yes or no. Point of Order Mr P.B. WATSON : The question was asked and we have not got an answer yet. Mr M. McGOWAN : The member for Albany — The SPEAKER : Order! Before you proceed, member for Rockingham, there is no point of order from the member for Albany. Now to your point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : Mr Speaker, questions are put to ministers or the Premier, who is also a minister. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have given the member for Rockingham the opportunity to make a point with respect to standing orders. All members should familiarise themselves with how standing orders work. This is your opportunity, member for Rockingham. Mr M. McGOWAN : Standing order 75 states that questions may be asked of ministers, the leader of a party in government and so forth. The Premier should not be asking members of opposing parties questions. That is the way the standing orders work. I would simply ask that the Premier abide by the standing orders. Speaker’s Ruling The SPEAKER : I will give a ruling on that point of order. In this place there is an expectation that members can interject and get some responses. I presume that is what the Premier is endeavouring to do. That is all I can presume; he is endeavouring to get some responses, just as members can interject from either side during question time.
Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the member for Armadale and candidate for Canning support it? Her potential voters need to know today where she stands on this issue. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Will you give me the opportunity to respond? Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will be quiet—yes or no. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I don’t answer yes or no. Mr C.J. BARNETT : The member for Armadale cannot answer yes or no. For the first time in the history of this Parliament the member for Armadale is lost for words; she has nothing to say. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I will not answer yes or no. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : This is a serious issue for this state. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Don’t be so gutless. Give us a chance to respond. You just want a yes or no. Point of Order Mr P.B. WATSON : The question was asked and we have not got an answer yet. Mr M. McGOWAN : The member for Albany — The SPEAKER : Order! Before you proceed, member for Rockingham, there is no point of order from the member for Albany. Now to your point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : Mr Speaker, questions are put to ministers or the Premier, who is also a minister. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have given the member for Rockingham the opportunity to make a point with respect to standing orders. All members should familiarise themselves with how standing orders work. This is your opportunity, member for Rockingham. Mr M. McGOWAN : Standing order 75 states that questions may be asked of ministers, the leader of a party in government and so forth. The Premier should not be asking members of opposing parties questions. That is the way the standing orders work. I would simply ask that the Premier abide by the standing orders. Speaker’s Ruling The SPEAKER : I will give a ruling on that point of order. In this place there is an expectation that members can interject and get some responses. I presume that is what the Premier is endeavouring to do. That is all I can presume; he is endeavouring to get some responses, just as members can interject from either side during question time.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the member for Armadale and candidate for Canning support it? Her potential voters need to know today where she stands on this issue. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Will you give me the opportunity to respond? Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will be quiet—yes or no. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I don’t answer yes or no. Mr C.J. BARNETT : The member for Armadale cannot answer yes or no. For the first time in the history of this Parliament the member for Armadale is lost for words; she has nothing to say. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I will not answer yes or no. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : This is a serious issue for this state. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Don’t be so gutless. Give us a chance to respond. You just want a yes or no. Point of Order Mr P.B. WATSON : The question was asked and we have not got an answer yet. Mr M. McGOWAN : The member for Albany — The SPEAKER : Order! Before you proceed, member for Rockingham, there is no point of order from the member for Albany. Now to your point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : Mr Speaker, questions are put to ministers or the Premier, who is also a minister. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have given the member for Rockingham the opportunity to make a point with respect to standing orders. All members should familiarise themselves with how standing orders work. This is your opportunity, member for Rockingham. Mr M. McGOWAN : Standing order 75 states that questions may be asked of ministers, the leader of a party in government and so forth. The Premier should not be asking members of opposing parties questions. That is the way the standing orders work. I would simply ask that the Premier abide by the standing orders. Speaker’s Ruling The SPEAKER : I will give a ruling on that point of order. In this place there is an expectation that members can interject and get some responses. I presume that is what the Premier is endeavouring to do. That is all I can presume; he is endeavouring to get some responses, just as members can interject from either side during question time.
Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Will you give me the opportunity to respond? Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will be quiet—yes or no. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I don’t answer yes or no. Mr C.J. BARNETT : The member for Armadale cannot answer yes or no. For the first time in the history of this Parliament the member for Armadale is lost for words; she has nothing to say. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I will not answer yes or no. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : This is a serious issue for this state. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Don’t be so gutless. Give us a chance to respond. You just want a yes or no. Point of Order Mr P.B. WATSON : The question was asked and we have not got an answer yet. Mr M. McGOWAN : The member for Albany — The SPEAKER : Order! Before you proceed, member for Rockingham, there is no point of order from the member for Albany. Now to your point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : Mr Speaker, questions are put to ministers or the Premier, who is also a minister. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have given the member for Rockingham the opportunity to make a point with respect to standing orders. All members should familiarise themselves with how standing orders work. This is your opportunity, member for Rockingham. Mr M. McGOWAN : Standing order 75 states that questions may be asked of ministers, the leader of a party in government and so forth. The Premier should not be asking members of opposing parties questions. That is the way the standing orders work. I would simply ask that the Premier abide by the standing orders. Speaker’s Ruling The SPEAKER : I will give a ruling on that point of order. In this place there is an expectation that members can interject and get some responses. I presume that is what the Premier is endeavouring to do. That is all I can presume; he is endeavouring to get some responses, just as members can interject from either side during question time.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will be quiet—yes or no. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I don’t answer yes or no. Mr C.J. BARNETT : The member for Armadale cannot answer yes or no. For the first time in the history of this Parliament the member for Armadale is lost for words; she has nothing to say. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I will not answer yes or no. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : This is a serious issue for this state. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Don’t be so gutless. Give us a chance to respond. You just want a yes or no. Point of Order Mr P.B. WATSON : The question was asked and we have not got an answer yet. Mr M. McGOWAN : The member for Albany — The SPEAKER : Order! Before you proceed, member for Rockingham, there is no point of order from the member for Albany. Now to your point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : Mr Speaker, questions are put to ministers or the Premier, who is also a minister. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have given the member for Rockingham the opportunity to make a point with respect to standing orders. All members should familiarise themselves with how standing orders work. This is your opportunity, member for Rockingham. Mr M. McGOWAN : Standing order 75 states that questions may be asked of ministers, the leader of a party in government and so forth. The Premier should not be asking members of opposing parties questions. That is the way the standing orders work. I would simply ask that the Premier abide by the standing orders. Speaker’s Ruling The SPEAKER : I will give a ruling on that point of order. In this place there is an expectation that members can interject and get some responses. I presume that is what the Premier is endeavouring to do. That is all I can presume; he is endeavouring to get some responses, just as members can interject from either side during question time.
Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I don’t answer yes or no. Mr C.J. BARNETT : The member for Armadale cannot answer yes or no. For the first time in the history of this Parliament the member for Armadale is lost for words; she has nothing to say. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I will not answer yes or no. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : This is a serious issue for this state. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Don’t be so gutless. Give us a chance to respond. You just want a yes or no. Point of Order Mr P.B. WATSON : The question was asked and we have not got an answer yet. Mr M. McGOWAN : The member for Albany — The SPEAKER : Order! Before you proceed, member for Rockingham, there is no point of order from the member for Albany. Now to your point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : Mr Speaker, questions are put to ministers or the Premier, who is also a minister. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have given the member for Rockingham the opportunity to make a point with respect to standing orders. All members should familiarise themselves with how standing orders work. This is your opportunity, member for Rockingham. Mr M. McGOWAN : Standing order 75 states that questions may be asked of ministers, the leader of a party in government and so forth. The Premier should not be asking members of opposing parties questions. That is the way the standing orders work. I would simply ask that the Premier abide by the standing orders. Speaker’s Ruling The SPEAKER : I will give a ruling on that point of order. In this place there is an expectation that members can interject and get some responses. I presume that is what the Premier is endeavouring to do. That is all I can presume; he is endeavouring to get some responses, just as members can interject from either side during question time.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : The member for Armadale cannot answer yes or no. For the first time in the history of this Parliament the member for Armadale is lost for words; she has nothing to say. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I will not answer yes or no. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : This is a serious issue for this state. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Don’t be so gutless. Give us a chance to respond. You just want a yes or no. Point of Order Mr P.B. WATSON : The question was asked and we have not got an answer yet. Mr M. McGOWAN : The member for Albany — The SPEAKER : Order! Before you proceed, member for Rockingham, there is no point of order from the member for Albany. Now to your point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : Mr Speaker, questions are put to ministers or the Premier, who is also a minister. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have given the member for Rockingham the opportunity to make a point with respect to standing orders. All members should familiarise themselves with how standing orders work. This is your opportunity, member for Rockingham. Mr M. McGOWAN : Standing order 75 states that questions may be asked of ministers, the leader of a party in government and so forth. The Premier should not be asking members of opposing parties questions. That is the way the standing orders work. I would simply ask that the Premier abide by the standing orders. Speaker’s Ruling The SPEAKER : I will give a ruling on that point of order. In this place there is an expectation that members can interject and get some responses. I presume that is what the Premier is endeavouring to do. That is all I can presume; he is endeavouring to get some responses, just as members can interject from either side during question time.
Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I will not answer yes or no. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : This is a serious issue for this state. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Don’t be so gutless. Give us a chance to respond. You just want a yes or no. Point of Order Mr P.B. WATSON : The question was asked and we have not got an answer yet. Mr M. McGOWAN : The member for Albany — The SPEAKER : Order! Before you proceed, member for Rockingham, there is no point of order from the member for Albany. Now to your point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : Mr Speaker, questions are put to ministers or the Premier, who is also a minister. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have given the member for Rockingham the opportunity to make a point with respect to standing orders. All members should familiarise themselves with how standing orders work. This is your opportunity, member for Rockingham. Mr M. McGOWAN : Standing order 75 states that questions may be asked of ministers, the leader of a party in government and so forth. The Premier should not be asking members of opposing parties questions. That is the way the standing orders work. I would simply ask that the Premier abide by the standing orders. Speaker’s Ruling The SPEAKER : I will give a ruling on that point of order. In this place there is an expectation that members can interject and get some responses. I presume that is what the Premier is endeavouring to do. That is all I can presume; he is endeavouring to get some responses, just as members can interject from either side during question time.
Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : This is a serious issue for this state. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Don’t be so gutless. Give us a chance to respond. You just want a yes or no. Point of Order Mr P.B. WATSON : The question was asked and we have not got an answer yet. Mr M. McGOWAN : The member for Albany — The SPEAKER : Order! Before you proceed, member for Rockingham, there is no point of order from the member for Albany. Now to your point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : Mr Speaker, questions are put to ministers or the Premier, who is also a minister. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have given the member for Rockingham the opportunity to make a point with respect to standing orders. All members should familiarise themselves with how standing orders work. This is your opportunity, member for Rockingham. Mr M. McGOWAN : Standing order 75 states that questions may be asked of ministers, the leader of a party in government and so forth. The Premier should not be asking members of opposing parties questions. That is the way the standing orders work. I would simply ask that the Premier abide by the standing orders. Speaker’s Ruling The SPEAKER : I will give a ruling on that point of order. In this place there is an expectation that members can interject and get some responses. I presume that is what the Premier is endeavouring to do. That is all I can presume; he is endeavouring to get some responses, just as members can interject from either side during question time.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : This is a serious issue for this state. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Don’t be so gutless. Give us a chance to respond. You just want a yes or no. Point of Order Mr P.B. WATSON : The question was asked and we have not got an answer yet. Mr M. McGOWAN : The member for Albany — The SPEAKER : Order! Before you proceed, member for Rockingham, there is no point of order from the member for Albany. Now to your point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : Mr Speaker, questions are put to ministers or the Premier, who is also a minister. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have given the member for Rockingham the opportunity to make a point with respect to standing orders. All members should familiarise themselves with how standing orders work. This is your opportunity, member for Rockingham. Mr M. McGOWAN : Standing order 75 states that questions may be asked of ministers, the leader of a party in government and so forth. The Premier should not be asking members of opposing parties questions. That is the way the standing orders work. I would simply ask that the Premier abide by the standing orders. Speaker’s Ruling The SPEAKER : I will give a ruling on that point of order. In this place there is an expectation that members can interject and get some responses. I presume that is what the Premier is endeavouring to do. That is all I can presume; he is endeavouring to get some responses, just as members can interject from either side during question time.
Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Don’t be so gutless. Give us a chance to respond. You just want a yes or no. Point of Order Mr P.B. WATSON : The question was asked and we have not got an answer yet. Mr M. McGOWAN : The member for Albany — The SPEAKER : Order! Before you proceed, member for Rockingham, there is no point of order from the member for Albany. Now to your point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : Mr Speaker, questions are put to ministers or the Premier, who is also a minister. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have given the member for Rockingham the opportunity to make a point with respect to standing orders. All members should familiarise themselves with how standing orders work. This is your opportunity, member for Rockingham. Mr M. McGOWAN : Standing order 75 states that questions may be asked of ministers, the leader of a party in government and so forth. The Premier should not be asking members of opposing parties questions. That is the way the standing orders work. I would simply ask that the Premier abide by the standing orders. Speaker’s Ruling The SPEAKER : I will give a ruling on that point of order. In this place there is an expectation that members can interject and get some responses. I presume that is what the Premier is endeavouring to do. That is all I can presume; he is endeavouring to get some responses, just as members can interject from either side during question time.
Mr M. McGOWAN : The member for Albany — The SPEAKER : Order! Before you proceed, member for Rockingham, there is no point of order from the member for Albany. Now to your point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : Mr Speaker, questions are put to ministers or the Premier, who is also a minister. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have given the member for Rockingham the opportunity to make a point with respect to standing orders. All members should familiarise themselves with how standing orders work. This is your opportunity, member for Rockingham. Mr M. McGOWAN : Standing order 75 states that questions may be asked of ministers, the leader of a party in government and so forth. The Premier should not be asking members of opposing parties questions. That is the way the standing orders work. I would simply ask that the Premier abide by the standing orders. Speaker’s Ruling The SPEAKER : I will give a ruling on that point of order. In this place there is an expectation that members can interject and get some responses. I presume that is what the Premier is endeavouring to do. That is all I can presume; he is endeavouring to get some responses, just as members can interject from either side during question time.
The SPEAKER : Order! Before you proceed, member for Rockingham, there is no point of order from the member for Albany. Now to your point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : Mr Speaker, questions are put to ministers or the Premier, who is also a minister. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have given the member for Rockingham the opportunity to make a point with respect to standing orders. All members should familiarise themselves with how standing orders work. This is your opportunity, member for Rockingham. Mr M. McGOWAN : Standing order 75 states that questions may be asked of ministers, the leader of a party in government and so forth. The Premier should not be asking members of opposing parties questions. That is the way the standing orders work. I would simply ask that the Premier abide by the standing orders. Speaker’s Ruling The SPEAKER : I will give a ruling on that point of order. In this place there is an expectation that members can interject and get some responses. I presume that is what the Premier is endeavouring to do. That is all I can presume; he is endeavouring to get some responses, just as members can interject from either side during question time.
Mr M. McGOWAN : Mr Speaker, questions are put to ministers or the Premier, who is also a minister. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have given the member for Rockingham the opportunity to make a point with respect to standing orders. All members should familiarise themselves with how standing orders work. This is your opportunity, member for Rockingham. Mr M. McGOWAN : Standing order 75 states that questions may be asked of ministers, the leader of a party in government and so forth. The Premier should not be asking members of opposing parties questions. That is the way the standing orders work. I would simply ask that the Premier abide by the standing orders. Speaker’s Ruling The SPEAKER : I will give a ruling on that point of order. In this place there is an expectation that members can interject and get some responses. I presume that is what the Premier is endeavouring to do. That is all I can presume; he is endeavouring to get some responses, just as members can interject from either side during question time.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have given the member for Rockingham the opportunity to make a point with respect to standing orders. All members should familiarise themselves with how standing orders work. This is your opportunity, member for Rockingham. Mr M. McGOWAN : Standing order 75 states that questions may be asked of ministers, the leader of a party in government and so forth. The Premier should not be asking members of opposing parties questions. That is the way the standing orders work. I would simply ask that the Premier abide by the standing orders. Speaker’s Ruling The SPEAKER : I will give a ruling on that point of order. In this place there is an expectation that members can interject and get some responses. I presume that is what the Premier is endeavouring to do. That is all I can presume; he is endeavouring to get some responses, just as members can interject from either side during question time.
