❓ Dr. Nahan questions the Premier about electricity price increases impacting WA families, linking them to executive salary increases in Synergy and Horizon Power despite a wage freeze commitment. The Premier defends the government's actions, citing inherited debt and a focus on fair pay increases.
AnsweredQoN 697Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
SENIOR EXECUTIVE SERVICE
— WAGE FREEZE
697. Dr M.D. NAHAN to the Premier:
I have a supplementary question. The
Premier also committed to freezing the wages of the highest paid public
servants, including those in business enterprises, which, by the way,
constitute amongst the highest. In the electricity sector, Synergy and Horizon
Power failed to deliver. Will the Premier now apologise to struggling Western Australian
families for slugging them $289 per household on average with higher
electricity prices to pay for, in part, the salary increases of the executives
in those electricity companies?
— WAGE FREEZE
697. Dr M.D. NAHAN to the Premier:
I have a supplementary question. The
Premier also committed to freezing the wages of the highest paid public
servants, including those in business enterprises, which, by the way,
constitute amongst the highest. In the electricity sector, Synergy and Horizon
Power failed to deliver. Will the Premier now apologise to struggling Western Australian
families for slugging them $289 per household on average with higher
electricity prices to pay for, in part, the salary increases of the executives
in those electricity companies?
AnswerView source ↗
I
will investigate what the Leader of the Opposition has had to say, but clearly
our commitment was to freeze the pay of senior public servants,
politicians and judges and also a $1 000 pay increase for public servants
across the public sector. We have to repair
a very difficult financial situation—$40 billion of debt that the
Liberals and Nationals left us. This is one of the measures that we put
in place. Every single time this issue comes up, the opposition opposes it; it
opposes what we put in place. It is always complaining about it. Every single
time we try to repair the difficulty that the former government left us with,
the opposition opposes it. Members opposite take no responsibility for what
they did to the people of Western Australia. I will investigate what the Leader
of the Opposition has had to say, but we have delivered on that commitment in
relation to senior public servants and public servants across Western Australia.
A $1 000 pay increase is not easy. We do not really like doing that, but it
means that those lower paid public servants are getting a bigger pay rise than
they would otherwise have. It just means that those on higher incomes maybe are
not getting as big an increase as they would have liked.
The SPEAKER : Just before we
go on, member for Carine, I call you to order for the first time.
Distinguished Visitor — Hon Paul Omodei Statement
The SPEAKER : I would like to
welcome here today Hon Paul Omodei, former leader of the Liberal Party.
will investigate what the Leader of the Opposition has had to say, but clearly
our commitment was to freeze the pay of senior public servants,
politicians and judges and also a $1 000 pay increase for public servants
across the public sector. We have to repair
a very difficult financial situation—$40 billion of debt that the
Liberals and Nationals left us. This is one of the measures that we put
in place. Every single time this issue comes up, the opposition opposes it; it
opposes what we put in place. It is always complaining about it. Every single
time we try to repair the difficulty that the former government left us with,
the opposition opposes it. Members opposite take no responsibility for what
they did to the people of Western Australia. I will investigate what the Leader
of the Opposition has had to say, but we have delivered on that commitment in
relation to senior public servants and public servants across Western Australia.
A $1 000 pay increase is not easy. We do not really like doing that, but it
means that those lower paid public servants are getting a bigger pay rise than
they would otherwise have. It just means that those on higher incomes maybe are
not getting as big an increase as they would have liked.
The SPEAKER : Just before we
go on, member for Carine, I call you to order for the first time.
Distinguished Visitor — Hon Paul Omodei Statement
The SPEAKER : I would like to
welcome here today Hon Paul Omodei, former leader of the Liberal Party.
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