❓ Question regarding the accuracy of claims about the previous Coalition government's deficits and the current Labor government's debt accumulation. The Treasurer defends the Labor government's financial performance by highlighting the Coalition's past deficits and inherited financial commitments.
AnsweredQoN 1033Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
FORMER COALITION GOVERNMENT, DEFICITS
Is the Treasurer aware of suggestions made in this House yesterday that the coalition Government’s deficits were relatively minor and that the Labor Government is responsible for racking up $891 million in debt in the past financial year; and can the Treasurer say whether there is any substance to those assertions? Mr RIPPER
Is the Treasurer aware of suggestions made in this House yesterday that the coalition Government’s deficits were relatively minor and that the Labor Government is responsible for racking up $891 million in debt in the past financial year; and can the Treasurer say whether there is any substance to those assertions? Mr RIPPER
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question. I heard the comments of the Leader of the Opposition during his reply to the budget speech yesterday. It was a fine, well-researched, coherent speech. I do not know how the Leader of the Opposition will top it next year. I think the House is entitled to hear a few facts about those so-called minor deficits. The deficits were as high $359 million in 1993-94 and, over the years of the coalition Government, totalled $986 million. The eight budgets the coalition Government delivered contained nearly a billion dollars of red ink and five deficits. The Leader of the Opposition made some strange comments yesterday. Several members interjected. Mr RIPPER: The Leader of the Opposition needs to understand that when a Government delivers deficits, it is using the credit card to meet the day-to-day expenses of government. That is not fair to the next generation. That is not fair to our children. I noted the Leader of the Opposition’s comments about budget information. I had a look at the coalition’s budget advertisements, and discovered that they contained no mention of deficits. I wonder why the coalition forgot to include that information. The Leader of the Opposition’s reference to those deficits as minor and his cavalier approach to the issue shows that he has not learnt his lesson. Debt increased by $891 million last year. That figure represents the difference between the 2000-01 out-turn and the out-turn for the 2001-02 financial year. I had hoped that in his budget reply, the Leader of the Opposition would own up to the fact that $368 million, or 41 per cent, of that increase was inherited from the previous Government in the form of committed projects. In other words, even if this Government had done nothing, debt would have increased by that amount. On a net basis, another $118 million of the deficit is a result of this Government’s decision to pull out of the Matrix deal. That of course will save the taxpayers money in the long term. Once that is added to the $368 million I have already mentioned, we discover that the coalition is responsible for $486 million of that debt increase, or 54 per cent of the debt. Mr McRae: Woops. Mr RIPPER: Woops indeed. This Government has been able to save the taxpayers money with the rolling stock contract by not pursuing the less economic lease arrangement favoured by the previous Government. We have saved taxpayers about $25 million on that contract. The Leader of the Opposition made a very revealing comment yesterday when he accused us of looking at private financing arrangements solely to hide debt. The rolling stock arrangement clearly shows that he was speaking from experience. The coalition knew that it was at risk of losing this State’s AAA credit rating, and that is why it embarked on securing a private financing arrangement for the rolling stock, even though that arrangement would have cost this State $25 million more than the state debt financing that we have arranged. There were other important uses for the increase in borrowings. For example, Western Power and the State Housing Commission spent more on their capital works programs. I refer to a memo from the Under Treasurer to the previous Treasurer outlining financial sins of the coalition Government, in which the Leader of the Opposition features heavily. I have prepared a copy of that memo for every member. Later, the members of the coalition might like to remind themselves what the Under Treasurer thought about the Leader of the Opposition’s spending habits. The Leader of the Opposition delivered five deficits in eight years. Yesterday he delivered a sixth, only this time it was a credibility deficit. Point of Order Mr BARNETT: The Treasurer is clearly intending to table documentation from the time of the previous Government. I would like him to divulge the source of that information. Several member interjected. The SPEAKER: I do not know whether the Treasurer has tabled the documents. He may well intend to do that. The source of any document that is tabled in this place is the responsibility of the member and this House. It is not for the Chair to determine where a document has come from, unless it is a cabinet document. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr RIPPER: This document has previously been tabled. If the Leader of the Opposition would like me to, I will enthusiastically table all the copies. Mr Barnett: How did you access records of the previous Government? Ms MacTiernan: The same way you did. The SPEAKER: One copy of that document is sufficient for tabling. [See paper No 1513.]
Mr RIPPER replied: I thank the member for the question. I heard the comments of the Leader of the Opposition during his reply to the budget speech yesterday. It was a fine, well-researched, coherent speech. I do not know how the Leader of the Opposition will top it next year. I think the House is entitled to hear a few facts about those so-called minor deficits. The deficits were as high $359 million in 1993-94 and, over the years of the coalition Government, totalled $986 million. The eight budgets the coalition Government delivered contained nearly a billion dollars of red ink and five deficits. The Leader of the Opposition made some strange comments yesterday. Several members interjected. Mr RIPPER: The Leader of the Opposition needs to understand that when a Government delivers deficits, it is using the credit card to meet the day-to-day expenses of government. That is not fair to the next generation. That is not fair to our children. I noted the Leader of the Opposition’s comments about budget information. I had a look at the coalition’s budget advertisements, and discovered that they contained no mention of deficits. I wonder why the coalition forgot to include that information. The Leader of the Opposition’s reference to those deficits as minor and his cavalier approach to the issue shows that he has not learnt his lesson. Debt increased by $891 million last year. That figure represents the difference between the 2000-01 out-turn and the out-turn for the 2001-02 financial year. I had hoped that in his budget reply, the Leader of the Opposition would own up to the fact that $368 million, or 41 per cent, of that increase was inherited from the previous Government in the form of committed projects. In other words, even if this Government had done nothing, debt would have increased by that amount. On a net basis, another $118 million of the deficit is a result of this Government’s decision to pull out of the Matrix deal. That of course will save the taxpayers money in the long term. Once that is added to the $368 million I have already mentioned, we discover that the coalition is responsible for $486 million of that debt increase, or 54 per cent of the debt. Mr McRae: Woops. Mr RIPPER: Woops indeed. This Government has been able to save the taxpayers money with the rolling stock contract by not pursuing the less economic lease arrangement favoured by the previous Government. We have saved taxpayers about $25 million on that contract. The Leader of the Opposition made a very revealing comment yesterday when he accused us of looking at private financing arrangements solely to hide debt. The rolling stock arrangement clearly shows that he was speaking from experience. The coalition knew that it was at risk of losing this State’s AAA credit rating, and that is why it embarked on securing a private financing arrangement for the rolling stock, even though that arrangement would have cost this State $25 million more than the state debt financing that we have arranged. There were other important uses for the increase in borrowings. For example, Western Power and the State Housing Commission spent more on their capital works programs. I refer to a memo from the Under Treasurer to the previous Treasurer outlining financial sins of the coalition Government, in which the Leader of the Opposition features heavily. I have prepared a copy of that memo for every member. Later, the members of the coalition might like to remind themselves what the Under Treasurer thought about the Leader of the Opposition’s spending habits. The Leader of the Opposition delivered five deficits in eight years. Yesterday he delivered a sixth, only this time it was a credibility deficit. Point of Order Mr BARNETT: The Treasurer is clearly intending to table documentation from the time of the previous Government. I would like him to divulge the source of that information. Several member interjected. The SPEAKER: I do not know whether the Treasurer has tabled the documents. He may well intend to do that. The source of any document that is tabled in this place is the responsibility of the member and this House. It is not for the Chair to determine where a document has come from, unless it is a cabinet document. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr RIPPER: This document has previously been tabled. If the Leader of the Opposition would like me to, I will enthusiastically table all the copies. Mr Barnett: How did you access records of the previous Government? Ms MacTiernan: The same way you did. The SPEAKER: One copy of that document is sufficient for tabling. [See paper No 1513.]
