❓ Question regarding the government's planned motorplex at Burswood Park, specifically whether V8 Supercars initiated the project. The Minister's response deflects and attacks the questioner's past actions, leading to points of order and general disorder.
AnsweredQoN 104Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Burswood Park motorplex
104. Ms Sandra Brewer to the Minister for Sport
and Recreation:
Regarding the
government's planned motorplex—
Ms Rita Saffioti: Sorry?
The Speaker: Minister. Start again, member for
Cottesloe.
Ms Sandra Brewer: Regarding the government's planned
motorplex at Burswood Park, was the member for Landsdale correct in telling a
community engagement session on 14 May that V8 Supercars approached the
government about the need for another racetrack in Perth? If yes, why has the
minister not been clear in her public comments that the demand for the
racetrack came from the east coast–based V8 Supercars and not the
Western Australian public?
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members of the opposition! You have asked
the question. Give the minister a chance to respond.
104. Ms Sandra Brewer to the Minister for Sport
and Recreation:
Regarding the
government's planned motorplex—
Ms Rita Saffioti: Sorry?
The Speaker: Minister. Start again, member for
Cottesloe.
Ms Sandra Brewer: Regarding the government's planned
motorplex at Burswood Park, was the member for Landsdale correct in telling a
community engagement session on 14 May that V8 Supercars approached the
government about the need for another racetrack in Perth? If yes, why has the
minister not been clear in her public comments that the demand for the
racetrack came from the east coast–based V8 Supercars and not the
Western Australian public?
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members of the opposition! You have asked
the question. Give the minister a chance to respond.
AnswerView source ↗
It is hard to know
where to start, isn't it?
Ms Sandra Brewer: Maybe the member for
Landsdale.
The Speaker: Member for Cottesloe!
Ms Rita Saffioti: The
member for Landsdale—is that the same person the member used to ring up,
saying, "Please can I go to the Mark McGowan press conferences?" Was
that the same member for Landsdale? That is why the member has such a good
relationship with the member for Landsdale. It used to be embarrassing. I
approached the then chief of staff and said, "Do we really have to have
the member for Cottesloe"—the then head of the Property Council—"at
all of these press conferences?" Do we really have to have her there? She
rang up.
Ms Sandra Brewer interjected.
The Speaker: Member for Cottesloe!
Ms Rita Saffioti: She rang up. She was not shouting;
she was emotional, because she wanted to be involved in every press conference
that the then Premier held.
Point of order
Mr Liam Staltari: I refer to standing order 78—relevance.
This has nothing to do with the racetrack that nobody wants.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members! Points of order—silence!
We need a little blackboard or something to explain to people what the rules
are in here. Actually, no, we have a book, so read it!
Dr Tony Buti interjected.
The Speaker: Attorney General, what did I just say?
Points of order—silence. I will call to order the next person who
talks, and that will start us off on that process. There is no point of order.
I shall not uphold that point of order. Minister, if you could carry on with
your response, that would be appreciated.
Questions without notice resumed
Ms Rita Saffioti: That is why the member is obsessed
with the member for Landsdale, because she used to call him all the time and
say, "Please, can I come to the press conference?" As I said, Mark
McGowan would hold a press conference and the member for Cottesloe would say, "Start
the car! Start the car! Let's get there!" It was like an IKEA ad. Mark
McGowan would hold a press conference and, before you knew it, she was there,
endorsing all of our pro-development policies, new housing estates, all the
activity and Metronet. She was out there endorsing it all. I know the Liberal
Party and the Greens got together to create the new "no-alition". It
was what the Prime Minister referred to a lot in the last Federal Parliament.
The Greens and the Liberals are working together like they tried to in
Fremantle. I understand that in both the federal and state elections, the
Greens and the Liberals worked together.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Minister and Leader of the Opposition.
Ms Rita Saffioti: The Liberals and Greens are working
together. I know they are opposed to the project. I know that. We have
discussed at numerous press conferences that a street circuit has been proposed
for a number of years. Then, of course, the Burswood Park Board produced a plan
for a major redevelopment of that area into a sports and entertainment precinct
that would involve removing all of that land and creating an outdoor amphitheatre.
That is what the Burswood Park Board produced. We thought, "Why don't we
have a multi-use precinct?" At the same time I had the cycling community
saying it wants a closed criterium track to support international and state
championships. That is what they said. "Why don't we create an incredible
multi-use precinct, including some of the existing roads, such as Victoria Park
Drive and Camfield Drive? Why don't we make sure we can have a street circuit,
cycling and an outdoor theatre? Why don't we do that?" So, that is what we
are doing. The opposition is opposed to economic development; it is opposed to
new jobs. We know it is opposed to that.
