❓ Question regarding the Cook Labor government's $67.5 million Kimberley resilience program, focusing on its impact on the region, local jobs, businesses, and communities. The Minister's answer defends the government's record infrastructure spend in regional WA and highlights specific projects.
AnsweredQoN 247Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
KIMBERLEY RESILIENCE PROGRAM
247. Ms D.G. D'ANNA to the Minister for Transport:
Before I start, on behalf of the
member for Bicton, I would like to acknowledge the principal, deputy principal
and student leaders from Melville Senior High School.
I refer to the Cook Labor government's
commitment to strengthen our state's infrastructure to increase
emergency preparedness and capabilities.
(1) Can the
minister outline to the house what this government's new $67.5 million
Kimberley resilience program means for the Kimberley region?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house how this program will support local jobs, businesses
and communities throughout the Kimberley?
247. Ms D.G. D'ANNA to the Minister for Transport:
Before I start, on behalf of the
member for Bicton, I would like to acknowledge the principal, deputy principal
and student leaders from Melville Senior High School.
I refer to the Cook Labor government's
commitment to strengthen our state's infrastructure to increase
emergency preparedness and capabilities.
(1) Can the
minister outline to the house what this government's new $67.5 million
Kimberley resilience program means for the Kimberley region?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house how this program will support local jobs, businesses
and communities throughout the Kimberley?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I
thank the member for Kimberley for that question. I think this question, as the
Minister for Regional Development
highlighted, shows that every cabinet minister is responsible for regional development.
Every cabinet minister, at their heart, is responsible for the whole
state, unlike the previous government, which attempted to divide the population
all the time by pitting the regional and metropolitan areas against each other time and again. We have a record infrastructure
spend across regional WA—a record spend. The fact that the Leader of the Opposition pointed to a framework
released by the Minister for Regional Development and somehow claimed
that that document is all we are doing in regional WA again demonstrates what
we said yesterday—that they do not read the budget. Members opposite do
not understand the budget. They do not
understand the comprehensive expenditure across regional WA. As has been highlighted, we are out there. We are bringing
jobs back to the regions through the Water Corporation and Main Roads Western
Australia. We are fixing some of the issues relating to the closure of tier 3
grain lines and the privatisation of Westrail freight. We are spending money on
roads across the state like they never did. In fact, they went out of their way not to spend money on roads.
They made a specific decision that RforR should not be spent on roads. As a result,
there is a lot of catch-up to do. Now that the Leader of the Opposition is resuming his chair, just so that he can absolutely understand what I said, I repeat that
his performance today shows that he does not know how to read a budget paper.
He does not know how to read any of the information that we have put out in
relation to spending in regional WA.
The Kimberley is an example. What did
members opposite want to do in the Kimberley? They just wanted to shut remote
communities. That was their approach—to shut remote communities. What
are we doing? We are improving infrastructure and services throughout the
Kimberley. A recent example is how we reacted to the Fitzroy River Bridge being
washed away. We diverted all resources to that project. We finished it in
record time because we knew the impact that was having on not only the wider
economy but also the local economy and the local community. That is why we
delivered that project in record time. We employed local Aboriginal people. One
of the reasons we can do that is that we do not outsource the entire Main Roads
workforce, so we can have a direct relationship with the workers. That is what
we have done. Of course, we are now looking to the next stages with the
Brooking Channel Bridge. I acknowledge the great work done by the local
community. In terms of local employment opportunities, I refer to the impact
that the work on the Fitzroy River Bridge had on the entire community. We are
now looking to re-employ those people to build the Brooking Channel Bridge.
I refer to the port of Broome and my
colleague the Minister for Ports. The port of Broome is the first point of
entry. Again, we are helping to build future resilience as we develop the
infrastructure and services to allow for that first point of entry to Broome.