I thank the member for the question. I heard the comments of the Leader of the Opposition during his reply to the budget speech yesterday. It was a fine, well-researched, coherent speech. I do not know how the Leader of the Opposition will top it next year. I think the House is entitled to hear a few facts about those so-called minor deficits. The deficits were as high $359 million in 1993-94 and, over the years of the coalition Government, totalled $986 million. The eight budgets the coalition Government delivered contained nearly a billion dollars of red ink and five deficits. The Leader of the Opposition made some strange comments yesterday. Several members interjected. Mr RIPPER: The Leader of the Opposition needs to understand that when a Government delivers deficits, it is using the credit card to meet the day-to-day expenses of government. That is not fair to the next generation. That is not fair to our children. I noted the Leader of the Opposition’s comments about budget information. I had a look at the coalition’s budget advertisements, and discovered that they contained no mention of deficits. I wonder why the coalition forgot to include that information. The Leader of the Opposition’s reference to those deficits as minor and his cavalier approach to the issue shows that he has not learnt his lesson. Debt increased by $891 million last year. That figure represents the difference between the 2000-01 out-turn and the out-turn for the 2001-02 financial year. I had hoped that in his budget reply, the Leader of the Opposition would own up to the fact that $368 million, or 41 per cent, of that increase was inherited from the previous Government in the form of committed projects. In other words, even if this Government had done nothing, debt would have increased by that amount. On a net basis, another $118 million of the deficit is a result of this Government’s decision to pull out of the Matrix deal. That of course will save the taxpayers money in the long term. Once that is added to the $368 million I have already mentioned, we discover that the coalition is responsible for $486 million of that debt increase, or 54 per cent of the debt. Mr McRae: Woops. Mr RIPPER: Woops indeed. This Government has been able to save the taxpayers money with the rolling stock contract by not pursuing the less economic lease arrangement favoured by the previous Government. We have saved taxpayers about $25 million on that contract. The Leader of the Opposition made a very revealing comment yesterday when he accused us of looking at private financing arrangements solely to hide debt. The rolling stock arrangement clearly shows that he was speaking from experience. The coalition knew that it was at risk of losing this State’s AAA credit rating, and that is why it embarked on securing a private financing arrangement for the rolling stock, even though that arrangement would have cost this State $25 million more than the state debt financing that we have arranged. There were other important uses for the increase in borrowings. For example, Western Power and the State Housing Commission spent more on their capital works programs. I refer to a memo from the Under Treasurer to the previous Treasurer outlining financial sins of the coalition Government, in which the Leader of the Opposition features heavily. I have prepared a copy of that memo for every member. Later, the members of the coalition might like to remind themselves what the Under Treasurer thought about the Leader of the Opposition’s spending habits. The Leader of the Opposition delivered five deficits in eight years. Yesterday he delivered a sixth, only this time it was a credibility deficit. Point of Order Mr BARNETT: The Treasurer is clearly intending to table documentation from the time of the previous Government. I would like him to divulge the source of that information. Several member interjected. The SPEAKER: I do not know whether the Treasurer has tabled the documents. He may well intend to do that. The source of any document that is tabled in this place is the responsibility of the member and this House. It is not for the Chair to determine where a document has come from, unless it is a cabinet document. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr RIPPER: This document has previously been tabled. If the Leader of the Opposition would like me to, I will enthusiastically table all the copies. Mr Barnett: How did you access records of the previous Government? Ms MacTiernan: The same way you did. The SPEAKER: One copy of that document is sufficient for tabling. [See paper No 1513.]
I think the House is entitled to hear a few facts about those so-called minor deficits. The deficits were as high $359 million in 1993-94 and, over the years of the coalition Government, totalled $986 million. The eight budgets the coalition Government delivered contained nearly a billion dollars of red ink and five deficits. The Leader of the Opposition made some strange comments yesterday. Several members interjected. Mr RIPPER: The Leader of the Opposition needs to understand that when a Government delivers deficits, it is using the credit card to meet the day-to-day expenses of government. That is not fair to the next generation. That is not fair to our children. I noted the Leader of the Opposition’s comments about budget information. I had a look at the coalition’s budget advertisements, and discovered that they contained no mention of deficits. I wonder why the coalition forgot to include that information. The Leader of the Opposition’s reference to those deficits as minor and his cavalier approach to the issue shows that he has not learnt his lesson. Debt increased by $891 million last year. That figure represents the difference between the 2000-01 out-turn and the out-turn for the 2001-02 financial year. I had hoped that in his budget reply, the Leader of the Opposition would own up to the fact that $368 million, or 41 per cent, of that increase was inherited from the previous Government in the form of committed projects. In other words, even if this Government had done nothing, debt would have increased by that amount. On a net basis, another $118 million of the deficit is a result of this Government’s decision to pull out of the Matrix deal. That of course will save the taxpayers money in the long term. Once that is added to the $368 million I have already mentioned, we discover that the coalition is responsible for $486 million of that debt increase, or 54 per cent of the debt. Mr McRae: Woops. Mr RIPPER: Woops indeed. This Government has been able to save the taxpayers money with the rolling stock contract by not pursuing the less economic lease arrangement favoured by the previous Government. We have saved taxpayers about $25 million on that contract. The Leader of the Opposition made a very revealing comment yesterday when he accused us of looking at private financing arrangements solely to hide debt. The rolling stock arrangement clearly shows that he was speaking from experience. The coalition knew that it was at risk of losing this State’s AAA credit rating, and that is why it embarked on securing a private financing arrangement for the rolling stock, even though that arrangement would have cost this State $25 million more than the state debt financing that we have arranged. There were other important uses for the increase in borrowings. For example, Western Power and the State Housing Commission spent more on their capital works programs. I refer to a memo from the Under Treasurer to the previous Treasurer outlining financial sins of the coalition Government, in which the Leader of the Opposition features heavily. I have prepared a copy of that memo for every member. Later, the members of the coalition might like to remind themselves what the Under Treasurer thought about the Leader of the Opposition’s spending habits. The Leader of the Opposition delivered five deficits in eight years. Yesterday he delivered a sixth, only this time it was a credibility deficit. Point of Order Mr BARNETT: The Treasurer is clearly intending to table documentation from the time of the previous Government. I would like him to divulge the source of that information. Several member interjected. The SPEAKER: I do not know whether the Treasurer has tabled the documents. He may well intend to do that. The source of any document that is tabled in this place is the responsibility of the member and this House. It is not for the Chair to determine where a document has come from, unless it is a cabinet document. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr RIPPER: This document has previously been tabled. If the Leader of the Opposition would like me to, I will enthusiastically table all the copies. Mr Barnett: How did you access records of the previous Government? Ms MacTiernan: The same way you did. The SPEAKER: One copy of that document is sufficient for tabling. [See paper No 1513.]
