❓ Ms Davies questions the Premier's approach to BHP regarding unpaid royalties, accusing him of being lenient compared to his treatment of ordinary citizens. The Premier deflects by highlighting the previous government's inaction on the issue.
AnsweredQoN 314Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
BHP — UNPAID
ROYALTIES
314. Ms M.J. DAVIES to the Premier:
I have a supplementary question.
Given the Premier intends to hit mums and dads and small businesses with fee
increases and charges in the upcoming state budget, why is he softer on BHP
than he is on ordinary households in Western Australia?
ROYALTIES
314. Ms M.J. DAVIES to the Premier:
I have a supplementary question.
Given the Premier intends to hit mums and dads and small businesses with fee
increases and charges in the upcoming state budget, why is he softer on BHP
than he is on ordinary households in Western Australia?
AnswerView source ↗
The dispute goes back, from memory,
to the late 2000s. For eight and a half years of that period, the National
Party was in government and did not do anything about it.
Ms M.J. Davies : Your own
words—you say they owe us money.
The SPEAKER : Leader of the
National Party!
Mr M. McGOWAN : That is what
happened. The National Party was part of the government and did nothing about
it. It always talked big on these issues, but never actually did anything.
Ms M.J. Davies : You've
made some pretty big statements yourself, Premier.
The SPEAKER : Leader of the National Party!
Mr M. McGOWAN : I remember
some of the language that the National Party used about these companies in Western
Australia. It was very inflammatory, but when it came to the crunch about doing
anything, it did not do anything. We look forward to, hopefully, an amicable
solution to the issue. Obviously, I want to make sure that major investors such
as BHP—I welcome its recent South Flank investment and a range of other
things it does in Western Australia—continue to invest in Western Australia
and create jobs for our citizens.
to the late 2000s. For eight and a half years of that period, the National
Party was in government and did not do anything about it.
Ms M.J. Davies : Your own
words—you say they owe us money.
The SPEAKER : Leader of the
National Party!
Mr M. McGOWAN : That is what
happened. The National Party was part of the government and did nothing about
it. It always talked big on these issues, but never actually did anything.
Ms M.J. Davies : You've
made some pretty big statements yourself, Premier.
The SPEAKER : Leader of the National Party!
Mr M. McGOWAN : I remember
some of the language that the National Party used about these companies in Western
Australia. It was very inflammatory, but when it came to the crunch about doing
anything, it did not do anything. We look forward to, hopefully, an amicable
solution to the issue. Obviously, I want to make sure that major investors such
as BHP—I welcome its recent South Flank investment and a range of other
things it does in Western Australia—continue to invest in Western Australia
and create jobs for our citizens.
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.