Mr Basil Zempilas: You are opposed to
transparency.
Ms Rita Saffioti: I tell you what, those ponds are not
as old as that house that the Leader of the Opposition agreed to demolish for
someone in West Perth—talk about transparency.
Mr Daniel Pastorelli: Have you got to the
bottom of that yet?
Ms Rita Saffioti: Have you got to the bottom of what
you did in relation to that house that you took off the heritage register? Have
you worked that one out, because that house is older than the contaminated
ponds and the soil that is there covering a landfill site?
Mr Basil Zempilas interjected.
Ms Rita Saffioti: As I said, you can be opposed to
jobs and you can be opposed to opportunities, but the people in the suburbs who
rejected you want a government that brings plans to the election and delivers
them. They want a government delivering a future that—
Mr Basil Zempilas: No-one wants a racetrack, minister.
The Speaker: Leader of the Opposition!
Ms Rita Saffioti: They want a future that means new
jobs and opportunities so Western Australians do not have to travel elsewhere
to go to a great event, and Western Australians can be home and—
Mr Basil Zempilas interjected.
Ms Rita Saffioti: They want a government that makes
sure it runs a tourism agenda based on events and runs a diversification agenda
based on new jobs and opportunities, so that young Western Australians do not
have to leave and go elsewhere to see these events and to grab these
opportunities.
Mr Basil Zempilas interjected.
The Speaker: Leader of the Opposition!
Mr Basil Zempilas: Oh—sorry.
Ms Rita Saffioti: As I said, we put a plan at the
election and there was a political campaign against it.
Mr Basil Zempilas: Oh, gee; I would hate to see
one of those!
Ms Rita Saffioti: There was; that is what I am saying.
Mr Basil Zempilas interjected.
Ms Rita Saffioti: You really need to calm down, Leader
of the Opposition.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: We still have a supplementary to go,
minister.
Ms Rita Saffioti: We took a plan and there was a
political campaign. They ran posters and dropped leaflets and said, "Stop
the Motorplex; put Labor last." It was distributed by the Mayor of Victoria
Park, as I understand it. It could have been paid for by the Mayor of Victoria
Park. It was not authorised, and it was against the Electoral Act. But, all
that being said, everyone knew about it. Everyone who went to vote knew about
it. Everyone who went into a polling booth—
Mr Basil Zempilas: Did the member for Victoria
Park know about it?
The Speaker: Leader of the Opposition, I am calling
you for the first time.
Several members
interjected.
Ms Rita Saffioti: I do not know. When he was running
for Churchlands, did the Leader of the Opposition—
The Speaker: Thanks, minister; can you wrap it up,
please.
Ms Rita Saffioti: Did the Leader of the Opposition know
about his Coachella plan, his waterfront plan and his big Bell Tower plan? Did the
Leader of the Opposition know? We are very proud. We are going ahead creating
new development and new jobs and opportunities for Western Australians.
where to start, isn't it?
Ms Sandra Brewer: Maybe the member for
Landsdale.
The Speaker: Member for Cottesloe!
Ms Rita Saffioti: The
member for Landsdale—is that the same person the member used to ring up,
saying, "Please can I go to the Mark McGowan press conferences?" Was
that the same member for Landsdale? That is why the member has such a good
relationship with the member for Landsdale. It used to be embarrassing. I
approached the then chief of staff and said, "Do we really have to have
the member for Cottesloe"—the then head of the Property Council—"at
all of these press conferences?" Do we really have to have her there? She
rang up.
Ms Sandra Brewer interjected.
The Speaker: Member for Cottesloe!
Ms Rita Saffioti: She rang up. She was not shouting;
she was emotional, because she wanted to be involved in every press conference
that the then Premier held.
Point of order
Mr Liam Staltari: I refer to standing order 78—relevance.
This has nothing to do with the racetrack that nobody wants.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members! Points of order—silence!
We need a little blackboard or something to explain to people what the rules
are in here. Actually, no, we have a book, so read it!
Dr Tony Buti interjected.
The Speaker: Attorney General, what did I just say?
Points of order—silence. I will call to order the next person who
talks, and that will start us off on that process. There is no point of order.
I shall not uphold that point of order. Minister, if you could carry on with
your response, that would be appreciated.