Several members interjected. Mr RIPPER: The Leader of the Opposition needs to understand that when a Government delivers deficits, it is using the credit card to meet the day-to-day expenses of government. That is not fair to the next generation. That is not fair to our children. I noted the Leader of the Opposition’s comments about budget information. I had a look at the coalition’s budget advertisements, and discovered that they contained no mention of deficits. I wonder why the coalition forgot to include that information. The Leader of the Opposition’s reference to those deficits as minor and his cavalier approach to the issue shows that he has not learnt his lesson. Debt increased by $891 million last year. That figure represents the difference between the 2000-01 out-turn and the out-turn for the 2001-02 financial year. I had hoped that in his budget reply, the Leader of the Opposition would own up to the fact that $368 million, or 41 per cent, of that increase was inherited from the previous Government in the form of committed projects. In other words, even if this Government had done nothing, debt would have increased by that amount. On a net basis, another $118 million of the deficit is a result of this Government’s decision to pull out of the Matrix deal. That of course will save the taxpayers money in the long term. Once that is added to the $368 million I have already mentioned, we discover that the coalition is responsible for $486 million of that debt increase, or 54 per cent of the debt. Mr McRae: Woops. Mr RIPPER: Woops indeed. This Government has been able to save the taxpayers money with the rolling stock contract by not pursuing the less economic lease arrangement favoured by the previous Government. We have saved taxpayers about $25 million on that contract. The Leader of the Opposition made a very revealing comment yesterday when he accused us of looking at private financing arrangements solely to hide debt. The rolling stock arrangement clearly shows that he was speaking from experience. The coalition knew that it was at risk of losing this State’s AAA credit rating, and that is why it embarked on securing a private financing arrangement for the rolling stock, even though that arrangement would have cost this State $25 million more than the state debt financing that we have arranged. There were other important uses for the increase in borrowings. For example, Western Power and the State Housing Commission spent more on their capital works programs. I refer to a memo from the Under Treasurer to the previous Treasurer outlining financial sins of the coalition Government, in which the Leader of the Opposition features heavily. I have prepared a copy of that memo for every member. Later, the members of the coalition might like to remind themselves what the Under Treasurer thought about the Leader of the Opposition’s spending habits. The Leader of the Opposition delivered five deficits in eight years. Yesterday he delivered a sixth, only this time it was a credibility deficit. Point of Order Mr BARNETT: The Treasurer is clearly intending to table documentation from the time of the previous Government. I would like him to divulge the source of that information. Several member interjected. The SPEAKER: I do not know whether the Treasurer has tabled the documents. He may well intend to do that. The source of any document that is tabled in this place is the responsibility of the member and this House. It is not for the Chair to determine where a document has come from, unless it is a cabinet document. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr RIPPER: This document has previously been tabled. If the Leader of the Opposition would like me to, I will enthusiastically table all the copies. Mr Barnett: How did you access records of the previous Government? Ms MacTiernan: The same way you did. The SPEAKER: One copy of that document is sufficient for tabling. [See paper No 1513.]
Mr RIPPER: The Leader of the Opposition needs to understand that when a Government delivers deficits, it is using the credit card to meet the day-to-day expenses of government. That is not fair to the next generation. That is not fair to our children. I noted the Leader of the Opposition’s comments about budget information. I had a look at the coalition’s budget advertisements, and discovered that they contained no mention of deficits. I wonder why the coalition forgot to include that information. The Leader of the Opposition’s reference to those deficits as minor and his cavalier approach to the issue shows that he has not learnt his lesson. Debt increased by $891 million last year. That figure represents the difference between the 2000-01 out-turn and the out-turn for the 2001-02 financial year. I had hoped that in his budget reply, the Leader of the Opposition would own up to the fact that $368 million, or 41 per cent, of that increase was inherited from the previous Government in the form of committed projects. In other words, even if this Government had done nothing, debt would have increased by that amount. On a net basis, another $118 million of the deficit is a result of this Government’s decision to pull out of the Matrix deal. That of course will save the taxpayers money in the long term. Once that is added to the $368 million I have already mentioned, we discover that the coalition is responsible for $486 million of that debt increase, or 54 per cent of the debt. Mr McRae: Woops. Mr RIPPER: Woops indeed. This Government has been able to save the taxpayers money with the rolling stock contract by not pursuing the less economic lease arrangement favoured by the previous Government. We have saved taxpayers about $25 million on that contract. The Leader of the Opposition made a very revealing comment yesterday when he accused us of looking at private financing arrangements solely to hide debt. The rolling stock arrangement clearly shows that he was speaking from experience. The coalition knew that it was at risk of losing this State’s AAA credit rating, and that is why it embarked on securing a private financing arrangement for the rolling stock, even though that arrangement would have cost this State $25 million more than the state debt financing that we have arranged. There were other important uses for the increase in borrowings. For example, Western Power and the State Housing Commission spent more on their capital works programs. I refer to a memo from the Under Treasurer to the previous Treasurer outlining financial sins of the coalition Government, in which the Leader of the Opposition features heavily. I have prepared a copy of that memo for every member. Later, the members of the coalition might like to remind themselves what the Under Treasurer thought about the Leader of the Opposition’s spending habits. The Leader of the Opposition delivered five deficits in eight years. Yesterday he delivered a sixth, only this time it was a credibility deficit. Point of Order Mr BARNETT: The Treasurer is clearly intending to table documentation from the time of the previous Government. I would like him to divulge the source of that information. Several member interjected. The SPEAKER: I do not know whether the Treasurer has tabled the documents. He may well intend to do that. The source of any document that is tabled in this place is the responsibility of the member and this House. It is not for the Chair to determine where a document has come from, unless it is a cabinet document. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr RIPPER: This document has previously been tabled. If the Leader of the Opposition would like me to, I will enthusiastically table all the copies. Mr Barnett: How did you access records of the previous Government? Ms MacTiernan: The same way you did. The SPEAKER: One copy of that document is sufficient for tabling. [See paper No 1513.]
