❓ The Minister addresses contradictory statements from the Opposition regarding the Geraldton port enhancement project, highlighting internal disagreements and reaffirming the government's commitment to the project.
AnsweredQoN 954Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Will the minister shed any light on the contradictory policies of the Opposition on the Geraldton port enhancement project? Ms MacTIERNAN
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Geraldton for this question. This is a project of great interest to many members in the House, and indeed to members of all political parties represented in the House. I note that one of the great supporters of this project is the Liberal Deputy Leader of the Opposition. On 10 April this year he said that it would be outrageous if we did not embrace the port enhancement project. He said that it is something that absolutely must be done. The Government thought for once that the Deputy Leader of the Opposition was correct: this project is crucial to the future of Geraldton and the mid west. We recognised that the mid west had been kept on hold for the past eight years while the former Minister for Resources Development was in charge of major projects in this State. We agree with the Liberal Deputy Leader of the Opposition because he is correct. We support that project at Geraldton and we have given it priority in our capital works budget. It is a government project and we did exactly what the Deputy Leader of the Opposition called upon us to do. When we proceeded to support the project, we again received criticism from the Leader of the Opposition. Dr Gallop: But remember that he was not part of the famous boat trip up the river to Kalgoorlie. Ms MacTIERNAN: The Leader of the Opposition did not get his lines right. He said that we should have built the HIsmelt Corporation Pty Ltd project at Oakajee; apparently we should have built the Geraldton port at Oakajee. He said - . . . there was hard rock at the bottom of the harbour and an enormous amount of money would be spent on getting little extra depth. The Government should bite the bullet and develop a new deep-water port at nearby Oakajee as a long-term solution, rather than engaging in a quick fix. He is not a man in favour of a quick fix. For eight years absolutely nothing happened in Geraldton and the mid west because he would not engage in a quick fix. He threw $20 million at the Oakajee project and we got absolutely zero return. Mr Barnett: We own the land and the designs. Ms MacTIERNAN: We own the land; that is very useful. There is no project to put on the land and no infrastructure to service the land; absolutely nothing has happened. What the Leader of the Opposition is saying now is completely out of step. In addition to giving praise to the member for Geraldton, who has been a staunch supporter of this project, I acknowledge the member for Greenough because he understands what is going on in this area. In a letter to the Midwest Times , he said - It is extremely unlikely that a deepwater port will eventuate at Oakajee, - The member for Greenough also does not believe that the Opposition can deliver; the Leader of the Opposition does not have his vote - or any other site in the Mid West, until an industry with a significant output situates itself in the region. He went on to correctly say, and has the support of his community in saying so - Geraldton and the surrounding rural communities cannot afford to wait on the whim of industry or Government for a future deepwater port development. He gives the following advice at the end of his letter, to which the Leader of the Opposition should well listen - Geraldton needs to leave negativity in its box and concentrate on a positive approach to the future.
Ms MacTIERNAN replied: I thank the member for Geraldton for this question. This is a project of great interest to many members in the House, and indeed to members of all political parties represented in the House. I note that one of the great supporters of this project is the Liberal Deputy Leader of the Opposition. On 10 April this year he said that it would be outrageous if we did not embrace the port enhancement project. He said that it is something that absolutely must be done. The Government thought for once that the Deputy Leader of the Opposition was correct: this project is crucial to the future of Geraldton and the mid west. We recognised that the mid west had been kept on hold for the past eight years while the former Minister for Resources Development was in charge of major projects in this State. We agree with the Liberal Deputy Leader of the Opposition because he is correct. We support that project at Geraldton and we have given it priority in our capital works budget. It is a government project and we did exactly what the Deputy Leader of the Opposition called upon us to do. When we proceeded to support the project, we again received criticism from the Leader of the Opposition. Dr Gallop: But remember that he was not part of the famous boat trip up the river to Kalgoorlie. Ms MacTIERNAN: The Leader of the Opposition did not get his lines right. He said that we should have built the HIsmelt Corporation Pty Ltd project