❓ The Treasurer acknowledges higher than forecasted public sector wage growth, attributing it to addressing inherited service deficiencies and a booming economy, while indicating future expenditure will likely decrease. The response deflects blame onto the previous government.
AnsweredQoN 133Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
PUBLIC SECTOR WAGES
Given that the 2005-06 state budget forecasted state public sector wages growth of 4.7 per cent - (1) Is the Treasurer aware that wages growth for the first six months of 2005-06 was more than 8.1 per cent? (2) What will he do to rein in the growth of the public sector wages bill in Western Australia? Mr E.S. RIPPER
Given that the 2005-06 state budget forecasted state public sector wages growth of 4.7 per cent - (1) Is the Treasurer aware that wages growth for the first six months of 2005-06 was more than 8.1 per cent? (2) What will he do to rein in the growth of the public sector wages bill in Western Australia? Mr E.S. RIPPER
AnswerView source ↗
(1)-(2) We have had both the need and the capacity for increased public sector expenditure. Extraordinary times have brought an extraordinary response from the government. We have had that need because of the service deficiencies we inherited from the previous government. I am proud of what we have done to improve services. I am proud of the extra money that we have put into health, the police service and education because we have been remedying the difficult circumstances in those areas that were left to us by the coalition cabinet, of which the Leader of the Opposition was a member. Also, the mentor of the opposition was a senior member who sat on the budget committee. We have had the capacity to do that because of the booming WA economy. On the one hand we have had the capacity and, on the other hand, we have had the need to address those service deficiencies, and that is what we have done. These were extraordinary actions. We do not need to address deficiencies over and over again. We have certainly addressed them and made big improvements to services like health, education, law and order, environmental services, approval processes and child protection. There are a number of others, but that is a good enough list. In future we would not expect to have these extraordinary levels of expenditure because we are unlikely to go through the culmination of inherited deficiency and improved capacity that we have experienced in the past couple of years.
(1) Is the Treasurer aware that wages growth for the first six months of 2005-06 was more than 8.1 per cent? (2) What will he do to rein in the growth of the public sector wages bill in Western Australia? Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: (1)-(2) We have had both the need and the capacity for increased public sector expenditure. Extraordinary times have brought an extraordinary response from the government. We have had that need because of the service deficiencies we inherited from the previous government. I am proud of what we have done to improve services. I am proud of the extra money that we have put into health, the police service and education because we have been remedying the difficult circumstances in those areas that were left to us by the coalition cabinet, of which the Leader of the Opposition was a member. Also, the mentor of the opposition was a senior member who sat on the budget committee. We have had the capacity to do that because of the booming WA economy. On the one hand we have had the capacity and, on the other hand, we have had the need to address those service deficiencies, and that is what we have done. These were extraordinary actions. We do not need to address deficiencies over and over again. We have certainly addressed them and made big improvements to services like health, education, law and order, environmental services, approval processes and child protection. There are a number of others, but that is a good enough list. In future we would not expect to have these extraordinary levels of expenditure because we are unlikely to go through the culmination of inherited deficiency and improved capacity that we have experienced in the past couple of years.
(2) What will he do to rein in the growth of the public sector wages bill in Western Australia? Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: (1)-(2) We have had both the need and the capacity for increased public sector expenditure. Extraordinary times have brought an extraordinary response from the government. We have had that need because of the service deficiencies we inherited from the previous government. I am proud of what we have done to improve services. I am proud of the extra money that we have put into health, the police service and education because we have been remedying the difficult circumstances in those areas that were left to us by the coalition cabinet, of which the Leader of the Opposition was a member. Also, the mentor of the opposition was a senior member who sat on the budget committee. We have had the capacity to do that because of the booming WA economy. On the one hand we have had the capacity and, on the other hand, we have had the need to address those service deficiencies, and that is what we have done. These were extraordinary actions. We do not need to address deficiencies over and over again. We have certainly addressed them and made big improvements to services like health, education, law and order, environmental services, approval processes and child protection. There are a number of others, but that is a good enough list. In future we would not expect to have these extraordinary levels of expenditure because we are unlikely to go through the culmination of inherited deficiency and improved capacity that we have experienced in the past couple of years.
Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: (1)-(2) We have had both the need and the capacity for increased public sector expenditure. Extraordinary times have brought an extraordinary response from the government. We have had that need because of the service deficiencies we inherited from the previous government. I am proud of what we have done to improve services. I am proud of the extra money that we have put into health, the police service and education because we have been remedying the difficult circumstances in those areas that were left to us by the coalition cabinet, of which the Leader of the Opposition was a member. Also, the mentor of the opposition was a senior member who sat on the budget committee. We have had the capacity to do that because of the booming WA economy. On the one hand we have had the capacity and, on the other hand, we have had the need to address those service deficiencies, and that is what we have done. These were extraordinary actions. We do not need to address deficiencies over and over again. We have certainly addressed them and made big improvements to services like health, education, law and order, environmental services, approval processes and child protection. There are a number of others, but that is a good enough list. In future we would not expect to have these extraordinary levels of expenditure because we are unlikely to go through the culmination of inherited deficiency and improved capacity that we have experienced in the past couple of years.