Debt increased by $891 million last year. That figure represents the difference between the 2000-01 out-turn and the out-turn for the 2001-02 financial year. I had hoped that in his budget reply, the Leader of the Opposition would own up to the fact that $368 million, or 41 per cent, of that increase was inherited from the previous Government in the form of committed projects. In other words, even if this Government had done nothing, debt would have increased by that amount. On a net basis, another $118 million of the deficit is a result of this Government’s decision to pull out of the Matrix deal. That of course will save the taxpayers money in the long term. Once that is added to the $368 million I have already mentioned, we discover that the coalition is responsible for $486 million of that debt increase, or 54 per cent of the debt. Mr McRae: Woops. Mr RIPPER: Woops indeed. This Government has been able to save the taxpayers money with the rolling stock contract by not pursuing the less economic lease arrangement favoured by the previous Government. We have saved taxpayers about $25 million on that contract. The Leader of the Opposition made a very revealing comment yesterday when he accused us of looking at private financing arrangements solely to hide debt. The rolling stock arrangement clearly shows that he was speaking from experience. The coalition knew that it was at risk of losing this State’s AAA credit rating, and that is why it embarked on securing a private financing arrangement for the rolling stock, even though that arrangement would have cost this State $25 million more than the state debt financing that we have arranged. There were other important uses for the increase in borrowings. For example, Western Power and the State Housing Commission spent more on their capital works programs. I refer to a memo from the Under Treasurer to the previous Treasurer outlining financial sins of the coalition Government, in which the Leader of the Opposition features heavily. I have prepared a copy of that memo for every member. Later, the members of the coalition might like to remind themselves what the Under Treasurer thought about the Leader of the Opposition’s spending habits. The Leader of the Opposition delivered five deficits in eight years. Yesterday he delivered a sixth, only this time it was a credibility deficit. Point of Order Mr BARNETT: The Treasurer is clearly intending to table documentation from the time of the previous Government. I would like him to divulge the source of that information. Several member interjected. The SPEAKER: I do not know whether the Treasurer has tabled the documents. He may well intend to do that. The source of any document that is tabled in this place is the responsibility of the member and this House. It is not for the Chair to determine where a document has come from, unless it is a cabinet document. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr RIPPER: This document has previously been tabled. If the Leader of the Opposition would like me to, I will enthusiastically table all the copies. Mr Barnett: How did you access records of the previous Government? Ms MacTiernan: The same way you did. The SPEAKER: One copy of that document is sufficient for tabling. [See paper No 1513.]
Mr McRae: Woops. Mr RIPPER: Woops indeed. This Government has been able to save the taxpayers money with the rolling stock contract by not pursuing the less economic lease arrangement favoured by the previous Government. We have saved taxpayers about $25 million on that contract. The Leader of the Opposition made a very revealing comment yesterday when he accused us of looking at private financing arrangements solely to hide debt. The rolling stock arrangement clearly shows that he was speaking from experience. The coalition knew that it was at risk of losing this State’s AAA credit rating, and that is why it embarked on securing a private financing arrangement for the rolling stock, even though that arrangement would have cost this State $25 million more than the state debt financing that we have arranged. There were other important uses for the increase in borrowings. For example, Western Power and the State Housing Commission spent more on their capital works programs. I refer to a memo from the Under Treasurer to the previous Treasurer outlining financial sins of the coalition Government, in which the Leader of the Opposition features heavily. I have prepared a copy of that memo for every member. Later, the members of the coalition might like to remind themselves what the Under Treasurer thought about the Leader of the Opposition’s spending habits. The Leader of the Opposition delivered five deficits in eight years. Yesterday he delivered a sixth, only this time it was a credibility deficit. Point of Order Mr BARNETT: The Treasurer is clearly intending to table documentation from the time of the previous Government. I would like him to divulge the source of that information. Several member interjected. The SPEAKER: I do not know whether the Treasurer has tabled the documents. He may well intend to do that. The source of any document that is tabled in this place is the responsibility of the member and this House. It is not for the Chair to determine where a document has come from, unless it is a cabinet document. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr RIPPER: This document has previously been tabled. If the Leader of the Opposition would like me to, I will enthusiastically table all the copies. Mr Barnett: How did you access records of the previous Government? Ms MacTiernan: The same way you did. The SPEAKER: One copy of that document is sufficient for tabling. [See paper No 1513.]
Mr RIPPER: Woops indeed. This Government has been able to save the taxpayers money with the rolling stock contract by not pursuing the less economic lease arrangement favoured by the previous Government. We have saved taxpayers about $25 million on that contract. The Leader of the Opposition made a very revealing comment yesterday when he accused us of looking at private financing arrangements solely to hide debt. The rolling stock arrangement clearly shows that he was speaking from experience. The coalition knew that it was at risk of losing this State’s AAA credit rating, and that is why it embarked on securing a private financing arrangement for the rolling stock, even though that arrangement would have cost this State $25 million more than the state debt financing that we have arranged. There were other important uses for the increase in borrowings. For example, Western Power and the State Housing Commission spent more on their capital works programs. I refer to a memo from the Under Treasurer to the previous Treasurer outlining financial sins of the coalition Government, in which the Leader of the Opposition features heavily. I have prepared a copy of that memo for every member. Later, the members of the coalition might like to remind themselves what the Under Treasurer thought about the Leader of the Opposition’s spending habits. The Leader of the Opposition delivered five deficits in eight years. Yesterday he delivered a sixth, only this time it was a credibility deficit. Point of Order Mr BARNETT: The Treasurer is clearly intending to table documentation from the time of the previous Government. I would like him to divulge the source of that information. Several member interjected. The SPEAKER: I do not know whether the Treasurer has tabled the documents. He may well intend to do that. The source of any document that is tabled in this place is the responsibility of the member and this House. It is not for the Chair to determine where a document has come from, unless it is a cabinet document. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr RIPPER: This document has previously been tabled. If the Leader of the Opposition would like me to, I will enthusiastically table all the copies. Mr Barnett: How did you access records of the previous Government? Ms MacTiernan: The same way you did. The SPEAKER: One copy of that document is sufficient for tabling. [See paper No 1513.]