at Oakajee; apparently we should have built the Geraldton port at Oakajee. He said - . . . there was hard rock at the bottom of the harbour and an enormous amount of money would be spent on getting little extra depth. The Government should bite the bullet and develop a new deep-water port at nearby Oakajee as a long-term solution, rather than engaging in a quick fix. He is not a man in favour of a quick fix. For eight years absolutely nothing happened in Geraldton and the mid west because he would not engage in a quick fix. He threw $20 million at the Oakajee project and we got absolutely zero return. Mr Barnett: We own the land and the designs. Ms MacTIERNAN: We own the land; that is very useful. There is no project to put on the land and no infrastructure to service the land; absolutely nothing has happened. What the Leader of the Opposition is saying now is completely out of step. In addition to giving praise to the member for Geraldton, who has been a staunch supporter of this project, I acknowledge the member for Greenough because he understands what is going on in this area. In a letter to the Midwest Times , he said - It is extremely unlikely that a deepwater port will eventuate at Oakajee, - The member for Greenough also does not believe that the Opposition can deliver; the Leader of the Opposition does not have his vote - or any other site in the Mid West, until an industry with a significant output situates itself in the region. He went on to correctly say, and has the support of his community in saying so - Geraldton and the surrounding rural communities cannot afford to wait on the whim of industry or Government for a future deepwater port development. He gives the following advice at the end of his letter, to which the Leader of the Opposition should well listen - Geraldton needs to leave negativity in its box and concentrate on a positive approach to the future.
I thank the member for Geraldton for this question. This is a project of great interest to many members in the House, and indeed to members of all political parties represented in the House. I note that one of the great supporters of this project is the Liberal Deputy Leader of the Opposition. On 10 April this year he said that it would be outrageous if we did not embrace the port enhancement project. He said that it is something that absolutely must be done. The Government thought for once that the Deputy Leader of the Opposition was correct: this project is crucial to the future of Geraldton and the mid west. We recognised that the mid west had been kept on hold for the past eight years while the former Minister for Resources Development was in charge of major projects in this State. We agree with the Liberal Deputy Leader of the Opposition because he is correct. We support that project at Geraldton and we have given it priority in our capital works budget. It is a government project and we did exactly what the Deputy Leader of the Opposition called upon us to do. When we proceeded to support the project, we again received criticism from the Leader of the Opposition. Dr Gallop: But remember that he was not part of the famous boat trip up the river to Kalgoorlie. Ms MacTIERNAN: The Leader of the Opposition did not get his lines right. He said that we should have built the HIsmelt Corporation Pty Ltd project at Oakajee; apparently we should have built the Geraldton port at Oakajee. He said - . . . there was hard rock at the bottom of the harbour and an enormous amount of money would be spent on getting little extra depth. The Government should bite the bullet and develop a new deep-water port at nearby Oakajee as a long-term solution, rather than engaging in a quick fix. He is not a man in favour of a quick fix. For eight years absolutely nothing happened in Geraldton and the mid west because he would not engage in a quick fix. He threw $20 million at the Oakajee project and we got absolutely zero return. Mr Barnett: We own the land and the designs. Ms MacTIERNAN: We own the land; that is very useful. There is no project to put on the land and no infrastructure to service the land; absolutely nothing has happened. What the Leader of the Opposition is saying now is completely out of step. In addition to giving praise to the member for Geraldton, who has been a staunch supporter of this project, I acknowledge the member for Greenough because he understands what is going on in this area. In a letter to the Midwest Times , he said - It is extremely unlikely that a deepwater port will eventuate at Oakajee, - The member for Greenough also does not believe that the Opposition can deliver; the Leader of the Opposition does not have his vote - or any other site in the Mid West, until an industry with a significant output situates itself in the region. He went on to correctly say, and has the support of his community in saying so - Geraldton and the surrounding rural communities cannot afford to wait on the whim of industry or Government for a future deepwater port development. He gives the following advice at the end of his letter, to which the Leader of the Opposition should well listen - Geraldton needs to leave negativity in its box and concentrate on a positive approach to the future.