We are looking at the airports and
the runways across the entire area, particularly in remote communities. We know
the role that regional runways or airstrips play when there is a natural
disaster for services such as the Royal
Flying Doctor Service or to have continued linkages. That is why we have
reviewed 16 of them throughout the Kimberley and allocated $8 million.
We are investing across the board.
Members, we are so proud of what we
are delivering in regional Western Australia. I look at the member for Albany
and think of the Albany ring-road that is very near completion. I look around
at members and all I can think of is the major effort that we are making
throughout regional WA with record expenditure to improve services and
infrastructure, and acknowledging that we do not pit metro against regional. We
do not have a go at people in the suburbs to try to become more popular in
regional WA. We govern for all Western Australians to make sure they all
benefit from our initiatives so that we can continually grow the entire state
economy.
thank the member for Kimberley for that question. I think this question, as the
Minister for Regional Development
highlighted, shows that every cabinet minister is responsible for regional development.
Every cabinet minister, at their heart, is responsible for the whole
state, unlike the previous government, which attempted to divide the population
all the time by pitting the regional and metropolitan areas against each other time and again. We have a record infrastructure
spend across regional WA—a record spend. The fact that the Leader of the Opposition pointed to a framework
released by the Minister for Regional Development and somehow claimed
that that document is all we are doing in regional WA again demonstrates what
we said yesterday—that they do not read the budget. Members opposite do
not understand the budget. They do not
understand the comprehensive expenditure across regional WA. As has been highlighted, we are out there. We are bringing
jobs back to the regions through the Water Corporation and Main Roads Western
Australia. We are fixing some of the issues relating to the closure of tier 3
grain lines and the privatisation of Westrail freight. We are spending money on
roads across the state like they never did. In fact, they went out of their way not to spend money on roads.
They made a specific decision that RforR should not be spent on roads. As a result,
there is a lot of catch-up to do. Now that the Leader of the Opposition is resuming his chair, just so that he can absolutely understand what I said, I repeat that
his performance today shows that he does not know how to read a budget paper.
He does not know how to read any of the information that we have put out in
relation to spending in regional WA.
The Kimberley is an example. What did
members opposite want to do in the Kimberley? They just wanted to shut remote
communities. That was their approach—to shut remote communities. What
are we doing? We are improving infrastructure and services throughout the
Kimberley. A recent example is how we reacted to the Fitzroy River Bridge being
washed away. We diverted all resources to that project. We finished it in
record time because we knew the impact that was having on not only the wider
economy but also the local economy and the local community. That is why we
delivered that project in record time. We employed local Aboriginal people. One
of the reasons we can do that is that we do not outsource the entire Main Roads
workforce, so we can have a direct relationship with the workers. That is what
we have done. Of course, we are now looking to the next stages with the
Brooking Channel Bridge. I acknowledge the great work done by the local
community. In terms of local employment opportunities, I refer to the impact
that the work on the Fitzroy River Bridge had on the entire community. We are
now looking to re-employ those people to build the Brooking Channel Bridge.
I refer to the port of Broome and my
colleague the Minister for Ports. The port of Broome is the first point of
entry. Again, we are helping to build future resilience as we develop the
infrastructure and services to allow for that first point of entry to Broome.
We are looking at the airports and
the runways across the entire area, particularly in remote communities. We know
the role that regional runways or airstrips play when there is a natural
disaster for services such as the Royal
Flying Doctor Service or to have continued linkages. That is why we have
reviewed 16 of them throughout the Kimberley and allocated $8 million.
We are investing across the board.
Members, we are so proud of what we
are delivering in regional Western Australia. I look at the member for Albany
and think of the Albany ring-road that is very near completion. I look around
at members and all I can think of is the major effort that we are making
throughout regional WA with record expenditure to improve services and
infrastructure, and acknowledging that we do not pit metro against regional. We
do not have a go at people in the suburbs to try to become more popular in
regional WA. We govern for all Western Australians to make sure they all
benefit from our initiatives so that we can continually grow the entire state
economy.
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