❓ Mr. Wyatt questions the Treasurer's economic strategy based on rising iron ore prices, given poor unemployment figures. The Treasurer avoids directly answering, instead attacking the opposition and highlighting positive economic indicators.
AnsweredQoN 936Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
STATE ECONOMY — TREASURER'S
COMMENTS
936. Mr B.S. WYATT to the Treasurer:
I refer to the Treasurer's
proposed third‑term fiscal strategy that, and I quote —
Iron ore prices will be back and
everything will be hunky‑dory.
Given the disastrous unemployment
figures released today, to what level does the Treasurer's hunky‑dory
fiscal strategy assume the iron ore price will rise?
Mr
C.J. Barnett interjected.
COMMENTS
936. Mr B.S. WYATT to the Treasurer:
I refer to the Treasurer's
proposed third‑term fiscal strategy that, and I quote —
Iron ore prices will be back and
everything will be hunky‑dory.
Given the disastrous unemployment
figures released today, to what level does the Treasurer's hunky‑dory
fiscal strategy assume the iron ore price will rise?
Mr
C.J. Barnett interjected.
AnswerView source ↗
He forgets things. He is a young man
but he forgets. He asked me a question yesterday about the outcome of the
election. I made a flippant —
Several members interjected.
Dr
M.D. NAHAN : When I said ''hunky‑dory'', I meant us on
this side—we will be back!
Mr
B.S. Wyatt interjected.
Dr M.D. NAHAN : We will be back and the member will be mired in opposition for the
rest of his political career.
The
real question he should have asked, instead of flippancy, was: what are we
doing about the key issues of jobs?
Mr
B.S. Wyatt interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for Victoria Park, I have
called you twice and I have been lenient on you.
Dr
M.D. NAHAN : As the member for Victoria Park said, governments can do three
things—he is right—to facilitate jobs. They can sell assets to
invest in capital. They are not doing that —
Point of Order
Mr B.S. WYATT : Mr Speaker, you
made the point only yesterday about short questions and short answers. My
question was simply: to what level does the Treasurer assume the iron ore price
will rise under his hunky‑dory strategy?
The SPEAKER : Thanks. That is it.
It is a simple question.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Dr
M.D. NAHAN : I assumed that it was a serious question. I am treating it
seriously —
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : I did ask for short questions and short answers. We had a very
long first question, and I do not want a very long third answer.
Dr
M.D. NAHAN : I am trying to answer his question but he is not allowing me.
The
SPEAKER : Through the Chair—let's go.
Dr
M.D. NAHAN : Why do I think Western Australia, the economy and the politics
will improve from here? That is quite true—hunky‑dory and
terrific; yes. I will start with the politics, because we are going to win the
next election. That is good. Starting there—good government will
continue!
Several members interjected.
Dr
M.D. NAHAN : The member just asked me a question. That was the question and
I am giving the answer.
Second, on the economy, if members
look, there are green shoots of the economy all over the place. What happened
to the employment rate today? What happened to employment growth? There were 6 800
additional jobs in Western Australia in October. There were 6 800 jobs! There
was also growth in the participation rate. Why did that happen? It was because
people are getting more confident about going back to look for work. That is
what the data shows. Opposition members of course look at everything from the
gutter and in the ground—negativity. Look at iron ore prices, look at
gold, look at investment in drilling, look at investment, look at mineral
processing and look at lithium plants. They are growing. Members opposite
cannot see it. We can! Who do the people of Western Australia want to govern—people
who cannot see things or people who have vision? It is not people who have
little, empty books that say the same things three times.
Several members interjected.
Dr M.D. NAHAN : Will the Western Australian economy go back to its growth? Yes. We can
see the signs now. Will the opposition's plan of empty, vacuous
statements help? Absolutely not. It is irrelevant. What counts is for
government to govern well and invest in infrastructure during a downturn in
investment. We are doing it and we will continue to do it. The simple fact
going forward is that the Labor Party has no capacity to invest anything like
it is promising. It has no capacity. It has ruled out asset sales. The member
for Victoria Park has not. The Leader of the Opposition promised to do it, but
the member has ruled it out! The Labor Party has promised to keep expenditure
low. It is going out there promising, like it did last time, great
expenditures, and it is a big mirage.
but he forgets. He asked me a question yesterday about the outcome of the
election. I made a flippant —
Several members interjected.
Dr
M.D. NAHAN : When I said ''hunky‑dory'', I meant us on
this side—we will be back!
Mr
B.S. Wyatt interjected.
Dr M.D. NAHAN : We will be back and the member will be mired in opposition for the
rest of his political career.
The
real question he should have asked, instead of flippancy, was: what are we
doing about the key issues of jobs?
Mr
B.S. Wyatt interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for Victoria Park, I have
called you twice and I have been lenient on you.
Dr
M.D. NAHAN : As the member for Victoria Park said, governments can do three
things—he is right—to facilitate jobs. They can sell assets to
invest in capital. They are not doing that —
Point of Order
Mr B.S. WYATT : Mr Speaker, you
made the point only yesterday about short questions and short answers. My
question was simply: to what level does the Treasurer assume the iron ore price
will rise under his hunky‑dory strategy?
The SPEAKER : Thanks. That is it.
It is a simple question.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Dr
M.D. NAHAN : I assumed that it was a serious question. I am treating it
seriously —
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : I did ask for short questions and short answers. We had a very
long first question, and I do not want a very long third answer.
Dr
M.D. NAHAN : I am trying to answer his question but he is not allowing me.
The
SPEAKER : Through the Chair—let's go.
Dr
M.D. NAHAN : Why do I think Western Australia, the economy and the politics
will improve from here? That is quite true—hunky‑dory and
terrific; yes. I will start with the politics, because we are going to win the
next election. That is good. Starting there—good government will
continue!
Several members interjected.
Dr
M.D. NAHAN : The member just asked me a question. That was the question and
I am giving the answer.
Second, on the economy, if members
look, there are green shoots of the economy all over the place. What happened
to the employment rate today? What happened to employment growth? There were 6 800
additional jobs in Western Australia in October. There were 6 800 jobs! There
was also growth in the participation rate. Why did that happen? It was because
people are getting more confident about going back to look for work. That is
what the data shows. Opposition members of course look at everything from the
gutter and in the ground—negativity. Look at iron ore prices, look at
gold, look at investment in drilling, look at investment, look at mineral
processing and look at lithium plants. They are growing. Members opposite
cannot see it. We can! Who do the people of Western Australia want to govern—people
who cannot see things or people who have vision? It is not people who have
little, empty books that say the same things three times.
Several members interjected.
Dr M.D. NAHAN : Will the Western Australian economy go back to its growth? Yes. We can
see the signs now. Will the opposition's plan of empty, vacuous
statements help? Absolutely not. It is irrelevant. What counts is for
government to govern well and invest in infrastructure during a downturn in
investment. We are doing it and we will continue to do it. The simple fact
going forward is that the Labor Party has no capacity to invest anything like
it is promising. It has no capacity. It has ruled out asset sales. The member
for Victoria Park has not. The Leader of the Opposition promised to do it, but
the member has ruled it out! The Labor Party has promised to keep expenditure
low. It is going out there promising, like it did last time, great
expenditures, and it is a big mirage.
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