This is a project of great interest to many members in the House, and indeed to members of all political parties represented in the House. I note that one of the great supporters of this project is the Liberal Deputy Leader of the Opposition. On 10 April this year he said that it would be outrageous if we did not embrace the port enhancement project. He said that it is something that absolutely must be done. The Government thought for once that the Deputy Leader of the Opposition was correct: this project is crucial to the future of Geraldton and the mid west. We recognised that the mid west had been kept on hold for the past eight years while the former Minister for Resources Development was in charge of major projects in this State. We agree with the Liberal Deputy Leader of the Opposition because he is correct. We support that project at Geraldton and we have given it priority in our capital works budget. It is a government project and we did exactly what the Deputy Leader of the Opposition called upon us to do. When we proceeded to support the project, we again received criticism from the Leader of the Opposition. Dr Gallop: But remember that he was not part of the famous boat trip up the river to Kalgoorlie. Ms MacTIERNAN: The Leader of the Opposition did not get his lines right. He said that we should have built the HIsmelt Corporation Pty Ltd project at Oakajee; apparently we should have built the Geraldton port at Oakajee. He said - . . . there was hard rock at the bottom of the harbour and an enormous amount of money would be spent on getting little extra depth. The Government should bite the bullet and develop a new deep-water port at nearby Oakajee as a long-term solution, rather than engaging in a quick fix. He is not a man in favour of a quick fix. For eight years absolutely nothing happened in Geraldton and the mid west because he would not engage in a quick fix. He threw $20 million at the Oakajee project and we got absolutely zero return. Mr Barnett: We own the land and the designs. Ms MacTIERNAN: We own the land; that is very useful. There is no project to put on the land and no infrastructure to service the land; absolutely nothing has happened. What the Leader of the Opposition is saying now is completely out of step. In addition to giving praise to the member for Geraldton, who has been a staunch supporter of this project, I acknowledge the member for Greenough because he understands what is going on in this area. In a letter to the Midwest Times , he said - It is extremely unlikely that a deepwater port will eventuate at Oakajee, - The member for Greenough also does not believe that the Opposition can deliver; the Leader of the Opposition does not have his vote - or any other site in the Mid West, until an industry with a significant output situates itself in the region. He went on to correctly say, and has the support of his community in saying so - Geraldton and the surrounding rural communities cannot afford to wait on the whim of industry or Government for a future deepwater port development. He gives the following advice at the end of his letter, to which the Leader of the Opposition should well listen - Geraldton needs to leave negativity in its box and concentrate on a positive approach to the future.
Dr Gallop: But remember that he was not part of the famous boat trip up the river to Kalgoorlie. Ms MacTIERNAN: The Leader of the Opposition did not get his lines right. He said that we should have built the HIsmelt Corporation Pty Ltd project at Oakajee; apparently we should have built the Geraldton port at Oakajee. He said - . . . there was hard rock at the bottom of the harbour and an enormous amount of money would be spent on getting little extra depth. The Government should bite the bullet and develop a new deep-water port at nearby Oakajee as a long-term solution, rather than engaging in a quick fix. He is not a man in favour of a quick fix. For eight years absolutely nothing happened in Geraldton and the mid west because he would not engage in a quick fix. He threw $20 million at the Oakajee project and we got absolutely zero return. Mr Barnett: We own the land and the designs. Ms MacTIERNAN: We own the land; that is very useful. There is no project to put on the land and no infrastructure to service the land; absolutely nothing has happened. What the Leader of the Opposition is saying now is completely out of step. In addition to giving praise to the member for Geraldton, who has been a staunch supporter of this project, I acknowledge the member for Greenough because he understands what is going on in this area. In a letter to the Midwest Times , he said - It is extremely unlikely that a deepwater port will eventuate at Oakajee, - The member for Greenough also does not believe that the Opposition can deliver; the Leader of the Opposition does not have his vote - or any other site in the Mid West, until an industry with a significant output situates itself in the region. He went on to correctly say, and has the support of his community in saying so - Geraldton and the surrounding rural communities cannot afford to wait on the whim of industry or Government for a future deepwater port development. He gives the following advice at the end of his letter, to which the Leader of the Opposition should well listen - Geraldton needs to leave negativity in its box and concentrate on a positive approach to the future.