I refer to a memo from the Under Treasurer to the previous Treasurer outlining financial sins of the coalition Government, in which the Leader of the Opposition features heavily. I have prepared a copy of that memo for every member. Later, the members of the coalition might like to remind themselves what the Under Treasurer thought about the Leader of the Opposition’s spending habits. The Leader of the Opposition delivered five deficits in eight years. Yesterday he delivered a sixth, only this time it was a credibility deficit. Point of Order Mr BARNETT: The Treasurer is clearly intending to table documentation from the time of the previous Government. I would like him to divulge the source of that information. Several member interjected. The SPEAKER: I do not know whether the Treasurer has tabled the documents. He may well intend to do that. The source of any document that is tabled in this place is the responsibility of the member and this House. It is not for the Chair to determine where a document has come from, unless it is a cabinet document. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr RIPPER: This document has previously been tabled. If the Leader of the Opposition would like me to, I will enthusiastically table all the copies. Mr Barnett: How did you access records of the previous Government? Ms MacTiernan: The same way you did. The SPEAKER: One copy of that document is sufficient for tabling. [See paper No 1513.]
Several member interjected. The SPEAKER: I do not know whether the Treasurer has tabled the documents. He may well intend to do that. The source of any document that is tabled in this place is the responsibility of the member and this House. It is not for the Chair to determine where a document has come from, unless it is a cabinet document. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr RIPPER: This document has previously been tabled. If the Leader of the Opposition would like me to, I will enthusiastically table all the copies. Mr Barnett: How did you access records of the previous Government? Ms MacTiernan: The same way you did. The SPEAKER: One copy of that document is sufficient for tabling. [See paper No 1513.]
The SPEAKER: I do not know whether the Treasurer has tabled the documents. He may well intend to do that. The source of any document that is tabled in this place is the responsibility of the member and this House. It is not for the Chair to determine where a document has come from, unless it is a cabinet document. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr RIPPER: This document has previously been tabled. If the Leader of the Opposition would like me to, I will enthusiastically table all the copies. Mr Barnett: How did you access records of the previous Government? Ms MacTiernan: The same way you did. The SPEAKER: One copy of that document is sufficient for tabling. [See paper No 1513.]
Mr Barnett: How did you access records of the previous Government? Ms MacTiernan: The same way you did. The SPEAKER: One copy of that document is sufficient for tabling. [See paper No 1513.]
Ms MacTiernan: The same way you did. The SPEAKER: One copy of that document is sufficient for tabling. [See paper No 1513.]
The SPEAKER: One copy of that document is sufficient for tabling. [See paper No 1513.]
[See paper No 1513.]
Mr RIPPER replied: I thank the member for the question. I heard the comments of the Leader of the Opposition during his reply to the budget speech yesterday. It was a fine, well-researched, coherent speech. I do not know how the Leader of the Opposition will top it next year. I think the House is entitled to hear a few facts about those so-called minor deficits. The deficits were as high $359 million in 1993-94 and, over the years of the coalition Government, totalled $986 million. The eight budgets the coalition Government delivered contained nearly a billion dollars of red ink and five deficits. The Leader of the Opposition made some strange comments yesterday. Several members interjected. Mr RIPPER: The Leader of the Opposition needs to understand that when a Government delivers deficits, it is using the credit card to meet the day-to-day expenses of government. That is not fair to the next generation. That is not fair to our children. I noted the Leader of the Opposition’s comments about budget information. I had a look at the coalition’s budget advertisements, and discovered that they contained no mention of deficits. I wonder why the coalition forgot to include that information. The Leader of the Opposition’s reference to those deficits as minor and his cavalier approach to the issue shows that he has not learnt his lesson. Debt increased by $891 million last year. That figure represents the difference between the 2000-01 out-turn and the out-turn for the 2001-02 financial year. I had hoped that in his budget reply, the Leader of the Opposition would own up to the fact that $368 million, or 41 per cent, of that increase was inherited from the previous Government in the form of committed projects. In other words, even if this Government had done nothing, debt would have increased by that amount. On a net basis, another $118 million of the deficit is a result of this Government’s decision to pull out of the Matrix deal. That of course will save the taxpayers money in the long term. Once that is added to the $368 million I have already mentioned, we discover that the coalition is responsible for $486 million of that debt increase, or 54 per cent of the debt. Mr McRae: Woops. Mr RIPPER: Woops indeed. This Government has been able to save the taxpayers money with the rolling stock contract by not pursuing the less economic lease arrangement favoured by the previous Government. We have saved taxpayers about $25 million on that contract. The Leader of the Opposition made a very revealing comment yesterday when he accused us of looking at private financing arrangements solely to hide debt. The rolling stock arrangement clearly shows that he was speaking from experience. The coalition knew that it was at risk of losing this State’s AAA credit rating, and that is why it embarked on securing a private financing arrangement for the rolling stock, even though that arrangement would have cost this State $25 million more than the state debt financing that we have arranged. There were other important uses for the increase in borrowings. For example, Western Power and the State Housing Commission spent more on their capital works programs. I refer to a memo from the Under Treasurer to the previous Treasurer outlining financial sins of the coalition Government, in which the Leader of the Opposition features heavily. I have prepared a copy of that memo for every member. Later, the members of the coalition might like to remind themselves what the Under Treasurer thought about the Leader of the Opposition’s spending habits. The Leader of the Opposition delivered five deficits in eight years. Yesterday he delivered a sixth, only this time it was a credibility deficit. Point of Order Mr BARNETT: The Treasurer is clearly intending to table documentation from the time of the previous Government. I would like him to divulge the source of that information. Several member interjected. The SPEAKER: I do not know whether the Treasurer has tabled the documents. He may well intend to do that. The source of any document that is tabled in this place is the responsibility of the member and this House. It is not for the Chair to determine where a document has come from, unless it is a cabinet document. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr RIPPER: This document has previously been tabled. If the Leader of the Opposition would like me to, I will enthusiastically table all the copies. Mr Barnett: How did you access records of the previous Government? Ms MacTiernan: The same way you did. The SPEAKER: One copy of that document is sufficient for tabling. [See paper No 1513.]
