❓ Opposition Leader McGowan questions the Treasurer about the potential anti-competitive impacts of selling Fremantle Port with the right to develop a new Kwinana port. The Treasurer does not rule out the purchaser having the opportunity to develop the new port.
AnsweredQoN 341Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
ASSET SALES — FREMANTLE PORT
341. Mr M. McGOWAN to the Treasurer:
I refer to the Treasurer's
planned sale of Fremantle port and the recent comments by the Australian
Competition and Consumer Commission chair, Rod Sims, warning against
anti-competitive arrangements in the sale, when he said —
I was very concerned to hear press
reports about a possible plan to offer the new owner of the Port of Fremantle
the right to develop a new port south of Fremantle in the future.
(1) Is the
Treasurer concerned about the potential impacts of this arrangement on port
users and businesses?
(2) Will the
Treasurer today rule out any purchaser of Fremantle port having the opportunity
to develop a new Kwinana port?
341. Mr M. McGOWAN to the Treasurer:
I refer to the Treasurer's
planned sale of Fremantle port and the recent comments by the Australian
Competition and Consumer Commission chair, Rod Sims, warning against
anti-competitive arrangements in the sale, when he said —
I was very concerned to hear press
reports about a possible plan to offer the new owner of the Port of Fremantle
the right to develop a new port south of Fremantle in the future.
(1) Is the
Treasurer concerned about the potential impacts of this arrangement on port
users and businesses?
(2) Will the
Treasurer today rule out any purchaser of Fremantle port having the opportunity
to develop a new Kwinana port?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I
thank the Leader of the Opposition for the question. The answer to the final
question is absolutely not.
Mr
M. McGowan : I am sorry? What is absolutely not?
Dr
M.D. NAHAN : The Leader of the Opposition asked a question. He should sit
down and let me answer it.
Mr
M. McGowan : I can't hear you.
Dr
M.D. NAHAN : Okay. Rod Sims, the chairman of the ACCC, has a policy—that
is correct—to have competition between ports, when possible.
Particularly in the eastern seaboard, there are a number of ports that can
compete with each other, particularly in Melbourne, which is considering
building a second port, competing with the port of Melbourne. In Perth, Western
Australia, if the expansion port—the second port—is to be in
the outer harbour, which I think is about 23 kilometres away from the inner
harbour, it will not be possible to have an effective port, particularly when
the outer harbour will be built sometime in the future and will be an overflow
port in addition to the existing one. Unless those two ports are operated by
the same organisation in the state, which the opposition wants to build for $5 billion,
it will not be built. The way we are going about the port is that a lease will
exist in the inner harbour —
Mr
M. McGowan interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition!
Dr
M.D. NAHAN : The successful lease company will have first rights to build
the outer harbour. The inner harbour will be operated —
Mr
M. McGowan interjected.
Dr
M.D. NAHAN : In the long term, the outer harbour and the inner harbour —
Mr
M. McGowan interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition, I call you to order for the first time.
Dr
M.D. NAHAN : The outer harbour and the inner harbour will be operated
together, as they were planned for under the previous Labor transport minister.
Alannah MacTiernan started the planning for the outer harbour.
Mr
F.M. Logan interjected.
Dr
M.D. NAHAN : We do not know about that. They were going to be operated
together, and that is the only feasible way to operate and build those. Members
on the other side want to play on this. How will they fund the outer harbour?
If they are going to build —
Mr
W.J. Johnston : How are you going to fund it?
The
SPEAKER : Member for Cannington!
Dr
M.D. NAHAN : I have just described how we are going to fund it. When the
inner harbour gets towards full capacity, the lease company will have first
rights to build, own and operate the outer harbour. It will be a private sector
operation.
Mr
W.J. Johnston interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Cannington, I call you to order for the first time.
Right; quick answer through the Chair.
Dr
M.D. NAHAN : Of course we will have very effective access and pricing
regimes to control the prices at the inner and outer harbour and tie them with
the consumer price index.
thank the Leader of the Opposition for the question. The answer to the final
question is absolutely not.
Mr
M. McGowan : I am sorry? What is absolutely not?
Dr
M.D. NAHAN : The Leader of the Opposition asked a question. He should sit
down and let me answer it.
Mr
M. McGowan : I can't hear you.
Dr
M.D. NAHAN : Okay. Rod Sims, the chairman of the ACCC, has a policy—that
is correct—to have competition between ports, when possible.
Particularly in the eastern seaboard, there are a number of ports that can
compete with each other, particularly in Melbourne, which is considering
building a second port, competing with the port of Melbourne. In Perth, Western
Australia, if the expansion port—the second port—is to be in
the outer harbour, which I think is about 23 kilometres away from the inner
harbour, it will not be possible to have an effective port, particularly when
the outer harbour will be built sometime in the future and will be an overflow
port in addition to the existing one. Unless those two ports are operated by
the same organisation in the state, which the opposition wants to build for $5 billion,
it will not be built. The way we are going about the port is that a lease will
exist in the inner harbour —
Mr
M. McGowan interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition!
Dr
M.D. NAHAN : The successful lease company will have first rights to build
the outer harbour. The inner harbour will be operated —
Mr
M. McGowan interjected.
Dr
M.D. NAHAN : In the long term, the outer harbour and the inner harbour —
Mr
M. McGowan interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition, I call you to order for the first time.
Dr
M.D. NAHAN : The outer harbour and the inner harbour will be operated
together, as they were planned for under the previous Labor transport minister.
Alannah MacTiernan started the planning for the outer harbour.
Mr
F.M. Logan interjected.
Dr
M.D. NAHAN : We do not know about that. They were going to be operated
together, and that is the only feasible way to operate and build those. Members
on the other side want to play on this. How will they fund the outer harbour?
If they are going to build —
Mr
W.J. Johnston : How are you going to fund it?
The
SPEAKER : Member for Cannington!
Dr
M.D. NAHAN : I have just described how we are going to fund it. When the
inner harbour gets towards full capacity, the lease company will have first
rights to build, own and operate the outer harbour. It will be a private sector
operation.
Mr
W.J. Johnston interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Cannington, I call you to order for the first time.
Right; quick answer through the Chair.
Dr
M.D. NAHAN : Of course we will have very effective access and pricing
regimes to control the prices at the inner and outer harbour and tie them with
the consumer price index.
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