The SPEAKER : Order! I have given the member for Rockingham the opportunity to make a point with respect to standing orders. All members should familiarise themselves with how standing orders work. This is your opportunity, member for Rockingham. Mr M. McGOWAN : Standing order 75 states that questions may be asked of ministers, the leader of a party in government and so forth. The Premier should not be asking members of opposing parties questions. That is the way the standing orders work. I would simply ask that the Premier abide by the standing orders. Speaker’s Ruling The SPEAKER : I will give a ruling on that point of order. In this place there is an expectation that members can interject and get some responses. I presume that is what the Premier is endeavouring to do. That is all I can presume; he is endeavouring to get some responses, just as members can interject from either side during question time.
Mr M. McGOWAN : Standing order 75 states that questions may be asked of ministers, the leader of a party in government and so forth. The Premier should not be asking members of opposing parties questions. That is the way the standing orders work. I would simply ask that the Premier abide by the standing orders. Speaker’s Ruling The SPEAKER : I will give a ruling on that point of order. In this place there is an expectation that members can interject and get some responses. I presume that is what the Premier is endeavouring to do. That is all I can presume; he is endeavouring to get some responses, just as members can interject from either side during question time.
Mr C.J. BARNETT replied: I thank the member for Kalgoorlie for the question. He is literally at the mine face in his electorate and seeing the effects of this proposal. Mine employees are concerned—and rightly they should be. If we look at the consequence of the announcement on Sunday by the Prime Minister, with the release of the Henry tax review, we have already seen $16 billion taken off the share market valuation of Australia’s top 100 mining companies. The market is informed. That is the immediate valuation or negative valuation of the effect of the proposal. It is creating great uncertainty. As the member for Kalgoorlie indicated, the nickel industry is not in great shape; it is still struggling. Some nickel mines that closed during the downturn in the global market have yet to reopen, and are probably far off that. Not all gold producers are doing well, despite high gold prices. As I said yesterday, I hope that the Prime Minister will abandon this proposal. It is ill thought out. The more and more one looks at the detail, the more obvious it is that the commonwealth government has very little understanding of the mining industry. It has little understanding of what drives mining industry investment and very little understanding of the vagaries of the industry. What they propose will certainly cost future projects and will probably cost existing marginal projects in this state. This government opposes it. Yesterday I tried to put forward some suggestions. Mr M.P. Whitely : It is not a marginal tax; it is a tax on profits. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Okay. Let us say the member has $100 million. If he could get a guaranteed return of seven per cent, would he put it into a nickel mine? I do not think so. Dr M.D. Nahan : He might! Mr C.J. BARNETT : He might, but a rational investor would not. The member would not take the risk for a seven per cent return. If the federal government is not prepared to abandon this proposal totally, it certainly needs to raise the threshold level very significantly and, probably even more fundamentally, it would need to reduce the rate. A 40 per cent tax on profit is a massive impost. Members on this side of the house have been fair-minded and have looked at some of the detail, and we have made that known to the commonwealth. Where does the Labor Party of Western Australia stand on this issue? Everybody is waiting to hear. It has been 48 hours since the report was released and the Labor Party must have had the opportunity to form its opinion. Does the Leader of the Opposition support the resource super profits tax? Mr E.S. Ripper : If you give a ministerial statement, it will give me an opportunity to reply, and I will do so. Mr C.J. BARNETT : All it takes is either a three-letter word, yes, or a two-letter word, no. It is not that hard. The Leader of the Opposition has had 48 hours to think this through. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the member for Armadale and candidate for Canning support it? Her potential voters need to know today where she stands on this issue. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Will you give me the opportunity to respond? Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will be quiet—yes or no. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I don’t answer yes or no. Mr C.J. BARNETT : The member for Armadale cannot answer yes or no. For the first time in the history of this Parliament the member for Armadale is lost for words; she has nothing to say. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I will not answer yes or no. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : This is a serious issue for this state. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Don’t be so gutless. Give us a chance to respond. You just want a yes or no. Point of Order Mr P.B. WATSON : The question was asked and we have not got an answer yet. Mr M. McGOWAN : The member for Albany — The SPEAKER : Order! Before you proceed, member for Rockingham, there is no point of order from the member for Albany. Now to your point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : Mr Speaker, questions are put to ministers or the Premier, who is also a minister. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have given the member for Rockingham the opportunity to make a point with respect to standing orders. All members should familiarise themselves with how standing orders work. This is your opportunity, member for Rockingham. Mr M. McGOWAN : Standing order 75 states that questions may be asked of ministers, the leader of a party in government and so forth. The Premier should not be asking members of opposing parties questions. That is the way the standing orders work. I would simply ask that the Premier abide by the standing orders. Speaker’s Ruling The SPEAKER : I will give a ruling on that point of order. In this place there is an expectation that members can interject and get some responses. I presume that is what the Premier is endeavouring to do. That is all I can presume; he is endeavouring to get some responses, just as members can interject from either side during question time.
I thank the member for Kalgoorlie for the question. He is literally at the mine face in his electorate and seeing the effects of this proposal. Mine employees are concerned—and rightly they should be. If we look at the consequence of the announcement on Sunday by the Prime Minister, with the release of the Henry tax review, we have already seen $16 billion taken off the share market valuation of Australia’s top 100 mining companies. The market is informed. That is the immediate valuation or negative valuation of the effect of the proposal. It is creating great uncertainty. As the member for Kalgoorlie indicated, the nickel industry is not in great shape; it is still struggling. Some nickel mines that closed during the downturn in the global market have yet to reopen, and are probably far off that. Not all gold producers are doing well, despite high gold prices. As I said yesterday, I hope that the Prime Minister will abandon this proposal. It is ill thought out. The more and more one looks at the detail, the more obvious it is that the commonwealth government has very little understanding of the mining industry. It has little understanding of what drives mining industry investment and very little understanding of the vagaries of the industry. What they propose will certainly cost future projects and will probably cost existing marginal projects in this state. This government opposes it. Yesterday I tried to put forward some suggestions. Mr M.P. Whitely : It is not a marginal tax; it is a tax on profits. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Okay. Let us say the member has $100 million. If he could get a guaranteed return of seven per cent, would he put it into a nickel mine? I do not think so. Dr M.D. Nahan : He might! Mr C.J. BARNETT : He might, but a rational investor would not. The member would not take the risk for a seven per cent return. If the federal government is not prepared to abandon this proposal totally, it certainly needs to raise the threshold level very significantly and, probably even more fundamentally, it would need to reduce the rate. A 40 per cent tax on profit is a massive impost. Members on this side of the house have been fair-minded and have looked at some of the detail, and we have made that known to the commonwealth. Where does the Labor Party of Western Australia stand on this issue? Everybody is waiting to hear. It has been 48 hours since the report was released and the Labor Party must have had the opportunity to form its opinion. Does the Leader of the Opposition support the resource super profits tax? Mr E.S. Ripper : If you give a ministerial statement, it will give me an opportunity to reply, and I will do so. Mr C.J. BARNETT : All it takes is either a three-letter word, yes, or a two-letter word, no. It is not that hard. The Leader of the Opposition has had 48 hours to think this through. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the member for Armadale and candidate for Canning support it? Her potential voters need to know today where she stands on this issue. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Will you give me the opportunity to respond? Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will be quiet—yes or no. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I don’t answer yes or no. Mr C.J. BARNETT : The member for Armadale cannot answer yes or no. For the first time in the history of this Parliament the member for Armadale is lost for words; she has nothing to say. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I will not answer yes or no. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : This is a serious issue for this state. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Don’t be so gutless. Give us a chance to respond. You just want a yes or no. Point of Order Mr P.B. WATSON : The question was asked and we have not got an answer yet. Mr M. McGOWAN : The member for Albany — The SPEAKER : Order! Before you proceed, member for Rockingham, there is no point of order from the member for Albany. Now to your point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : Mr Speaker, questions are put to ministers or the Premier, who is also a minister. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have given the member for Rockingham the opportunity to make a point with respect to standing orders. All members should familiarise themselves with how standing orders work. This is your opportunity, member for Rockingham. Mr M. McGOWAN : Standing order 75 states that questions may be asked of ministers, the leader of a party in government and so forth. The Premier should not be asking members of opposing parties questions. That is the way the standing orders work. I would simply ask that the Premier abide by the standing orders. Speaker’s Ruling The SPEAKER : I will give a ruling on that point of order. In this place there is an expectation that members can interject and get some responses. I presume that is what the Premier is endeavouring to do. That is all I can presume; he is endeavouring to get some responses, just as members can interject from either side during question time.