Ms MacTIERNAN: The Leader of the Opposition did not get his lines right. He said that we should have built the HIsmelt Corporation Pty Ltd project at Oakajee; apparently we should have built the Geraldton port at Oakajee. He said - . . . there was hard rock at the bottom of the harbour and an enormous amount of money would be spent on getting little extra depth. The Government should bite the bullet and develop a new deep-water port at nearby Oakajee as a long-term solution, rather than engaging in a quick fix. He is not a man in favour of a quick fix. For eight years absolutely nothing happened in Geraldton and the mid west because he would not engage in a quick fix. He threw $20 million at the Oakajee project and we got absolutely zero return. Mr Barnett: We own the land and the designs. Ms MacTIERNAN: We own the land; that is very useful. There is no project to put on the land and no infrastructure to service the land; absolutely nothing has happened. What the Leader of the Opposition is saying now is completely out of step. In addition to giving praise to the member for Geraldton, who has been a staunch supporter of this project, I acknowledge the member for Greenough because he understands what is going on in this area. In a letter to the Midwest Times , he said - It is extremely unlikely that a deepwater port will eventuate at Oakajee, - The member for Greenough also does not believe that the Opposition can deliver; the Leader of the Opposition does not have his vote - or any other site in the Mid West, until an industry with a significant output situates itself in the region. He went on to correctly say, and has the support of his community in saying so - Geraldton and the surrounding rural communities cannot afford to wait on the whim of industry or Government for a future deepwater port development. He gives the following advice at the end of his letter, to which the Leader of the Opposition should well listen - Geraldton needs to leave negativity in its box and concentrate on a positive approach to the future.
The Government should bite the bullet and develop a new deep-water port at nearby Oakajee as a long-term solution, rather than engaging in a quick fix.
Mr Barnett: We own the land and the designs. Ms MacTIERNAN: We own the land; that is very useful. There is no project to put on the land and no infrastructure to service the land; absolutely nothing has happened. What the Leader of the Opposition is saying now is completely out of step. In addition to giving praise to the member for Geraldton, who has been a staunch supporter of this project, I acknowledge the member for Greenough because he understands what is going on in this area. In a letter to the Midwest Times , he said - It is extremely unlikely that a deepwater port will eventuate at Oakajee, - The member for Greenough also does not believe that the Opposition can deliver; the Leader of the Opposition does not have his vote - or any other site in the Mid West, until an industry with a significant output situates itself in the region. He went on to correctly say, and has the support of his community in saying so - Geraldton and the surrounding rural communities cannot afford to wait on the whim of industry or Government for a future deepwater port development. He gives the following advice at the end of his letter, to which the Leader of the Opposition should well listen - Geraldton needs to leave negativity in its box and concentrate on a positive approach to the future.
Ms MacTIERNAN: We own the land; that is very useful. There is no project to put on the land and no infrastructure to service the land; absolutely nothing has happened. What the Leader of the Opposition is saying now is completely out of step. In addition to giving praise to the member for Geraldton, who has been a staunch supporter of this project, I acknowledge the member for Greenough because he understands what is going on in this area. In a letter to the Midwest Times , he said - It is extremely unlikely that a deepwater port will eventuate at Oakajee, - The member for Greenough also does not believe that the Opposition can deliver; the Leader of the Opposition does not have his vote - or any other site in the Mid West, until an industry with a significant output situates itself in the region. He went on to correctly say, and has the support of his community in saying so - Geraldton and the surrounding rural communities cannot afford to wait on the whim of industry or Government for a future deepwater port development. He gives the following advice at the end of his letter, to which the Leader of the Opposition should well listen - Geraldton needs to leave negativity in its box and concentrate on a positive approach to the future.