I thank the member for the question. I heard the comments of the Leader of the Opposition during his reply to the budget speech yesterday. It was a fine, well-researched, coherent speech. I do not know how the Leader of the Opposition will top it next year. I think the House is entitled to hear a few facts about those so-called minor deficits. The deficits were as high $359 million in 1993-94 and, over the years of the coalition Government, totalled $986 million. The eight budgets the coalition Government delivered contained nearly a billion dollars of red ink and five deficits. The Leader of the Opposition made some strange comments yesterday. Several members interjected. Mr RIPPER: The Leader of the Opposition needs to understand that when a Government delivers deficits, it is using the credit card to meet the day-to-day expenses of government. That is not fair to the next generation. That is not fair to our children. I noted the Leader of the Opposition’s comments about budget information. I had a look at the coalition’s budget advertisements, and discovered that they contained no mention of deficits. I wonder why the coalition forgot to include that information. The Leader of the Opposition’s reference to those deficits as minor and his cavalier approach to the issue shows that he has not learnt his lesson. Debt increased by $891 million last year. That figure represents the difference between the 2000-01 out-turn and the out-turn for the 2001-02 financial year. I had hoped that in his budget reply, the Leader of the Opposition would own up to the fact that $368 million, or 41 per cent, of that increase was inherited from the previous Government in the form of committed projects. In other words, even if this Government had done nothing, debt would have increased by that amount. On a net basis, another $118 million of the deficit is a result of this Government’s decision to pull out of the Matrix deal. That of course will save the taxpayers money in the long term. Once that is added to the $368 million I have already mentioned, we discover that the coalition is responsible for $486 million of that debt increase, or 54 per cent of the debt. Mr McRae: Woops. Mr RIPPER: Woops indeed. This Government has been able to save the taxpayers money with the rolling stock contract by not pursuing the less economic lease arrangement favoured by the previous Government. We have saved taxpayers about $25 million on that contract. The Leader of the Opposition made a very revealing comment yesterday when he accused us of looking at private financing arrangements solely to hide debt. The rolling stock arrangement clearly shows that he was speaking from experience. The coalition knew that it was at risk of losing this State’s AAA credit rating, and that is why it embarked on securing a private financing arrangement for the rolling stock, even though that arrangement would have cost this State $25 million more than the state debt financing that we have arranged. There were other important uses for the increase in borrowings. For example, Western Power and the State Housing Commission spent more on their capital works programs. I refer to a memo from the Under Treasurer to the previous Treasurer outlining financial sins of the coalition Government, in which the Leader of the Opposition features heavily. I have prepared a copy of that memo for every member. Later, the members of the coalition might like to remind themselves what the Under Treasurer thought about the Leader of the Opposition’s spending habits. The Leader of the Opposition delivered five deficits in eight years. Yesterday he delivered a sixth, only this time it was a credibility deficit. Point of Order Mr BARNETT: The Treasurer is clearly intending to table documentation from the time of the previous Government. I would like him to divulge the source of that information. Several member interjected. The SPEAKER: I do not know whether the Treasurer has tabled the documents. He may well intend to do that. The source of any document that is tabled in this place is the responsibility of the member and this House. It is not for the Chair to determine where a document has come from, unless it is a cabinet document. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr RIPPER: This document has previously been tabled. If the Leader of the Opposition would like me to, I will enthusiastically table all the copies. Mr Barnett: How did you access records of the previous Government? Ms MacTiernan: The same way you did. The SPEAKER: One copy of that document is sufficient for tabling. [See paper No 1513.]
I think the House is entitled to hear a few facts about those so-called minor deficits. The deficits were as high $359 million in 1993-94 and, over the years of the coalition Government, totalled $986 million. The eight budgets the coalition Government delivered contained nearly a billion dollars of red ink and five deficits. The Leader of the Opposition made some strange comments yesterday. Several members interjected. Mr RIPPER: The Leader of the Opposition needs to understand that when a Government delivers deficits, it is using the credit card to meet the day-to-day expenses of government. That is not fair to the next generation. That is not fair to our children. I noted the Leader of the Opposition’s comments about budget information. I had a look at the coalition’s budget advertisements, and discovered that they contained no mention of deficits. I wonder why the coalition forgot to include that information. The Leader of the Opposition’s reference to those deficits as minor and his cavalier approach to the issue shows that he has not learnt his lesson. Debt increased by $891 million last year. That figure represents the difference between the 2000-01 out-turn and the out-turn for the 2001-02 financial year. I had hoped that in his budget reply, the Leader of the Opposition would own up to the fact that $368 million, or 41 per cent, of that increase was inherited from the previous Government in the form of committed projects. In other words, even if this Government had done nothing, debt would have increased by that amount. On a net basis, another $118 million of the deficit is a result of this Government’s decision to pull out of the Matrix deal. That of course will save the taxpayers money in the long term. Once that is added to the $368 million I have already mentioned, we discover that the coalition is responsible for $486 million of that debt increase, or 54 per cent of the debt. Mr McRae: Woops. Mr RIPPER: Woops indeed. This Government has been able to save the taxpayers money with the rolling stock contract by not pursuing the less economic lease arrangement favoured by the previous Government. We have saved taxpayers about $25 million on that contract. The Leader of the Opposition made a very revealing comment yesterday when he accused us of looking at private financing arrangements solely to hide debt. The rolling stock arrangement clearly shows that he was speaking from experience. The coalition knew that it was at risk of losing this State’s AAA credit rating, and that is why it embarked on securing a private financing arrangement for the rolling stock, even though that arrangement would have cost this State $25 million more than the state debt financing that we have arranged. There were other important uses for the increase in borrowings. For example, Western Power and the State Housing Commission spent more on their capital works programs. I refer to a memo from the Under Treasurer to the previous Treasurer outlining financial sins of the coalition Government, in which the Leader of the Opposition features heavily. I have prepared a copy of that memo for every member. Later, the members of the coalition might like to remind themselves what the Under Treasurer thought about the Leader of the Opposition’s spending habits. The Leader of the Opposition delivered five deficits in eight years. Yesterday he delivered a sixth, only this time it was a credibility deficit. Point of Order Mr BARNETT: The Treasurer is clearly intending to table documentation from the time of the previous Government. I would like him to divulge the source of that information. Several member interjected. The SPEAKER: I do not know whether the Treasurer has tabled the documents. He may well intend to do that. The source of any document that is tabled in this place is the responsibility of the member and this House. It is not for the Chair to determine where a document has come from, unless it is a cabinet document. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr RIPPER: This document has previously been tabled. If the Leader of the Opposition would like me to, I will enthusiastically table all the copies. Mr Barnett: How did you access records of the previous Government? Ms MacTiernan: The same way you did. The SPEAKER: One copy of that document is sufficient for tabling. [See paper No 1513.]