Mine employees are concerned—and rightly they should be. If we look at the consequence of the announcement on Sunday by the Prime Minister, with the release of the Henry tax review, we have already seen $16 billion taken off the share market valuation of Australia’s top 100 mining companies. The market is informed. That is the immediate valuation or negative valuation of the effect of the proposal. It is creating great uncertainty. As the member for Kalgoorlie indicated, the nickel industry is not in great shape; it is still struggling. Some nickel mines that closed during the downturn in the global market have yet to reopen, and are probably far off that. Not all gold producers are doing well, despite high gold prices. As I said yesterday, I hope that the Prime Minister will abandon this proposal. It is ill thought out. The more and more one looks at the detail, the more obvious it is that the commonwealth government has very little understanding of the mining industry. It has little understanding of what drives mining industry investment and very little understanding of the vagaries of the industry. What they propose will certainly cost future projects and will probably cost existing marginal projects in this state. This government opposes it. Yesterday I tried to put forward some suggestions. Mr M.P. Whitely : It is not a marginal tax; it is a tax on profits. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Okay. Let us say the member has $100 million. If he could get a guaranteed return of seven per cent, would he put it into a nickel mine? I do not think so. Dr M.D. Nahan : He might! Mr C.J. BARNETT : He might, but a rational investor would not. The member would not take the risk for a seven per cent return. If the federal government is not prepared to abandon this proposal totally, it certainly needs to raise the threshold level very significantly and, probably even more fundamentally, it would need to reduce the rate. A 40 per cent tax on profit is a massive impost. Members on this side of the house have been fair-minded and have looked at some of the detail, and we have made that known to the commonwealth. Where does the Labor Party of Western Australia stand on this issue? Everybody is waiting to hear. It has been 48 hours since the report was released and the Labor Party must have had the opportunity to form its opinion. Does the Leader of the Opposition support the resource super profits tax? Mr E.S. Ripper : If you give a ministerial statement, it will give me an opportunity to reply, and I will do so. Mr C.J. BARNETT : All it takes is either a three-letter word, yes, or a two-letter word, no. It is not that hard. The Leader of the Opposition has had 48 hours to think this through. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the member for Armadale and candidate for Canning support it? Her potential voters need to know today where she stands on this issue. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Will you give me the opportunity to respond? Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will be quiet—yes or no. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I don’t answer yes or no. Mr C.J. BARNETT : The member for Armadale cannot answer yes or no. For the first time in the history of this Parliament the member for Armadale is lost for words; she has nothing to say. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I will not answer yes or no. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : This is a serious issue for this state. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Don’t be so gutless. Give us a chance to respond. You just want a yes or no. Point of Order Mr P.B. WATSON : The question was asked and we have not got an answer yet. Mr M. McGOWAN : The member for Albany — The SPEAKER : Order! Before you proceed, member for Rockingham, there is no point of order from the member for Albany. Now to your point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : Mr Speaker, questions are put to ministers or the Premier, who is also a minister. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have given the member for Rockingham the opportunity to make a point with respect to standing orders. All members should familiarise themselves with how standing orders work. This is your opportunity, member for Rockingham. Mr M. McGOWAN : Standing order 75 states that questions may be asked of ministers, the leader of a party in government and so forth. The Premier should not be asking members of opposing parties questions. That is the way the standing orders work. I would simply ask that the Premier abide by the standing orders. Speaker’s Ruling The SPEAKER : I will give a ruling on that point of order. In this place there is an expectation that members can interject and get some responses. I presume that is what the Premier is endeavouring to do. That is all I can presume; he is endeavouring to get some responses, just as members can interject from either side during question time.
As I said yesterday, I hope that the Prime Minister will abandon this proposal. It is ill thought out. The more and more one looks at the detail, the more obvious it is that the commonwealth government has very little understanding of the mining industry. It has little understanding of what drives mining industry investment and very little understanding of the vagaries of the industry. What they propose will certainly cost future projects and will probably cost existing marginal projects in this state. This government opposes it. Yesterday I tried to put forward some suggestions. Mr M.P. Whitely : It is not a marginal tax; it is a tax on profits. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Okay. Let us say the member has $100 million. If he could get a guaranteed return of seven per cent, would he put it into a nickel mine? I do not think so. Dr M.D. Nahan : He might! Mr C.J. BARNETT : He might, but a rational investor would not. The member would not take the risk for a seven per cent return. If the federal government is not prepared to abandon this proposal totally, it certainly needs to raise the threshold level very significantly and, probably even more fundamentally, it would need to reduce the rate. A 40 per cent tax on profit is a massive impost. Members on this side of the house have been fair-minded and have looked at some of the detail, and we have made that known to the commonwealth. Where does the Labor Party of Western Australia stand on this issue? Everybody is waiting to hear. It has been 48 hours since the report was released and the Labor Party must have had the opportunity to form its opinion. Does the Leader of the Opposition support the resource super profits tax? Mr E.S. Ripper : If you give a ministerial statement, it will give me an opportunity to reply, and I will do so. Mr C.J. BARNETT : All it takes is either a three-letter word, yes, or a two-letter word, no. It is not that hard. The Leader of the Opposition has had 48 hours to think this through. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the member for Armadale and candidate for Canning support it? Her potential voters need to know today where she stands on this issue. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Will you give me the opportunity to respond? Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will be quiet—yes or no. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I don’t answer yes or no. Mr C.J. BARNETT : The member for Armadale cannot answer yes or no. For the first time in the history of this Parliament the member for Armadale is lost for words; she has nothing to say. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I will not answer yes or no. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : This is a serious issue for this state. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Don’t be so gutless. Give us a chance to respond. You just want a yes or no. Point of Order Mr P.B. WATSON : The question was asked and we have not got an answer yet. Mr M. McGOWAN : The member for Albany — The SPEAKER : Order! Before you proceed, member for Rockingham, there is no point of order from the member for Albany. Now to your point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : Mr Speaker, questions are put to ministers or the Premier, who is also a minister. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have given the member for Rockingham the opportunity to make a point with respect to standing orders. All members should familiarise themselves with how standing orders work. This is your opportunity, member for Rockingham. Mr M. McGOWAN : Standing order 75 states that questions may be asked of ministers, the leader of a party in government and so forth. The Premier should not be asking members of opposing parties questions. That is the way the standing orders work. I would simply ask that the Premier abide by the standing orders. Speaker’s Ruling The SPEAKER : I will give a ruling on that point of order. In this place there is an expectation that members can interject and get some responses. I presume that is what the Premier is endeavouring to do. That is all I can presume; he is endeavouring to get some responses, just as members can interject from either side during question time.