Ms MacTIERNAN replied: I thank the member for Geraldton for this question. This is a project of great interest to many members in the House, and indeed to members of all political parties represented in the House. I note that one of the great supporters of this project is the Liberal Deputy Leader of the Opposition. On 10 April this year he said that it would be outrageous if we did not embrace the port enhancement project. He said that it is something that absolutely must be done. The Government thought for once that the Deputy Leader of the Opposition was correct: this project is crucial to the future of Geraldton and the mid west. We recognised that the mid west had been kept on hold for the past eight years while the former Minister for Resources Development was in charge of major projects in this State. We agree with the Liberal Deputy Leader of the Opposition because he is correct. We support that project at Geraldton and we have given it priority in our capital works budget. It is a government project and we did exactly what the Deputy Leader of the Opposition called upon us to do. When we proceeded to support the project, we again received criticism from the Leader of the Opposition. Dr Gallop: But remember that he was not part of the famous boat trip up the river to Kalgoorlie. Ms MacTIERNAN: The Leader of the Opposition did not get his lines right. He said that we should have built the HIsmelt Corporation Pty Ltd project at Oakajee; apparently we should have built the Geraldton port at Oakajee. He said - . . . there was hard rock at the bottom of the harbour and an enormous amount of money would be spent on getting little extra depth. The Government should bite the bullet and develop a new deep-water port at nearby Oakajee as a long-term solution, rather than engaging in a quick fix. He is not a man in favour of a quick fix. For eight years absolutely nothing happened in Geraldton and the mid west because he would not engage in a quick fix. He threw $20 million at the Oakajee project and we got absolutely zero return. Mr Barnett: We own the land and the designs. Ms MacTIERNAN: We own the land; that is very useful. There is no project to put on the land and no infrastructure to service the land; absolutely nothing has happened. What the Leader of the Opposition is saying now is completely out of step. In addition to giving praise to the member for Geraldton, who has been a staunch supporter of this project, I acknowledge the member for Greenough because he understands what is going on in this area. In a letter to the Midwest Times , he said - It is extremely unlikely that a deepwater port will eventuate at Oakajee, - The member for Greenough also does not believe that the Opposition can deliver; the Leader of the Opposition does not have his vote - or any other site in the Mid West, until an industry with a significant output situates itself in the region. He went on to correctly say, and has the support of his community in saying so - Geraldton and the surrounding rural communities cannot afford to wait on the whim of industry or Government for a future deepwater port development. He gives the following advice at the end of his letter, to which the Leader of the Opposition should well listen - Geraldton needs to leave negativity in its box and concentrate on a positive approach to the future.
I thank the member for Geraldton for this question. This is a project of great interest to many members in the House, and indeed to members of all political parties represented in the House. I note that one of the great supporters of this project is the Liberal Deputy Leader of the Opposition. On 10 April this year he said that it would be outrageous if we did not embrace the port enhancement project. He said that it is something that absolutely must be done. The Government thought for once that the Deputy Leader of the Opposition was correct: this project is crucial to the future of Geraldton and the mid west. We recognised that the mid west had been kept on hold for the past eight years while the former Minister for Resources Development was in charge of major projects in this State. We agree with the Liberal Deputy Leader of the Opposition because he is correct. We support that project at Geraldton and we have given it priority in our capital works budget. It is a government project and we did exactly what the Deputy Leader of the Opposition called upon us to do. When we proceeded to support the project, we again received criticism from the Leader of the Opposition. Dr Gallop: But remember that he was not part of the famous boat trip up the river to Kalgoorlie. Ms MacTIERNAN: The Leader of the Opposition did not get his lines right. He said that we should have built the HIsmelt Corporation Pty Ltd project at Oakajee; apparently we should have built the Geraldton port at Oakajee. He said - . . . there was hard rock at the bottom of the harbour and an enormous amount of money would be spent on getting little extra depth. The Government should bite the bullet and develop a new deep-water port at nearby Oakajee as a long-term solution, rather than engaging in a quick fix. He is not a man in favour of a quick fix. For eight years absolutely nothing happened in Geraldton and the mid west because he would not engage in a quick fix. He threw $20 million at the Oakajee project and we got absolutely zero return. Mr Barnett: We own the land and the designs. Ms MacTIERNAN: We own the land; that is very useful. There is no project to put on the land and no infrastructure to service the land; absolutely nothing has happened. What the Leader of the Opposition is saying now is completely out of step. In addition to giving praise to the member for Geraldton, who has been a staunch supporter of this project, I acknowledge the member for Greenough because he understands what is going on in this area. In a letter to the Midwest Times , he said - It is extremely unlikely that a deepwater port will eventuate at Oakajee, - The member for Greenough also does not believe that the Opposition can deliver; the Leader of the Opposition does not have his vote - or any other site in the Mid West, until an industry with a significant output situates itself in the region. He went on to correctly say, and has the support of his community in saying so - Geraldton and the surrounding rural communities cannot afford to wait on the whim of industry or Government for a future deepwater port development. He gives the following advice at the end of his letter, to which the Leader of the Opposition should well listen - Geraldton needs to leave negativity in its box and concentrate on a positive approach to the future.
