❓ Question regarding the importance of WA's GST arrangements and concerns about potential undermining efforts. The Treasurer's response is highly partisan, defending the current GST deal and criticising opposing views, particularly from Tasmania and the ACT.
AnsweredQoN 105Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
GST distribution
105. Mrs Michelle Maynard to the Treasurer:
I refer to the Cook
Labor government's fight for WA's fair share of our GST.
Can the Treasurer
outline to the house why WA's GST arrangements are so important for Western
Australians and can the minister advise the house if she is aware of any plans
to undermine this government's fight on behalf of Western Australians?
105. Mrs Michelle Maynard to the Treasurer:
I refer to the Cook
Labor government's fight for WA's fair share of our GST.
Can the Treasurer
outline to the house why WA's GST arrangements are so important for Western
Australians and can the minister advise the house if she is aware of any plans
to undermine this government's fight on behalf of Western Australians?
AnswerView source ↗
What an excellent
question compared with the disgraceful attempt of the question before. How low
can the opposition members go? How pathetic. They sat around and thought that
was a good idea. That is what I do not understand. The Leader of the Opposition
ticked that off: "This is a great question!" What a pathetic
performance!
Several members interjected.
The Speaker: Member for Central Wheatbelt!
Ms Rita Saffioti: The member for Central Wheatbelt's
interjection on the—
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members! Sorry, minister, please wait.
Ms Rita Saffioti: The member for Central Wheatbelt
interjected on the Leader of the House. Look to your left. Where is the shadow
Treasurer, member? Where is the shadow Treasurer?
The Speaker: Minister! We do not make comments on
people being in or out of the chamber.
Ms Rita Saffioti: Okay; fair enough.
Withdrawal of remark
Mr Lachlan Hunter: Mr Speaker, I ask that you ask the
Treasurer to withdraw that comment about the member for Cottesloe.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Yes, she is. Minister, please withdraw
that.
Ms Rita Saffioti: I withdraw.
The Speaker: Thank you.
Questions without notice resumed
Ms Rita Saffioti: Did the member withdraw his comment
earlier?
Mr Lachlan Hunter: I did.
Ms Rita Saffioti: That is good. There is a bit of
discipline coming to that side now.
We heard a pathetic
question asked by the opposition. I was asked a question about the GST and why
our submission clearly lays out why the GST deal that we struck in 2018 is not
only fair and reasonable, but also protects the state and national economies.
It was great to see over 6,000 people put in their own submission. We called on
the WA public to put in their submissions to support keeping our GST deal. There
were over 6,000 submissions, and I will read from a couple of them. I will not
go through all 6,000, just 5,990. That is okay. I will read from three
contributions.
You can feel the infrastructure lift and
vibrancy being built in our city, as well as the growing industry of jobs
available. A cut would be terrible, and you would likely see another 'brain
drain' with millennials moving to find opportunities over East. It'd be felt
tangibly, and you'd see a quick stop to the positive momentum being built.
Those comments are from
Western Australians. Another one says:
WA generates a disproportionate slice
of national revenue …
We should not be
punished, it says, but—
Keep the floor: our infrastructure,
jobs, and future depend on it.
Another one says:
As a young person, seeing that more
return to be invested …
Let us keep going
and make Western Australia continue with its GST share. Members heard the
passion but, of course, some people are out to get us. It is Tasmania,
everybody! It is Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory. Andrew Wilkie came
out and tried to attack us, as did Saul Eslake. Some of their contributions are
just nonsensical. I refer to the Tasmanian government's 64-page contribution that
says that we should go back to full horizontal fiscal equalisation (HFE). Members,
we do not want to see a return to that. We want a partial HFE, and we want to
keep our 75% floor. We will continue to work to push this onto the national
agenda.
Western Australians
are in this together. We should protect our GST and make sure we can continue
to invest in the infrastructure that fuels the state economy and fuels the
national economy.
question compared with the disgraceful attempt of the question before. How low
can the opposition members go? How pathetic. They sat around and thought that
was a good idea. That is what I do not understand. The Leader of the Opposition
ticked that off: "This is a great question!" What a pathetic
performance!
Several members interjected.
The Speaker: Member for Central Wheatbelt!
Ms Rita Saffioti: The member for Central Wheatbelt's
interjection on the—
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members! Sorry, minister, please wait.
Ms Rita Saffioti: The member for Central Wheatbelt
interjected on the Leader of the House. Look to your left. Where is the shadow
Treasurer, member? Where is the shadow Treasurer?
The Speaker: Minister! We do not make comments on
people being in or out of the chamber.
Ms Rita Saffioti: Okay; fair enough.
Withdrawal of remark
Mr Lachlan Hunter: Mr Speaker, I ask that you ask the
Treasurer to withdraw that comment about the member for Cottesloe.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Yes, she is. Minister, please withdraw
that.
Ms Rita Saffioti: I withdraw.
The Speaker: Thank you.
Questions without notice resumed
Ms Rita Saffioti: Did the member withdraw his comment
earlier?
Mr Lachlan Hunter: I did.
Ms Rita Saffioti: That is good. There is a bit of
discipline coming to that side now.
We heard a pathetic
question asked by the opposition. I was asked a question about the GST and why
our submission clearly lays out why the GST deal that we struck in 2018 is not
only fair and reasonable, but also protects the state and national economies.
It was great to see over 6,000 people put in their own submission. We called on
the WA public to put in their submissions to support keeping our GST deal. There
were over 6,000 submissions, and I will read from a couple of them. I will not
go through all 6,000, just 5,990. That is okay. I will read from three
contributions.
You can feel the infrastructure lift and
vibrancy being built in our city, as well as the growing industry of jobs
available. A cut would be terrible, and you would likely see another 'brain
drain' with millennials moving to find opportunities over East. It'd be felt
tangibly, and you'd see a quick stop to the positive momentum being built.
Those comments are from
Western Australians. Another one says:
WA generates a disproportionate slice
of national revenue …
We should not be
punished, it says, but—
Keep the floor: our infrastructure,
jobs, and future depend on it.
Another one says:
As a young person, seeing that more
return to be invested …
Let us keep going
and make Western Australia continue with its GST share. Members heard the
passion but, of course, some people are out to get us. It is Tasmania,
everybody! It is Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory. Andrew Wilkie came
out and tried to attack us, as did Saul Eslake. Some of their contributions are
just nonsensical. I refer to the Tasmanian government's 64-page contribution that
says that we should go back to full horizontal fiscal equalisation (HFE). Members,
we do not want to see a return to that. We want a partial HFE, and we want to
keep our 75% floor. We will continue to work to push this onto the national
agenda.
Western Australians
are in this together. We should protect our GST and make sure we can continue
to invest in the infrastructure that fuels the state economy and fuels the
national economy.
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