Several members interjected. Mr RIPPER: The Leader of the Opposition needs to understand that when a Government delivers deficits, it is using the credit card to meet the day-to-day expenses of government. That is not fair to the next generation. That is not fair to our children. I noted the Leader of the Opposition’s comments about budget information. I had a look at the coalition’s budget advertisements, and discovered that they contained no mention of deficits. I wonder why the coalition forgot to include that information. The Leader of the Opposition’s reference to those deficits as minor and his cavalier approach to the issue shows that he has not learnt his lesson. Debt increased by $891 million last year. That figure represents the difference between the 2000-01 out-turn and the out-turn for the 2001-02 financial year. I had hoped that in his budget reply, the Leader of the Opposition would own up to the fact that $368 million, or 41 per cent, of that increase was inherited from the previous Government in the form of committed projects. In other words, even if this Government had done nothing, debt would have increased by that amount. On a net basis, another $118 million of the deficit is a result of this Government’s decision to pull out of the Matrix deal. That of course will save the taxpayers money in the long term. Once that is added to the $368 million I have already mentioned, we discover that the coalition is responsible for $486 million of that debt increase, or 54 per cent of the debt. Mr McRae: Woops. Mr RIPPER: Woops indeed. This Government has been able to save the taxpayers money with the rolling stock contract by not pursuing the less economic lease arrangement favoured by the previous Government. We have saved taxpayers about $25 million on that contract. The Leader of the Opposition made a very revealing comment yesterday when he accused us of looking at private financing arrangements solely to hide debt. The rolling stock arrangement clearly shows that he was speaking from experience. The coalition knew that it was at risk of losing this State’s AAA credit rating, and that is why it embarked on securing a private financing arrangement for the rolling stock, even though that arrangement would have cost this State $25 million more than the state debt financing that we have arranged. There were other important uses for the increase in borrowings. For example, Western Power and the State Housing Commission spent more on their capital works programs. I refer to a memo from the Under Treasurer to the previous Treasurer outlining financial sins of the coalition Government, in which the Leader of the Opposition features heavily. I have prepared a copy of that memo for every member. Later, the members of the coalition might like to remind themselves what the Under Treasurer thought about the Leader of the Opposition’s spending habits. The Leader of the Opposition delivered five deficits in eight years. Yesterday he delivered a sixth, only this time it was a credibility deficit. Point of Order Mr BARNETT: The Treasurer is clearly intending to table documentation from the time of the previous Government. I would like him to divulge the source of that information. Several member interjected. The SPEAKER: I do not know whether the Treasurer has tabled the documents. He may well intend to do that. The source of any document that is tabled in this place is the responsibility of the member and this House. It is not for the Chair to determine where a document has come from, unless it is a cabinet document. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr RIPPER: This document has previously been tabled. If the Leader of the Opposition would like me to, I will enthusiastically table all the copies. Mr Barnett: How did you access records of the previous Government? Ms MacTiernan: The same way you did. The SPEAKER: One copy of that document is sufficient for tabling. [See paper No 1513.]
Mr RIPPER: The Leader of the Opposition needs to understand that when a Government delivers deficits, it is using the credit card to meet the day-to-day expenses of government. That is not fair to the next generation. That is not fair to our children. I noted the Leader of the Opposition’s comments about budget information. I had a look at the coalition’s budget advertisements, and discovered that they contained no mention of deficits. I wonder why the coalition forgot to include that information. The Leader of the Opposition’s reference to those deficits as minor and his cavalier approach to the issue shows that he has not learnt his lesson. Debt increased by $891 million last year. That figure represents the difference between the 2000-01 out-turn and the out-turn for the 2001-02 financial year. I had hoped that in his budget reply, the Leader of the Opposition would own up to the fact that $368 million, or 41 per cent, of that increase was inherited from the previous Government in the form of committed projects. In other words, even if this Government had done nothing, debt would have increased by that amount. On a net basis, another $118 million of the deficit is a result of this Government’s decision to pull out of the Matrix deal. That of course will save the taxpayers money in the long term. Once that is added to the $368 million I have already mentioned, we discover that the coalition is responsible for $486 million of that debt increase, or 54 per cent of the debt. Mr McRae: Woops. Mr RIPPER: Woops indeed. This Government has been able to save the taxpayers money with the rolling stock contract by not pursuing the less economic lease arrangement favoured by the previous Government. We have saved taxpayers about $25 million on that contract. The Leader of the Opposition made a very revealing comment yesterday when he accused us of looking at private financing arrangements solely to hide debt. The rolling stock arrangement clearly shows that he was speaking from experience. The coalition knew that it was at risk of losing this State’s AAA credit rating, and that is why it embarked on securing a private financing arrangement for the rolling stock, even though that arrangement would have cost this State $25 million more than the state debt financing that we have arranged. There were other important uses for the increase in borrowings. For example, Western Power and the State Housing Commission spent more on their capital works programs. I refer to a memo from the Under Treasurer to the previous Treasurer outlining financial sins of the coalition Government, in which the Leader of the Opposition features heavily. I have prepared a copy of that memo for every member. Later, the members of the coalition might like to remind themselves what the Under Treasurer thought about the Leader of the Opposition’s spending habits. The Leader of the Opposition delivered five deficits in eight years. Yesterday he delivered a sixth, only this time it was a credibility deficit. Point of Order Mr BARNETT: The Treasurer is clearly intending to table documentation from the time of the previous Government. I would like him to divulge the source of that information. Several member interjected. The SPEAKER: I do not know whether the Treasurer has tabled the documents. He may well intend to do that. The source of any document that is tabled in this place is the responsibility of the member and this House. It is not for the Chair to determine where a document has come from, unless it is a cabinet document. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr RIPPER: This document has previously been tabled. If the Leader of the Opposition would like me to, I will enthusiastically table all the copies. Mr Barnett: How did you access records of the previous Government? Ms MacTiernan: The same way you did. The SPEAKER: One copy of that document is sufficient for tabling. [See paper No 1513.]
Debt increased by $891 million last year. That figure represents the difference between the 2000-01 out-turn and the out-turn for the 2001-02 financial year. I had hoped that in his budget reply, the Leader of the Opposition would own up to the fact that $368 million, or 41 per cent, of that increase was inherited from the previous Government in the form of committed projects. In other words, even if this Government had done nothing, debt would have increased by that amount. On a net basis, another $118 million of the deficit is a result of this Government’s decision to pull out of the Matrix deal. That of course will save the taxpayers money in the long term. Once that is added to the $368 million I have already mentioned, we discover that the coalition is responsible for $486 million of that debt increase, or 54 per cent of the debt. Mr McRae: Woops. Mr RIPPER: Woops indeed. This Government has been able to save the taxpayers money with the rolling stock contract by not pursuing the less economic lease arrangement favoured by the previous Government. We have saved taxpayers about $25 million on that contract. The Leader of the Opposition made a very revealing comment yesterday when he accused us of looking at private financing arrangements solely to hide debt. The rolling stock arrangement clearly shows that he was speaking from experience. The coalition knew that it was at risk of losing this State’s AAA credit rating, and that is why it embarked on securing a private financing arrangement for the rolling stock, even though that arrangement would have cost this State $25 million more than the state debt financing that we have arranged. There were other important uses for the increase in borrowings. For example, Western Power and the State Housing Commission spent more on their capital works programs. I refer to a memo from the Under Treasurer to the previous Treasurer outlining financial sins of the coalition Government, in which the Leader of the Opposition features heavily. I have prepared a copy of that memo for every member. Later, the members of the coalition might like to remind themselves what the Under Treasurer thought about the Leader of the Opposition’s spending habits. The Leader of the Opposition delivered five deficits in eight years. Yesterday he delivered a sixth, only this time it was a credibility deficit. Point of Order Mr BARNETT: The Treasurer is clearly intending to table documentation from the time of the previous Government. I would like him to divulge the source of that information. Several member interjected. The SPEAKER: I do not know whether the Treasurer has tabled the documents. He may well intend to do that. The source of any document that is tabled in this place is the responsibility of the member and this House. It is not for the Chair to determine where a document has come from, unless it is a cabinet document. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr RIPPER: This document has previously been tabled. If the Leader of the Opposition would like me to, I will enthusiastically table all the copies. Mr Barnett: How did you access records of the previous Government? Ms MacTiernan: The same way you did. The SPEAKER: One copy of that document is sufficient for tabling. [See paper No 1513.]