This is a project of great interest to many members in the House, and indeed to members of all political parties represented in the House. I note that one of the great supporters of this project is the Liberal Deputy Leader of the Opposition. On 10 April this year he said that it would be outrageous if we did not embrace the port enhancement project. He said that it is something that absolutely must be done. The Government thought for once that the Deputy Leader of the Opposition was correct: this project is crucial to the future of Geraldton and the mid west. We recognised that the mid west had been kept on hold for the past eight years while the former Minister for Resources Development was in charge of major projects in this State. We agree with the Liberal Deputy Leader of the Opposition because he is correct. We support that project at Geraldton and we have given it priority in our capital works budget. It is a government project and we did exactly what the Deputy Leader of the Opposition called upon us to do. When we proceeded to support the project, we again received criticism from the Leader of the Opposition. Dr Gallop: But remember that he was not part of the famous boat trip up the river to Kalgoorlie. Ms MacTIERNAN: The Leader of the Opposition did not get his lines right. He said that we should have built the HIsmelt Corporation Pty Ltd project at Oakajee; apparently we should have built the Geraldton port at Oakajee. He said - . . . there was hard rock at the bottom of the harbour and an enormous amount of money would be spent on getting little extra depth. The Government should bite the bullet and develop a new deep-water port at nearby Oakajee as a long-term solution, rather than engaging in a quick fix. He is not a man in favour of a quick fix. For eight years absolutely nothing happened in Geraldton and the mid west because he would not engage in a quick fix. He threw $20 million at the Oakajee project and we got absolutely zero return. Mr Barnett: We own the land and the designs. Ms MacTIERNAN: We own the land; that is very useful. There is no project to put on the land and no infrastructure to service the land; absolutely nothing has happened. What the Leader of the Opposition is saying now is completely out of step. In addition to giving praise to the member for Geraldton, who has been a staunch supporter of this project, I acknowledge the member for Greenough because he understands what is going on in this area. In a letter to the Midwest Times , he said - It is extremely unlikely that a deepwater port will eventuate at Oakajee, - The member for Greenough also does not believe that the Opposition can deliver; the Leader of the Opposition does not have his vote - or any other site in the Mid West, until an industry with a significant output situates itself in the region. He went on to correctly say, and has the support of his community in saying so - Geraldton and the surrounding rural communities cannot afford to wait on the whim of industry or Government for a future deepwater port development. He gives the following advice at the end of his letter, to which the Leader of the Opposition should well listen - Geraldton needs to leave negativity in its box and concentrate on a positive approach to the future.
Dr Gallop: But remember that he was not part of the famous boat trip up the river to Kalgoorlie. Ms MacTIERNAN: The Leader of the Opposition did not get his lines right. He said that we should have built the HIsmelt Corporation Pty Ltd project at Oakajee; apparently we should have built the Geraldton port at Oakajee. He said - . . . there was hard rock at the bottom of the harbour and an enormous amount of money would be spent on getting little extra depth. The Government should bite the bullet and develop a new deep-water port at nearby Oakajee as a long-term solution, rather than engaging in a quick fix. He is not a man in favour of a quick fix. For eight years absolutely nothing happened in Geraldton and the mid west because he would not engage in a quick fix. He threw $20 million at the Oakajee project and we got absolutely zero return. Mr Barnett: We own the land and the designs. Ms MacTIERNAN: We own the land; that is very useful. There is no project to put on the land and no infrastructure to service the land; absolutely nothing has happened. What the Leader of the Opposition is saying now is completely out of step. In addition to giving praise to the member for Geraldton, who has been a staunch supporter of this project, I acknowledge the member for Greenough because he understands what is going on in this area. In a letter to the Midwest Times , he said - It is extremely unlikely that a deepwater port will eventuate at Oakajee, - The member for Greenough also does not believe that the Opposition can deliver; the Leader of the Opposition does not have his vote - or any other site in the Mid West, until an industry with a significant output situates itself in the region. He went on to correctly say, and has the support of his community in saying so - Geraldton and the surrounding rural communities cannot afford to wait on the whim of industry or Government for a future deepwater port development. He gives the following advice at the end of his letter, to which the Leader of the Opposition should well listen - Geraldton needs to leave negativity in its box and concentrate on a positive approach to the future.