Mr M.P. Whitely : It is not a marginal tax; it is a tax on profits. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Okay. Let us say the member has $100 million. If he could get a guaranteed return of seven per cent, would he put it into a nickel mine? I do not think so. Dr M.D. Nahan : He might! Mr C.J. BARNETT : He might, but a rational investor would not. The member would not take the risk for a seven per cent return. If the federal government is not prepared to abandon this proposal totally, it certainly needs to raise the threshold level very significantly and, probably even more fundamentally, it would need to reduce the rate. A 40 per cent tax on profit is a massive impost. Members on this side of the house have been fair-minded and have looked at some of the detail, and we have made that known to the commonwealth. Where does the Labor Party of Western Australia stand on this issue? Everybody is waiting to hear. It has been 48 hours since the report was released and the Labor Party must have had the opportunity to form its opinion. Does the Leader of the Opposition support the resource super profits tax? Mr E.S. Ripper : If you give a ministerial statement, it will give me an opportunity to reply, and I will do so. Mr C.J. BARNETT : All it takes is either a three-letter word, yes, or a two-letter word, no. It is not that hard. The Leader of the Opposition has had 48 hours to think this through. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the member for Armadale and candidate for Canning support it? Her potential voters need to know today where she stands on this issue. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Will you give me the opportunity to respond? Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will be quiet—yes or no. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I don’t answer yes or no. Mr C.J. BARNETT : The member for Armadale cannot answer yes or no. For the first time in the history of this Parliament the member for Armadale is lost for words; she has nothing to say. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I will not answer yes or no. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : This is a serious issue for this state. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Don’t be so gutless. Give us a chance to respond. You just want a yes or no. Point of Order Mr P.B. WATSON : The question was asked and we have not got an answer yet. Mr M. McGOWAN : The member for Albany — The SPEAKER : Order! Before you proceed, member for Rockingham, there is no point of order from the member for Albany. Now to your point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : Mr Speaker, questions are put to ministers or the Premier, who is also a minister. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have given the member for Rockingham the opportunity to make a point with respect to standing orders. All members should familiarise themselves with how standing orders work. This is your opportunity, member for Rockingham. Mr M. McGOWAN : Standing order 75 states that questions may be asked of ministers, the leader of a party in government and so forth. The Premier should not be asking members of opposing parties questions. That is the way the standing orders work. I would simply ask that the Premier abide by the standing orders. Speaker’s Ruling The SPEAKER : I will give a ruling on that point of order. In this place there is an expectation that members can interject and get some responses. I presume that is what the Premier is endeavouring to do. That is all I can presume; he is endeavouring to get some responses, just as members can interject from either side during question time.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : Okay. Let us say the member has $100 million. If he could get a guaranteed return of seven per cent, would he put it into a nickel mine? I do not think so. Dr M.D. Nahan : He might! Mr C.J. BARNETT : He might, but a rational investor would not. The member would not take the risk for a seven per cent return. If the federal government is not prepared to abandon this proposal totally, it certainly needs to raise the threshold level very significantly and, probably even more fundamentally, it would need to reduce the rate. A 40 per cent tax on profit is a massive impost. Members on this side of the house have been fair-minded and have looked at some of the detail, and we have made that known to the commonwealth. Where does the Labor Party of Western Australia stand on this issue? Everybody is waiting to hear. It has been 48 hours since the report was released and the Labor Party must have had the opportunity to form its opinion. Does the Leader of the Opposition support the resource super profits tax? Mr E.S. Ripper : If you give a ministerial statement, it will give me an opportunity to reply, and I will do so. Mr C.J. BARNETT : All it takes is either a three-letter word, yes, or a two-letter word, no. It is not that hard. The Leader of the Opposition has had 48 hours to think this through. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the member for Armadale and candidate for Canning support it? Her potential voters need to know today where she stands on this issue. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Will you give me the opportunity to respond? Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will be quiet—yes or no. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I don’t answer yes or no. Mr C.J. BARNETT : The member for Armadale cannot answer yes or no. For the first time in the history of this Parliament the member for Armadale is lost for words; she has nothing to say. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I will not answer yes or no. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : This is a serious issue for this state. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Don’t be so gutless. Give us a chance to respond. You just want a yes or no. Point of Order Mr P.B. WATSON : The question was asked and we have not got an answer yet. Mr M. McGOWAN : The member for Albany — The SPEAKER : Order! Before you proceed, member for Rockingham, there is no point of order from the member for Albany. Now to your point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : Mr Speaker, questions are put to ministers or the Premier, who is also a minister. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have given the member for Rockingham the opportunity to make a point with respect to standing orders. All members should familiarise themselves with how standing orders work. This is your opportunity, member for Rockingham. Mr M. McGOWAN : Standing order 75 states that questions may be asked of ministers, the leader of a party in government and so forth. The Premier should not be asking members of opposing parties questions. That is the way the standing orders work. I would simply ask that the Premier abide by the standing orders. Speaker’s Ruling The SPEAKER : I will give a ruling on that point of order. In this place there is an expectation that members can interject and get some responses. I presume that is what the Premier is endeavouring to do. That is all I can presume; he is endeavouring to get some responses, just as members can interject from either side during question time.
Dr M.D. Nahan : He might! Mr C.J. BARNETT : He might, but a rational investor would not. The member would not take the risk for a seven per cent return. If the federal government is not prepared to abandon this proposal totally, it certainly needs to raise the threshold level very significantly and, probably even more fundamentally, it would need to reduce the rate. A 40 per cent tax on profit is a massive impost. Members on this side of the house have been fair-minded and have looked at some of the detail, and we have made that known to the commonwealth. Where does the Labor Party of Western Australia stand on this issue? Everybody is waiting to hear. It has been 48 hours since the report was released and the Labor Party must have had the opportunity to form its opinion. Does the Leader of the Opposition support the resource super profits tax? Mr E.S. Ripper : If you give a ministerial statement, it will give me an opportunity to reply, and I will do so. Mr C.J. BARNETT : All it takes is either a three-letter word, yes, or a two-letter word, no. It is not that hard. The Leader of the Opposition has had 48 hours to think this through. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the member for Armadale and candidate for Canning support it? Her potential voters need to know today where she stands on this issue. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Will you give me the opportunity to respond? Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will be quiet—yes or no. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I don’t answer yes or no. Mr C.J. BARNETT : The member for Armadale cannot answer yes or no. For the first time in the history of this Parliament the member for Armadale is lost for words; she has nothing to say. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I will not answer yes or no. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : This is a serious issue for this state. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Don’t be so gutless. Give us a chance to respond. You just want a yes or no. Point of Order Mr P.B. WATSON : The question was asked and we have not got an answer yet. Mr M. McGOWAN : The member for Albany — The SPEAKER : Order! Before you proceed, member for Rockingham, there is no point of order from the member for Albany. Now to your point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : Mr Speaker, questions are put to ministers or the Premier, who is also a minister. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have given the member for Rockingham the opportunity to make a point with respect to standing orders. All members should familiarise themselves with how standing orders work. This is your opportunity, member for Rockingham. Mr M. McGOWAN : Standing order 75 states that questions may be asked of ministers, the leader of a party in government and so forth. The Premier should not be asking members of opposing parties questions. That is the way the standing orders work. I would simply ask that the Premier abide by the standing orders. Speaker’s Ruling The SPEAKER : I will give a ruling on that point of order. In this place there is an expectation that members can interject and get some responses. I presume that is what the Premier is endeavouring to do. That is all I can presume; he is endeavouring to get some responses, just as members can interject from either side during question time.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : He might, but a rational investor would not. The member would not take the risk for a seven per cent return. If the federal government is not prepared to abandon this proposal totally, it certainly needs to raise the threshold level very significantly and, probably even more fundamentally, it would need to reduce the rate. A 40 per cent tax on profit is a massive impost. Members on this side of the house have been fair-minded and have looked at some of the detail, and we have made that known to the commonwealth. Where does the Labor Party of Western Australia stand on this issue? Everybody is waiting to hear. It has been 48 hours since the report was released and the Labor Party must have had the opportunity to form its opinion. Does the Leader of the Opposition support the resource super profits tax? Mr E.S. Ripper : If you give a ministerial statement, it will give me an opportunity to reply, and I will do so. Mr C.J. BARNETT : All it takes is either a three-letter word, yes, or a two-letter word, no. It is not that hard. The Leader of the Opposition has had 48 hours to think this through. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the member for Armadale and candidate for Canning support it? Her potential voters need to know today where she stands on this issue. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Will you give me the opportunity to respond? Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will be quiet—yes or no. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I don’t answer yes or no. Mr C.J. BARNETT : The member for Armadale cannot answer yes or no. For the first time in the history of this Parliament the member for Armadale is lost for words; she has nothing to say. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I will not answer yes or no. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : This is a serious issue for this state. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Don’t be so gutless. Give us a chance to respond. You just want a yes or no. Point of Order Mr P.B. WATSON : The question was asked and we have not got an answer yet. Mr M. McGOWAN : The member for Albany — The SPEAKER : Order! Before you proceed, member for Rockingham, there is no point of order from the member for Albany. Now to your point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : Mr Speaker, questions are put to ministers or the Premier, who is also a minister. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have given the member for Rockingham the opportunity to make a point with respect to standing orders. All members should familiarise themselves with how standing orders work. This is your opportunity, member for Rockingham. Mr M. McGOWAN : Standing order 75 states that questions may be asked of ministers, the leader of a party in government and so forth. The Premier should not be asking members of opposing parties questions. That is the way the standing orders work. I would simply ask that the Premier abide by the standing orders. Speaker’s Ruling The SPEAKER : I will give a ruling on that point of order. In this place there is an expectation that members can interject and get some responses. I presume that is what the Premier is endeavouring to do. That is all I can presume; he is endeavouring to get some responses, just as members can interject from either side during question time.
