❓ Opposition asks Premier to consider grants for struggling small businesses due to COVID-19, leveraging high iron ore prices. Premier deflects, questioning the opposition's policy stance and highlighting existing support measures.
AnsweredQoN 662Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
CORONAVIRUS —
BUDGET SURPLUS
662. Mr D.C. NALDER to the Premier:
I
have a supplementary question. There are industries in Western Australia that
are struggling, with small businesses going to the wall, and tourism and
events-type businesses are in that situation. With the excessive windfall the government has received from high iron ore prices,
delivering more than $300 million a month over budget forecasts in the
last two and half months, will the Premier now consider grants of up to $10 000
to assist the small businesses that are significantly impacted by COVID-19, as
all other states have done, before Western Australian businesses close
unnecessarily?
The SPEAKER : Premier, just
before you answer, in future, supplementary questions need to be short and
sharp, not a long one like that one.
BUDGET SURPLUS
662. Mr D.C. NALDER to the Premier:
I
have a supplementary question. There are industries in Western Australia that
are struggling, with small businesses going to the wall, and tourism and
events-type businesses are in that situation. With the excessive windfall the government has received from high iron ore prices,
delivering more than $300 million a month over budget forecasts in the
last two and half months, will the Premier now consider grants of up to $10 000
to assist the small businesses that are significantly impacted by COVID-19, as
all other states have done, before Western Australian businesses close
unnecessarily?
The SPEAKER : Premier, just
before you answer, in future, supplementary questions need to be short and
sharp, not a long one like that one.
AnswerView source ↗
Three and a half years in and
members opposite still have not learnt.
Mr D.C. Nalder interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Bateman!
Mr M. McGOWAN : Is the
opposition's policy that it will provide $10 000 grants to all small
businesses if it is successful at the election? Is that its policy?
Mrs A.K. Hayden : Wait and
see.
Mr M. McGOWAN : Members
opposite are promoting it here.
Mrs A.K. Hayden interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Darling Range!
Mr M. McGOWAN : Members
opposite are promoting it here, but is it their policy? Is that what they are
going to do? I am just asking.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Darling Range, I call you to order for the first time.
Mr M. McGOWAN : There is some
debate about the Liberal Party's policies. So that we can understand, I
am just asking: is this its policy?
Mr D.C. Nalder interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Bateman! It does not matter.
Mr
M. McGOWAN : I think it is a pretty
straightforward question. The reason I say that is that I was scrolling through
Twitter and I found this story on WAtoday about the Leader of the Opposition.
Today she is reported to have said —
We've got all of our policies
pretty much bedded down now �
Is this her policy?
Several members interjected.
Mr M. McGOWAN : How can she be
taken seriously! She said that the Liberal Party has got all its policies
bedded down, but she will not tell us whether this is one of them.
Mrs L.M. Harvey : Because you
won't reveal the financial statements. You're making us wait
for the budget.
The SPEAKER : No, Leader of
the Opposition.
Mr M. McGOWAN : It is
interesting that the opposition leader said that, because on the same day, the
shadow Treasurer said —
� these aren't policies from the
Liberal Party at the moment, as the shadow treasurer I'm working on
policy, I've got to convince my colleagues that these are the right
things to take and so, you know, there's a bit of work to go yet �
Which one is it—are they
bedded down or is the shadow Treasurer still working on them?
Several members interjected.
Mr M. McGOWAN : Has there ever—I
pose this rhetorically—been a worse opposition!
As
I outlined before, we have released numerous support measures for small
business in Western Australia. The c ase that the shadow Treasurer
outlined was a tourism case. The tourism small business one-off grants is a $14.4
million scheme, with $6 500 for eligible tourism operators who are accredited.
Mr D.T. Redman interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Warren–Blackwood!
Mr M. McGOWAN : The tourism
business survival grants are between $25 000 and $100 000. I have enormous
sympathy for those businesses in particular that rely upon, for instance,
overseas tourists—Chinese tourists and the like. I met a woman in
Geraldton—this one has been raised before—who operated flights
over the Abrolhos. Ninety-five per cent of her business was Chinese tourists.
It is not easy to solve that in the current environment. It is, in fact,
impossible to solve that in the current environment. These sorts of grants are
out there and available for businesses, and we have put them in place.
members opposite still have not learnt.
Mr D.C. Nalder interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Bateman!
Mr M. McGOWAN : Is the
opposition's policy that it will provide $10 000 grants to all small
businesses if it is successful at the election? Is that its policy?
Mrs A.K. Hayden : Wait and
see.
Mr M. McGOWAN : Members
opposite are promoting it here.
Mrs A.K. Hayden interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Darling Range!
Mr M. McGOWAN : Members
opposite are promoting it here, but is it their policy? Is that what they are
going to do? I am just asking.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Darling Range, I call you to order for the first time.
Mr M. McGOWAN : There is some
debate about the Liberal Party's policies. So that we can understand, I
am just asking: is this its policy?
Mr D.C. Nalder interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Bateman! It does not matter.
Mr
M. McGOWAN : I think it is a pretty
straightforward question. The reason I say that is that I was scrolling through
Twitter and I found this story on WAtoday about the Leader of the Opposition.
Today she is reported to have said —
We've got all of our policies
pretty much bedded down now �
Is this her policy?
Several members interjected.
Mr M. McGOWAN : How can she be
taken seriously! She said that the Liberal Party has got all its policies
bedded down, but she will not tell us whether this is one of them.
Mrs L.M. Harvey : Because you
won't reveal the financial statements. You're making us wait
for the budget.
The SPEAKER : No, Leader of
the Opposition.
Mr M. McGOWAN : It is
interesting that the opposition leader said that, because on the same day, the
shadow Treasurer said —
� these aren't policies from the
Liberal Party at the moment, as the shadow treasurer I'm working on
policy, I've got to convince my colleagues that these are the right
things to take and so, you know, there's a bit of work to go yet �
Which one is it—are they
bedded down or is the shadow Treasurer still working on them?
Several members interjected.
Mr M. McGOWAN : Has there ever—I
pose this rhetorically—been a worse opposition!
As
I outlined before, we have released numerous support measures for small
business in Western Australia. The c ase that the shadow Treasurer
outlined was a tourism case. The tourism small business one-off grants is a $14.4
million scheme, with $6 500 for eligible tourism operators who are accredited.
Mr D.T. Redman interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Warren–Blackwood!
Mr M. McGOWAN : The tourism
business survival grants are between $25 000 and $100 000. I have enormous
sympathy for those businesses in particular that rely upon, for instance,
overseas tourists—Chinese tourists and the like. I met a woman in
Geraldton—this one has been raised before—who operated flights
over the Abrolhos. Ninety-five per cent of her business was Chinese tourists.
It is not easy to solve that in the current environment. It is, in fact,
impossible to solve that in the current environment. These sorts of grants are
out there and available for businesses, and we have put them in place.
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