Ms MacTIERNAN: The Leader of the Opposition did not get his lines right. He said that we should have built the HIsmelt Corporation Pty Ltd project at Oakajee; apparently we should have built the Geraldton port at Oakajee. He said - . . . there was hard rock at the bottom of the harbour and an enormous amount of money would be spent on getting little extra depth. The Government should bite the bullet and develop a new deep-water port at nearby Oakajee as a long-term solution, rather than engaging in a quick fix. He is not a man in favour of a quick fix. For eight years absolutely nothing happened in Geraldton and the mid west because he would not engage in a quick fix. He threw $20 million at the Oakajee project and we got absolutely zero return. Mr Barnett: We own the land and the designs. Ms MacTIERNAN: We own the land; that is very useful. There is no project to put on the land and no infrastructure to service the land; absolutely nothing has happened. What the Leader of the Opposition is saying now is completely out of step. In addition to giving praise to the member for Geraldton, who has been a staunch supporter of this project, I acknowledge the member for Greenough because he understands what is going on in this area. In a letter to the Midwest Times , he said - It is extremely unlikely that a deepwater port will eventuate at Oakajee, - The member for Greenough also does not believe that the Opposition can deliver; the Leader of the Opposition does not have his vote - or any other site in the Mid West, until an industry with a significant output situates itself in the region. He went on to correctly say, and has the support of his community in saying so - Geraldton and the surrounding rural communities cannot afford to wait on the whim of industry or Government for a future deepwater port development. He gives the following advice at the end of his letter, to which the Leader of the Opposition should well listen - Geraldton needs to leave negativity in its box and concentrate on a positive approach to the future.
The Government should bite the bullet and develop a new deep-water port at nearby Oakajee as a long-term solution, rather than engaging in a quick fix.
Mr Barnett: We own the land and the designs. Ms MacTIERNAN: We own the land; that is very useful. There is no project to put on the land and no infrastructure to service the land; absolutely nothing has happened. What the Leader of the Opposition is saying now is completely out of step. In addition to giving praise to the member for Geraldton, who has been a staunch supporter of this project, I acknowledge the member for Greenough because he understands what is going on in this area. In a letter to the Midwest Times , he said - It is extremely unlikely that a deepwater port will eventuate at Oakajee, - The member for Greenough also does not believe that the Opposition can deliver; the Leader of the Opposition does not have his vote - or any other site in the Mid West, until an industry with a significant output situates itself in the region. He went on to correctly say, and has the support of his community in saying so - Geraldton and the surrounding rural communities cannot afford to wait on the whim of industry or Government for a future deepwater port development. He gives the following advice at the end of his letter, to which the Leader of the Opposition should well listen - Geraldton needs to leave negativity in its box and concentrate on a positive approach to the future.
Ms MacTIERNAN: We own the land; that is very useful. There is no project to put on the land and no infrastructure to service the land; absolutely nothing has happened. What the Leader of the Opposition is saying now is completely out of step. In addition to giving praise to the member for Geraldton, who has been a staunch supporter of this project, I acknowledge the member for Greenough because he understands what is going on in this area. In a letter to the Midwest Times , he said - It is extremely unlikely that a deepwater port will eventuate at Oakajee, - The member for Greenough also does not believe that the Opposition can deliver; the Leader of the Opposition does not have his vote - or any other site in the Mid West, until an industry with a significant output situates itself in the region. He went on to correctly say, and has the support of his community in saying so - Geraldton and the surrounding rural communities cannot afford to wait on the whim of industry or Government for a future deepwater port development. He gives the following advice at the end of his letter, to which the Leader of the Opposition should well listen - Geraldton needs to leave negativity in its box and concentrate on a positive approach to the future.
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