(1)-(2) We have had both the need and the capacity for increased public sector expenditure. Extraordinary times have brought an extraordinary response from the government. We have had that need because of the service deficiencies we inherited from the previous government. I am proud of what we have done to improve services. I am proud of the extra money that we have put into health, the police service and education because we have been remedying the difficult circumstances in those areas that were left to us by the coalition cabinet, of which the Leader of the Opposition was a member. Also, the mentor of the opposition was a senior member who sat on the budget committee. We have had the capacity to do that because of the booming WA economy. On the one hand we have had the capacity and, on the other hand, we have had the need to address those service deficiencies, and that is what we have done. These were extraordinary actions. We do not need to address deficiencies over and over again. We have certainly addressed them and made big improvements to services like health, education, law and order, environmental services, approval processes and child protection. There are a number of others, but that is a good enough list. In future we would not expect to have these extraordinary levels of expenditure because we are unlikely to go through the culmination of inherited deficiency and improved capacity that we have experienced in the past couple of years.
(1) Is the Treasurer aware that wages growth for the first six months of 2005-06 was more than 8.1 per cent? (2) What will he do to rein in the growth of the public sector wages bill in Western Australia? Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: (1)-(2) We have had both the need and the capacity for increased public sector expenditure. Extraordinary times have brought an extraordinary response from the government. We have had that need because of the service deficiencies we inherited from the previous government. I am proud of what we have done to improve services. I am proud of the extra money that we have put into health, the police service and education because we have been remedying the difficult circumstances in those areas that were left to us by the coalition cabinet, of which the Leader of the Opposition was a member. Also, the mentor of the opposition was a senior member who sat on the budget committee. We have had the capacity to do that because of the booming WA economy. On the one hand we have had the capacity and, on the other hand, we have had the need to address those service deficiencies, and that is what we have done. These were extraordinary actions. We do not need to address deficiencies over and over again. We have certainly addressed them and made big improvements to services like health, education, law and order, environmental services, approval processes and child protection. There are a number of others, but that is a good enough list. In future we would not expect to have these extraordinary levels of expenditure because we are unlikely to go through the culmination of inherited deficiency and improved capacity that we have experienced in the past couple of years.
(2) What will he do to rein in the growth of the public sector wages bill in Western Australia? Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: (1)-(2) We have had both the need and the capacity for increased public sector expenditure. Extraordinary times have brought an extraordinary response from the government. We have had that need because of the service deficiencies we inherited from the previous government. I am proud of what we have done to improve services. I am proud of the extra money that we have put into health, the police service and education because we have been remedying the difficult circumstances in those areas that were left to us by the coalition cabinet, of which the Leader of the Opposition was a member. Also, the mentor of the opposition was a senior member who sat on the budget committee. We have had the capacity to do that because of the booming WA economy. On the one hand we have had the capacity and, on the other hand, we have had the need to address those service deficiencies, and that is what we have done. These were extraordinary actions. We do not need to address deficiencies over and over again. We have certainly addressed them and made big improvements to services like health, education, law and order, environmental services, approval processes and child protection. There are a number of others, but that is a good enough list. In future we would not expect to have these extraordinary levels of expenditure because we are unlikely to go through the culmination of inherited deficiency and improved capacity that we have experienced in the past couple of years.
Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: (1)-(2) We have had both the need and the capacity for increased public sector expenditure. Extraordinary times have brought an extraordinary response from the government. We have had that need because of the service deficiencies we inherited from the previous government. I am proud of what we have done to improve services. I am proud of the extra money that we have put into health, the police service and education because we have been remedying the difficult circumstances in those areas that were left to us by the coalition cabinet, of which the Leader of the Opposition was a member. Also, the mentor of the opposition was a senior member who sat on the budget committee. We have had the capacity to do that because of the booming WA economy. On the one hand we have had the capacity and, on the other hand, we have had the need to address those service deficiencies, and that is what we have done. These were extraordinary actions. We do not need to address deficiencies over and over again. We have certainly addressed them and made big improvements to services like health, education, law and order, environmental services, approval processes and child protection. There are a number of others, but that is a good enough list. In future we would not expect to have these extraordinary levels of expenditure because we are unlikely to go through the culmination of inherited deficiency and improved capacity that we have experienced in the past couple of years.
(1)-(2) We have had both the need and the capacity for increased public sector expenditure. Extraordinary times have brought an extraordinary response from the government. We have had that need because of the service deficiencies we inherited from the previous government. I am proud of what we have done to improve services. I am proud of the extra money that we have put into health, the police service and education because we have been remedying the difficult circumstances in those areas that were left to us by the coalition cabinet, of which the Leader of the Opposition was a member. Also, the mentor of the opposition was a senior member who sat on the budget committee. We have had the capacity to do that because of the booming WA economy. On the one hand we have had the capacity and, on the other hand, we have had the need to address those service deficiencies, and that is what we have done. These were extraordinary actions. We do not need to address deficiencies over and over again. We have certainly addressed them and made big improvements to services like health, education, law and order, environmental services, approval processes and child protection. There are a number of others, but that is a good enough list. In future we would not expect to have these extraordinary levels of expenditure because we are unlikely to go through the culmination of inherited deficiency and improved capacity that we have experienced in the past couple of years.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.