Questions without notice resumed
Ms Rita Saffioti: That is why the member is obsessed
with the member for Landsdale, because she used to call him all the time and
say, "Please, can I come to the press conference?" As I said, Mark
McGowan would hold a press conference and the member for Cottesloe would say, "Start
the car! Start the car! Let's get there!" It was like an IKEA ad. Mark
McGowan would hold a press conference and, before you knew it, she was there,
endorsing all of our pro-development policies, new housing estates, all the
activity and Metronet. She was out there endorsing it all. I know the Liberal
Party and the Greens got together to create the new "no-alition". It
was what the Prime Minister referred to a lot in the last Federal Parliament.
The Greens and the Liberals are working together like they tried to in
Fremantle. I understand that in both the federal and state elections, the
Greens and the Liberals worked together.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Minister and Leader of the Opposition.
Ms Rita Saffioti: The Liberals and Greens are working
together. I know they are opposed to the project. I know that. We have
discussed at numerous press conferences that a street circuit has been proposed
for a number of years. Then, of course, the Burswood Park Board produced a plan
for a major redevelopment of that area into a sports and entertainment precinct
that would involve removing all of that land and creating an outdoor amphitheatre.
That is what the Burswood Park Board produced. We thought, "Why don't we
have a multi-use precinct?" At the same time I had the cycling community
saying it wants a closed criterium track to support international and state
championships. That is what they said. "Why don't we create an incredible
multi-use precinct, including some of the existing roads, such as Victoria Park
Drive and Camfield Drive? Why don't we make sure we can have a street circuit,
cycling and an outdoor theatre? Why don't we do that?" So, that is what we
are doing. The opposition is opposed to economic development; it is opposed to
new jobs. We know it is opposed to that.
Mr Basil Zempilas: You are opposed to
transparency.
Ms Rita Saffioti: I tell you what, those ponds are not
as old as that house that the Leader of the Opposition agreed to demolish for
someone in West Perth—talk about transparency.
Mr Daniel Pastorelli: Have you got to the
bottom of that yet?
Ms Rita Saffioti: Have you got to the bottom of what
you did in relation to that house that you took off the heritage register? Have
you worked that one out, because that house is older than the contaminated
ponds and the soil that is there covering a landfill site?
Mr Basil Zempilas interjected.
Ms Rita Saffioti: As I said, you can be opposed to
jobs and you can be opposed to opportunities, but the people in the suburbs who
rejected you want a government that brings plans to the election and delivers
them. They want a government delivering a future that—
Mr Basil Zempilas: No-one wants a racetrack, minister.
The Speaker: Leader of the Opposition!
Ms Rita Saffioti: They want a future that means new
jobs and opportunities so Western Australians do not have to travel elsewhere
to go to a great event, and Western Australians can be home and—
Mr Basil Zempilas interjected.
Ms Rita Saffioti: They want a government that makes
sure it runs a tourism agenda based on events and runs a diversification agenda
based on new jobs and opportunities, so that young Western Australians do not
have to leave and go elsewhere to see these events and to grab these
opportunities.
Mr Basil Zempilas interjected.
The Speaker: Leader of the Opposition!
Mr Basil Zempilas: Oh—sorry.
Ms Rita Saffioti: As I said, we put a plan at the
election and there was a political campaign against it.
Mr Basil Zempilas: Oh, gee; I would hate to see
one of those!
Ms Rita Saffioti: There was; that is what I am saying.
Mr Basil Zempilas interjected.
Ms Rita Saffioti: You really need to calm down, Leader
of the Opposition.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: We still have a supplementary to go,
minister.
Ms Rita Saffioti: We took a plan and there was a
political campaign. They ran posters and dropped leaflets and said, "Stop
the Motorplex; put Labor last." It was distributed by the Mayor of Victoria
Park, as I understand it. It could have been paid for by the Mayor of Victoria
Park. It was not authorised, and it was against the Electoral Act. But, all
that being said, everyone knew about it. Everyone who went to vote knew about
it. Everyone who went into a polling booth—
Mr Basil Zempilas: Did the member for Victoria
Park know about it?
The Speaker: Leader of the Opposition, I am calling
you for the first time.
Several members
interjected.
Ms Rita Saffioti: I do not know. When he was running
for Churchlands, did the Leader of the Opposition—
The Speaker: Thanks, minister; can you wrap it up,
please.
Ms Rita Saffioti: Did the Leader of the Opposition know
about his Coachella plan, his waterfront plan and his big Bell Tower plan? Did the
Leader of the Opposition know? We are very proud. We are going ahead creating
new development and new jobs and opportunities for Western Australians.
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