If the federal government is not prepared to abandon this proposal totally, it certainly needs to raise the threshold level very significantly and, probably even more fundamentally, it would need to reduce the rate. A 40 per cent tax on profit is a massive impost. Members on this side of the house have been fair-minded and have looked at some of the detail, and we have made that known to the commonwealth. Where does the Labor Party of Western Australia stand on this issue? Everybody is waiting to hear. It has been 48 hours since the report was released and the Labor Party must have had the opportunity to form its opinion. Does the Leader of the Opposition support the resource super profits tax? Mr E.S. Ripper : If you give a ministerial statement, it will give me an opportunity to reply, and I will do so. Mr C.J. BARNETT : All it takes is either a three-letter word, yes, or a two-letter word, no. It is not that hard. The Leader of the Opposition has had 48 hours to think this through. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the member for Armadale and candidate for Canning support it? Her potential voters need to know today where she stands on this issue. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Will you give me the opportunity to respond? Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will be quiet—yes or no. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I don’t answer yes or no. Mr C.J. BARNETT : The member for Armadale cannot answer yes or no. For the first time in the history of this Parliament the member for Armadale is lost for words; she has nothing to say. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I will not answer yes or no. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : This is a serious issue for this state. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Don’t be so gutless. Give us a chance to respond. You just want a yes or no. Point of Order Mr P.B. WATSON : The question was asked and we have not got an answer yet. Mr M. McGOWAN : The member for Albany — The SPEAKER : Order! Before you proceed, member for Rockingham, there is no point of order from the member for Albany. Now to your point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : Mr Speaker, questions are put to ministers or the Premier, who is also a minister. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have given the member for Rockingham the opportunity to make a point with respect to standing orders. All members should familiarise themselves with how standing orders work. This is your opportunity, member for Rockingham. Mr M. McGOWAN : Standing order 75 states that questions may be asked of ministers, the leader of a party in government and so forth. The Premier should not be asking members of opposing parties questions. That is the way the standing orders work. I would simply ask that the Premier abide by the standing orders. Speaker’s Ruling The SPEAKER : I will give a ruling on that point of order. In this place there is an expectation that members can interject and get some responses. I presume that is what the Premier is endeavouring to do. That is all I can presume; he is endeavouring to get some responses, just as members can interject from either side during question time.
Where does the Labor Party of Western Australia stand on this issue? Everybody is waiting to hear. It has been 48 hours since the report was released and the Labor Party must have had the opportunity to form its opinion. Does the Leader of the Opposition support the resource super profits tax? Mr E.S. Ripper : If you give a ministerial statement, it will give me an opportunity to reply, and I will do so. Mr C.J. BARNETT : All it takes is either a three-letter word, yes, or a two-letter word, no. It is not that hard. The Leader of the Opposition has had 48 hours to think this through. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the member for Armadale and candidate for Canning support it? Her potential voters need to know today where she stands on this issue. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Will you give me the opportunity to respond? Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will be quiet—yes or no. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I don’t answer yes or no. Mr C.J. BARNETT : The member for Armadale cannot answer yes or no. For the first time in the history of this Parliament the member for Armadale is lost for words; she has nothing to say. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I will not answer yes or no. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : This is a serious issue for this state. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Don’t be so gutless. Give us a chance to respond. You just want a yes or no. Point of Order Mr P.B. WATSON : The question was asked and we have not got an answer yet. Mr M. McGOWAN : The member for Albany — The SPEAKER : Order! Before you proceed, member for Rockingham, there is no point of order from the member for Albany. Now to your point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : Mr Speaker, questions are put to ministers or the Premier, who is also a minister. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have given the member for Rockingham the opportunity to make a point with respect to standing orders. All members should familiarise themselves with how standing orders work. This is your opportunity, member for Rockingham. Mr M. McGOWAN : Standing order 75 states that questions may be asked of ministers, the leader of a party in government and so forth. The Premier should not be asking members of opposing parties questions. That is the way the standing orders work. I would simply ask that the Premier abide by the standing orders. Speaker’s Ruling The SPEAKER : I will give a ruling on that point of order. In this place there is an expectation that members can interject and get some responses. I presume that is what the Premier is endeavouring to do. That is all I can presume; he is endeavouring to get some responses, just as members can interject from either side during question time.
Mr E.S. Ripper : If you give a ministerial statement, it will give me an opportunity to reply, and I will do so. Mr C.J. BARNETT : All it takes is either a three-letter word, yes, or a two-letter word, no. It is not that hard. The Leader of the Opposition has had 48 hours to think this through. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the member for Armadale and candidate for Canning support it? Her potential voters need to know today where she stands on this issue. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Will you give me the opportunity to respond? Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will be quiet—yes or no. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I don’t answer yes or no. Mr C.J. BARNETT : The member for Armadale cannot answer yes or no. For the first time in the history of this Parliament the member for Armadale is lost for words; she has nothing to say. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I will not answer yes or no. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : This is a serious issue for this state. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Don’t be so gutless. Give us a chance to respond. You just want a yes or no. Point of Order Mr P.B. WATSON : The question was asked and we have not got an answer yet. Mr M. McGOWAN : The member for Albany — The SPEAKER : Order! Before you proceed, member for Rockingham, there is no point of order from the member for Albany. Now to your point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : Mr Speaker, questions are put to ministers or the Premier, who is also a minister. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have given the member for Rockingham the opportunity to make a point with respect to standing orders. All members should familiarise themselves with how standing orders work. This is your opportunity, member for Rockingham. Mr M. McGOWAN : Standing order 75 states that questions may be asked of ministers, the leader of a party in government and so forth. The Premier should not be asking members of opposing parties questions. That is the way the standing orders work. I would simply ask that the Premier abide by the standing orders. Speaker’s Ruling The SPEAKER : I will give a ruling on that point of order. In this place there is an expectation that members can interject and get some responses. I presume that is what the Premier is endeavouring to do. That is all I can presume; he is endeavouring to get some responses, just as members can interject from either side during question time.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : All it takes is either a three-letter word, yes, or a two-letter word, no. It is not that hard. The Leader of the Opposition has had 48 hours to think this through. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the member for Armadale and candidate for Canning support it? Her potential voters need to know today where she stands on this issue. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Will you give me the opportunity to respond? Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will be quiet—yes or no. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I don’t answer yes or no. Mr C.J. BARNETT : The member for Armadale cannot answer yes or no. For the first time in the history of this Parliament the member for Armadale is lost for words; she has nothing to say. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I will not answer yes or no. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : This is a serious issue for this state. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Don’t be so gutless. Give us a chance to respond. You just want a yes or no. Point of Order Mr P.B. WATSON : The question was asked and we have not got an answer yet. Mr M. McGOWAN : The member for Albany — The SPEAKER : Order! Before you proceed, member for Rockingham, there is no point of order from the member for Albany. Now to your point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : Mr Speaker, questions are put to ministers or the Premier, who is also a minister. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have given the member for Rockingham the opportunity to make a point with respect to standing orders. All members should familiarise themselves with how standing orders work. This is your opportunity, member for Rockingham. Mr M. McGOWAN : Standing order 75 states that questions may be asked of ministers, the leader of a party in government and so forth. The Premier should not be asking members of opposing parties questions. That is the way the standing orders work. I would simply ask that the Premier abide by the standing orders. Speaker’s Ruling The SPEAKER : I will give a ruling on that point of order. In this place there is an expectation that members can interject and get some responses. I presume that is what the Premier is endeavouring to do. That is all I can presume; he is endeavouring to get some responses, just as members can interject from either side during question time.
Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the member for Armadale and candidate for Canning support it? Her potential voters need to know today where she stands on this issue. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Will you give me the opportunity to respond? Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will be quiet—yes or no. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I don’t answer yes or no. Mr C.J. BARNETT : The member for Armadale cannot answer yes or no. For the first time in the history of this Parliament the member for Armadale is lost for words; she has nothing to say. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I will not answer yes or no. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : This is a serious issue for this state. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Don’t be so gutless. Give us a chance to respond. You just want a yes or no. Point of Order Mr P.B. WATSON : The question was asked and we have not got an answer yet. Mr M. McGOWAN : The member for Albany — The SPEAKER : Order! Before you proceed, member for Rockingham, there is no point of order from the member for Albany. Now to your point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : Mr Speaker, questions are put to ministers or the Premier, who is also a minister. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have given the member for Rockingham the opportunity to make a point with respect to standing orders. All members should familiarise themselves with how standing orders work. This is your opportunity, member for Rockingham. Mr M. McGOWAN : Standing order 75 states that questions may be asked of ministers, the leader of a party in government and so forth. The Premier should not be asking members of opposing parties questions. That is the way the standing orders work. I would simply ask that the Premier abide by the standing orders. Speaker’s Ruling The SPEAKER : I will give a ruling on that point of order. In this place there is an expectation that members can interject and get some responses. I presume that is what the Premier is endeavouring to do. That is all I can presume; he is endeavouring to get some responses, just as members can interject from either side during question time.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the member for Armadale and candidate for Canning support it? Her potential voters need to know today where she stands on this issue. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Will you give me the opportunity to respond? Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will be quiet—yes or no. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I don’t answer yes or no. Mr C.J. BARNETT : The member for Armadale cannot answer yes or no. For the first time in the history of this Parliament the member for Armadale is lost for words; she has nothing to say. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I will not answer yes or no. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : This is a serious issue for this state. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Don’t be so gutless. Give us a chance to respond. You just want a yes or no. Point of Order Mr P.B. WATSON : The question was asked and we have not got an answer yet. Mr M. McGOWAN : The member for Albany — The SPEAKER : Order! Before you proceed, member for Rockingham, there is no point of order from the member for Albany. Now to your point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : Mr Speaker, questions are put to ministers or the Premier, who is also a minister. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have given the member for Rockingham the opportunity to make a point with respect to standing orders. All members should familiarise themselves with how standing orders work. This is your opportunity, member for Rockingham. Mr M. McGOWAN : Standing order 75 states that questions may be asked of ministers, the leader of a party in government and so forth. The Premier should not be asking members of opposing parties questions. That is the way the standing orders work. I would simply ask that the Premier abide by the standing orders. Speaker’s Ruling The SPEAKER : I will give a ruling on that point of order. In this place there is an expectation that members can interject and get some responses. I presume that is what the Premier is endeavouring to do. That is all I can presume; he is endeavouring to get some responses, just as members can interject from either side during question time.
Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Will you give me the opportunity to respond? Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will be quiet—yes or no. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I don’t answer yes or no. Mr C.J. BARNETT : The member for Armadale cannot answer yes or no. For the first time in the history of this Parliament the member for Armadale is lost for words; she has nothing to say. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I will not answer yes or no. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : This is a serious issue for this state. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Don’t be so gutless. Give us a chance to respond. You just want a yes or no. Point of Order Mr P.B. WATSON : The question was asked and we have not got an answer yet. Mr M. McGOWAN : The member for Albany — The SPEAKER : Order! Before you proceed, member for Rockingham, there is no point of order from the member for Albany. Now to your point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : Mr Speaker, questions are put to ministers or the Premier, who is also a minister. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have given the member for Rockingham the opportunity to make a point with respect to standing orders. All members should familiarise themselves with how standing orders work. This is your opportunity, member for Rockingham. Mr M. McGOWAN : Standing order 75 states that questions may be asked of ministers, the leader of a party in government and so forth. The Premier should not be asking members of opposing parties questions. That is the way the standing orders work. I would simply ask that the Premier abide by the standing orders. Speaker’s Ruling The SPEAKER : I will give a ruling on that point of order. In this place there is an expectation that members can interject and get some responses. I presume that is what the Premier is endeavouring to do. That is all I can presume; he is endeavouring to get some responses, just as members can interject from either side during question time.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will be quiet—yes or no. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I don’t answer yes or no. Mr C.J. BARNETT : The member for Armadale cannot answer yes or no. For the first time in the history of this Parliament the member for Armadale is lost for words; she has nothing to say. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I will not answer yes or no. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : This is a serious issue for this state. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Don’t be so gutless. Give us a chance to respond. You just want a yes or no. Point of Order Mr P.B. WATSON : The question was asked and we have not got an answer yet. Mr M. McGOWAN : The member for Albany — The SPEAKER : Order! Before you proceed, member for Rockingham, there is no point of order from the member for Albany. Now to your point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : Mr Speaker, questions are put to ministers or the Premier, who is also a minister. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have given the member for Rockingham the opportunity to make a point with respect to standing orders. All members should familiarise themselves with how standing orders work. This is your opportunity, member for Rockingham. Mr M. McGOWAN : Standing order 75 states that questions may be asked of ministers, the leader of a party in government and so forth. The Premier should not be asking members of opposing parties questions. That is the way the standing orders work. I would simply ask that the Premier abide by the standing orders. Speaker’s Ruling The SPEAKER : I will give a ruling on that point of order. In this place there is an expectation that members can interject and get some responses. I presume that is what the Premier is endeavouring to do. That is all I can presume; he is endeavouring to get some responses, just as members can interject from either side during question time.
Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I don’t answer yes or no. Mr C.J. BARNETT : The member for Armadale cannot answer yes or no. For the first time in the history of this Parliament the member for Armadale is lost for words; she has nothing to say. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I will not answer yes or no. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : This is a serious issue for this state. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Don’t be so gutless. Give us a chance to respond. You just want a yes or no. Point of Order Mr P.B. WATSON : The question was asked and we have not got an answer yet. Mr M. McGOWAN : The member for Albany — The SPEAKER : Order! Before you proceed, member for Rockingham, there is no point of order from the member for Albany. Now to your point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : Mr Speaker, questions are put to ministers or the Premier, who is also a minister. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have given the member for Rockingham the opportunity to make a point with respect to standing orders. All members should familiarise themselves with how standing orders work. This is your opportunity, member for Rockingham. Mr M. McGOWAN : Standing order 75 states that questions may be asked of ministers, the leader of a party in government and so forth. The Premier should not be asking members of opposing parties questions. That is the way the standing orders work. I would simply ask that the Premier abide by the standing orders. Speaker’s Ruling The SPEAKER : I will give a ruling on that point of order. In this place there is an expectation that members can interject and get some responses. I presume that is what the Premier is endeavouring to do. That is all I can presume; he is endeavouring to get some responses, just as members can interject from either side during question time.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : The member for Armadale cannot answer yes or no. For the first time in the history of this Parliament the member for Armadale is lost for words; she has nothing to say. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I will not answer yes or no. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : This is a serious issue for this state. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Don’t be so gutless. Give us a chance to respond. You just want a yes or no. Point of Order Mr P.B. WATSON : The question was asked and we have not got an answer yet. Mr M. McGOWAN : The member for Albany — The SPEAKER : Order! Before you proceed, member for Rockingham, there is no point of order from the member for Albany. Now to your point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : Mr Speaker, questions are put to ministers or the Premier, who is also a minister. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have given the member for Rockingham the opportunity to make a point with respect to standing orders. All members should familiarise themselves with how standing orders work. This is your opportunity, member for Rockingham. Mr M. McGOWAN : Standing order 75 states that questions may be asked of ministers, the leader of a party in government and so forth. The Premier should not be asking members of opposing parties questions. That is the way the standing orders work. I would simply ask that the Premier abide by the standing orders. Speaker’s Ruling The SPEAKER : I will give a ruling on that point of order. In this place there is an expectation that members can interject and get some responses. I presume that is what the Premier is endeavouring to do. That is all I can presume; he is endeavouring to get some responses, just as members can interject from either side during question time.
Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : I will not answer yes or no. Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : This is a serious issue for this state. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Don’t be so gutless. Give us a chance to respond. You just want a yes or no. Point of Order Mr P.B. WATSON : The question was asked and we have not got an answer yet. Mr M. McGOWAN : The member for Albany — The SPEAKER : Order! Before you proceed, member for Rockingham, there is no point of order from the member for Albany. Now to your point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : Mr Speaker, questions are put to ministers or the Premier, who is also a minister. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have given the member for Rockingham the opportunity to make a point with respect to standing orders. All members should familiarise themselves with how standing orders work. This is your opportunity, member for Rockingham. Mr M. McGOWAN : Standing order 75 states that questions may be asked of ministers, the leader of a party in government and so forth. The Premier should not be asking members of opposing parties questions. That is the way the standing orders work. I would simply ask that the Premier abide by the standing orders. Speaker’s Ruling The SPEAKER : I will give a ruling on that point of order. In this place there is an expectation that members can interject and get some responses. I presume that is what the Premier is endeavouring to do. That is all I can presume; he is endeavouring to get some responses, just as members can interject from either side during question time.
Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : This is a serious issue for this state. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Don’t be so gutless. Give us a chance to respond. You just want a yes or no. Point of Order Mr P.B. WATSON : The question was asked and we have not got an answer yet. Mr M. McGOWAN : The member for Albany — The SPEAKER : Order! Before you proceed, member for Rockingham, there is no point of order from the member for Albany. Now to your point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : Mr Speaker, questions are put to ministers or the Premier, who is also a minister. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have given the member for Rockingham the opportunity to make a point with respect to standing orders. All members should familiarise themselves with how standing orders work. This is your opportunity, member for Rockingham. Mr M. McGOWAN : Standing order 75 states that questions may be asked of ministers, the leader of a party in government and so forth. The Premier should not be asking members of opposing parties questions. That is the way the standing orders work. I would simply ask that the Premier abide by the standing orders. Speaker’s Ruling The SPEAKER : I will give a ruling on that point of order. In this place there is an expectation that members can interject and get some responses. I presume that is what the Premier is endeavouring to do. That is all I can presume; he is endeavouring to get some responses, just as members can interject from either side during question time.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : This is a serious issue for this state. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Don’t be so gutless. Give us a chance to respond. You just want a yes or no. Point of Order Mr P.B. WATSON : The question was asked and we have not got an answer yet. Mr M. McGOWAN : The member for Albany — The SPEAKER : Order! Before you proceed, member for Rockingham, there is no point of order from the member for Albany. Now to your point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : Mr Speaker, questions are put to ministers or the Premier, who is also a minister. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have given the member for Rockingham the opportunity to make a point with respect to standing orders. All members should familiarise themselves with how standing orders work. This is your opportunity, member for Rockingham. Mr M. McGOWAN : Standing order 75 states that questions may be asked of ministers, the leader of a party in government and so forth. The Premier should not be asking members of opposing parties questions. That is the way the standing orders work. I would simply ask that the Premier abide by the standing orders. Speaker’s Ruling The SPEAKER : I will give a ruling on that point of order. In this place there is an expectation that members can interject and get some responses. I presume that is what the Premier is endeavouring to do. That is all I can presume; he is endeavouring to get some responses, just as members can interject from either side during question time.
Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Don’t be so gutless. Give us a chance to respond. You just want a yes or no. Point of Order Mr P.B. WATSON : The question was asked and we have not got an answer yet. Mr M. McGOWAN : The member for Albany — The SPEAKER : Order! Before you proceed, member for Rockingham, there is no point of order from the member for Albany. Now to your point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : Mr Speaker, questions are put to ministers or the Premier, who is also a minister. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have given the member for Rockingham the opportunity to make a point with respect to standing orders. All members should familiarise themselves with how standing orders work. This is your opportunity, member for Rockingham. Mr M. McGOWAN : Standing order 75 states that questions may be asked of ministers, the leader of a party in government and so forth. The Premier should not be asking members of opposing parties questions. That is the way the standing orders work. I would simply ask that the Premier abide by the standing orders. Speaker’s Ruling The SPEAKER : I will give a ruling on that point of order. In this place there is an expectation that members can interject and get some responses. I presume that is what the Premier is endeavouring to do. That is all I can presume; he is endeavouring to get some responses, just as members can interject from either side during question time.
Mr M. McGOWAN : The member for Albany — The SPEAKER : Order! Before you proceed, member for Rockingham, there is no point of order from the member for Albany. Now to your point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : Mr Speaker, questions are put to ministers or the Premier, who is also a minister. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have given the member for Rockingham the opportunity to make a point with respect to standing orders. All members should familiarise themselves with how standing orders work. This is your opportunity, member for Rockingham. Mr M. McGOWAN : Standing order 75 states that questions may be asked of ministers, the leader of a party in government and so forth. The Premier should not be asking members of opposing parties questions. That is the way the standing orders work. I would simply ask that the Premier abide by the standing orders. Speaker’s Ruling The SPEAKER : I will give a ruling on that point of order. In this place there is an expectation that members can interject and get some responses. I presume that is what the Premier is endeavouring to do. That is all I can presume; he is endeavouring to get some responses, just as members can interject from either side during question time.
The SPEAKER : Order! Before you proceed, member for Rockingham, there is no point of order from the member for Albany. Now to your point of order. Mr M. McGOWAN : Mr Speaker, questions are put to ministers or the Premier, who is also a minister. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have given the member for Rockingham the opportunity to make a point with respect to standing orders. All members should familiarise themselves with how standing orders work. This is your opportunity, member for Rockingham. Mr M. McGOWAN : Standing order 75 states that questions may be asked of ministers, the leader of a party in government and so forth. The Premier should not be asking members of opposing parties questions. That is the way the standing orders work. I would simply ask that the Premier abide by the standing orders. Speaker’s Ruling The SPEAKER : I will give a ruling on that point of order. In this place there is an expectation that members can interject and get some responses. I presume that is what the Premier is endeavouring to do. That is all I can presume; he is endeavouring to get some responses, just as members can interject from either side during question time.
Mr M. McGOWAN : Mr Speaker, questions are put to ministers or the Premier, who is also a minister. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have given the member for Rockingham the opportunity to make a point with respect to standing orders. All members should familiarise themselves with how standing orders work. This is your opportunity, member for Rockingham. Mr M. McGOWAN : Standing order 75 states that questions may be asked of ministers, the leader of a party in government and so forth. The Premier should not be asking members of opposing parties questions. That is the way the standing orders work. I would simply ask that the Premier abide by the standing orders. Speaker’s Ruling The SPEAKER : I will give a ruling on that point of order. In this place there is an expectation that members can interject and get some responses. I presume that is what the Premier is endeavouring to do. That is all I can presume; he is endeavouring to get some responses, just as members can interject from either side during question time.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I have given the member for Rockingham the opportunity to make a point with respect to standing orders. All members should familiarise themselves with how standing orders work. This is your opportunity, member for Rockingham. Mr M. McGOWAN : Standing order 75 states that questions may be asked of ministers, the leader of a party in government and so forth. The Premier should not be asking members of opposing parties questions. That is the way the standing orders work. I would simply ask that the Premier abide by the standing orders. Speaker’s Ruling The SPEAKER : I will give a ruling on that point of order. In this place there is an expectation that members can interject and get some responses. I presume that is what the Premier is endeavouring to do. That is all I can presume; he is endeavouring to get some responses, just as members can interject from either side during question time.
The SPEAKER : Order! I have given the member for Rockingham the opportunity to make a point with respect to standing orders. All members should familiarise themselves with how standing orders work. This is your opportunity, member for Rockingham. Mr M. McGOWAN : Standing order 75 states that questions may be asked of ministers, the leader of a party in government and so forth. The Premier should not be asking members of opposing parties questions. That is the way the standing orders work. I would simply ask that the Premier abide by the standing orders. Speaker’s Ruling The SPEAKER : I will give a ruling on that point of order. In this place there is an expectation that members can interject and get some responses. I presume that is what the Premier is endeavouring to do. That is all I can presume; he is endeavouring to get some responses, just as members can interject from either side during question time.
Mr M. McGOWAN : Standing order 75 states that questions may be asked of ministers, the leader of a party in government and so forth. The Premier should not be asking members of opposing parties questions. That is the way the standing orders work. I would simply ask that the Premier abide by the standing orders. Speaker’s Ruling The SPEAKER : I will give a ruling on that point of order. In this place there is an expectation that members can interject and get some responses. I presume that is what the Premier is endeavouring to do. That is all I can presume; he is endeavouring to get some responses, just as members can interject from either side during question time.
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