Mr McRae: Woops. Mr RIPPER: Woops indeed. This Government has been able to save the taxpayers money with the rolling stock contract by not pursuing the less economic lease arrangement favoured by the previous Government. We have saved taxpayers about $25 million on that contract. The Leader of the Opposition made a very revealing comment yesterday when he accused us of looking at private financing arrangements solely to hide debt. The rolling stock arrangement clearly shows that he was speaking from experience. The coalition knew that it was at risk of losing this State’s AAA credit rating, and that is why it embarked on securing a private financing arrangement for the rolling stock, even though that arrangement would have cost this State $25 million more than the state debt financing that we have arranged. There were other important uses for the increase in borrowings. For example, Western Power and the State Housing Commission spent more on their capital works programs. I refer to a memo from the Under Treasurer to the previous Treasurer outlining financial sins of the coalition Government, in which the Leader of the Opposition features heavily. I have prepared a copy of that memo for every member. Later, the members of the coalition might like to remind themselves what the Under Treasurer thought about the Leader of the Opposition’s spending habits. The Leader of the Opposition delivered five deficits in eight years. Yesterday he delivered a sixth, only this time it was a credibility deficit. Point of Order Mr BARNETT: The Treasurer is clearly intending to table documentation from the time of the previous Government. I would like him to divulge the source of that information. Several member interjected. The SPEAKER: I do not know whether the Treasurer has tabled the documents. He may well intend to do that. The source of any document that is tabled in this place is the responsibility of the member and this House. It is not for the Chair to determine where a document has come from, unless it is a cabinet document. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr RIPPER: This document has previously been tabled. If the Leader of the Opposition would like me to, I will enthusiastically table all the copies. Mr Barnett: How did you access records of the previous Government? Ms MacTiernan: The same way you did. The SPEAKER: One copy of that document is sufficient for tabling. [See paper No 1513.]
Mr RIPPER: Woops indeed. This Government has been able to save the taxpayers money with the rolling stock contract by not pursuing the less economic lease arrangement favoured by the previous Government. We have saved taxpayers about $25 million on that contract. The Leader of the Opposition made a very revealing comment yesterday when he accused us of looking at private financing arrangements solely to hide debt. The rolling stock arrangement clearly shows that he was speaking from experience. The coalition knew that it was at risk of losing this State’s AAA credit rating, and that is why it embarked on securing a private financing arrangement for the rolling stock, even though that arrangement would have cost this State $25 million more than the state debt financing that we have arranged. There were other important uses for the increase in borrowings. For example, Western Power and the State Housing Commission spent more on their capital works programs. I refer to a memo from the Under Treasurer to the previous Treasurer outlining financial sins of the coalition Government, in which the Leader of the Opposition features heavily. I have prepared a copy of that memo for every member. Later, the members of the coalition might like to remind themselves what the Under Treasurer thought about the Leader of the Opposition’s spending habits. The Leader of the Opposition delivered five deficits in eight years. Yesterday he delivered a sixth, only this time it was a credibility deficit. Point of Order Mr BARNETT: The Treasurer is clearly intending to table documentation from the time of the previous Government. I would like him to divulge the source of that information. Several member interjected. The SPEAKER: I do not know whether the Treasurer has tabled the documents. He may well intend to do that. The source of any document that is tabled in this place is the responsibility of the member and this House. It is not for the Chair to determine where a document has come from, unless it is a cabinet document. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr RIPPER: This document has previously been tabled. If the Leader of the Opposition would like me to, I will enthusiastically table all the copies. Mr Barnett: How did you access records of the previous Government? Ms MacTiernan: The same way you did. The SPEAKER: One copy of that document is sufficient for tabling. [See paper No 1513.]
I refer to a memo from the Under Treasurer to the previous Treasurer outlining financial sins of the coalition Government, in which the Leader of the Opposition features heavily. I have prepared a copy of that memo for every member. Later, the members of the coalition might like to remind themselves what the Under Treasurer thought about the Leader of the Opposition’s spending habits. The Leader of the Opposition delivered five deficits in eight years. Yesterday he delivered a sixth, only this time it was a credibility deficit. Point of Order Mr BARNETT: The Treasurer is clearly intending to table documentation from the time of the previous Government. I would like him to divulge the source of that information. Several member interjected. The SPEAKER: I do not know whether the Treasurer has tabled the documents. He may well intend to do that. The source of any document that is tabled in this place is the responsibility of the member and this House. It is not for the Chair to determine where a document has come from, unless it is a cabinet document. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr RIPPER: This document has previously been tabled. If the Leader of the Opposition would like me to, I will enthusiastically table all the copies. Mr Barnett: How did you access records of the previous Government? Ms MacTiernan: The same way you did. The SPEAKER: One copy of that document is sufficient for tabling. [See paper No 1513.]
Several member interjected. The SPEAKER: I do not know whether the Treasurer has tabled the documents. He may well intend to do that. The source of any document that is tabled in this place is the responsibility of the member and this House. It is not for the Chair to determine where a document has come from, unless it is a cabinet document. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr RIPPER: This document has previously been tabled. If the Leader of the Opposition would like me to, I will enthusiastically table all the copies. Mr Barnett: How did you access records of the previous Government? Ms MacTiernan: The same way you did. The SPEAKER: One copy of that document is sufficient for tabling. [See paper No 1513.]
The SPEAKER: I do not know whether the Treasurer has tabled the documents. He may well intend to do that. The source of any document that is tabled in this place is the responsibility of the member and this House. It is not for the Chair to determine where a document has come from, unless it is a cabinet document. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr RIPPER: This document has previously been tabled. If the Leader of the Opposition would like me to, I will enthusiastically table all the copies. Mr Barnett: How did you access records of the previous Government? Ms MacTiernan: The same way you did. The SPEAKER: One copy of that document is sufficient for tabling. [See paper No 1513.]
Mr Barnett: How did you access records of the previous Government? Ms MacTiernan: The same way you did. The SPEAKER: One copy of that document is sufficient for tabling. [See paper No 1513.]
Ms MacTiernan: The same way you did. The SPEAKER: One copy of that document is sufficient for tabling. [See paper No 1513.]
The SPEAKER: One copy of that document is sufficient for tabling. [See paper No 1513.]
[See paper No 1513.]
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