❓ Question seeks information on how the state budget will aid economic recovery and if anyone is undermining WA's COVID-19 response. The Treasurer's answer highlights WA's economic success during the pandemic and criticizes the opposition's budget reply and policy announcements.
AnsweredQoN 805Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
CORONAVIRUS —
ECONOMIC RECOVERY — 2020–21 STATE BUDGET
805. Ms E. HAMILTON to the Treasurer:
I
refer to the McGowan Labor government's record of keeping Western Australia
safe and strong through its support for local jobs and local businesses
and its unprecedented investment in infrastructure.
(1) Can the
Treasurer outline to the house how this state budget will help ensure that WA's
economy recovers faster and stronger and remains the envy of the country?
(2) Can the Treasurer advise the house whether he
knows of anyone who is seeking to undermine WA's ability to
respond to the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic?
ECONOMIC RECOVERY — 2020–21 STATE BUDGET
805. Ms E. HAMILTON to the Treasurer:
I
refer to the McGowan Labor government's record of keeping Western Australia
safe and strong through its support for local jobs and local businesses
and its unprecedented investment in infrastructure.
(1) Can the
Treasurer outline to the house how this state budget will help ensure that WA's
economy recovers faster and stronger and remains the envy of the country?
(2) Can the Treasurer advise the house whether he
knows of anyone who is seeking to undermine WA's ability to
respond to the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I
thank the member for Joondalup for that very good question. It has been an
extraordinary time, the last six months. It is often lost on some members of
the opposition that we have been and still are in a global pandemic. If we
think about the results in Australia, in particular Western Australia, and the
success in keeping the virus out of the country and out of the state, it has
enabled us to have quite extraordinary economic data that I did not expect to
see at any point during the June quarter when restrictions were still in place and unwinding and we were trying to get
an understanding of what that was going to do. Then we started seeing,
of course, the impacts around the world. There were huge contractions in the
March quarter in China, and in the June quarter in the eurozone, the United
Kingdom and the United States—all areas of importance to Western Australia
as a trading nation. It is extraordinary to think that in 2019–20 we
still recorded economic growth, even with a six per cent contraction in that
June quarter.
The data today on unemployment that
the Premier has already mentioned is something that should be celebrated. We
have managed—hopefully, on the other side of the more dramatic
restrictions that have been imposed—an unemployment rate of 6.7 per cent,
and jobs are still being created. Importantly, the unemployment rate for
females in Western Australia is lower than the unemployment rate for males. We
have actually had quite a success. In fact, the story of employment growth
under the term of this government has been a
female employment growth. With a shadow of a doubt, it has been the vast
majority of jobs created. Of course, females were more dramatically
affected when the virus hit and the restrictions imposed, but they have come
back faster. The unemployment rate for females is about 6.3 per cent and for
males it is about seven per cent. We have more to do, but, by any measure,
compared with anywhere on the planet, it has been a success and Western Australians
need to be celebrated for that. Therefore, I have been very pleased with this
budget.
I always enjoy the budget reply
speeches from the opposition. There are a few more to go yet, I think, but I always
enjoy them. When the budget speech is immediately prior to an election—normally
in May, but, of course, now in October—we might start to get an idea of
the position of the opposition on a range of different things. As the Premier
said, there was not one policy announcement in the Leader of the Opposition's speech. The policy
announcement so far around jobs has been to ensure that regional contractors cannot get contracts from government projects in metropolitan Perth. It is a curious
policy to penalise regional contractors, member for Geraldton; for example, as
I have talked about, Crothers Construction is building the great facility at
Victoria Park Primary School at the end of my street and would not have been
able to get that job under the Leader of the Opposition's policy.
It has been interesting because a range
of announcements have been made. Premier, there have been a couple of
announcements and they could pass you by if you blink. But the Leader of the
Opposition has committed to reducing
permanently by $850 the fees and charges imposed on households. I am not
entirely certain whether you have costed that, shadow Treasurer? Is it
something that the Leader of the Opposition has
discussed with you? I know you two get on so well! The Leader of the Opposition
said on the Seven news bulletin on budget night that she will ''wind
back the $850 in household fees and charges'', which is about a $4 billion
commitment. It is a $4 billion commitment on top of the $2 billion commitment
for Roe 8—which I am not sure was a commitment, so I will ask the
shadow Treasurer now. He complained last night that 64 per cent of royalties
for regions should come from the consolidated account.
Mr D.C. Nalder : That's not what I said.
Mr B.S. WYATT : That is about $2.7 billion. Therefore,
if the opposition moves from that side of the chamber to this side of the
chamber —
Mr D.C. Nalder : That's not what I said.
The SPEAKER : Member for Bateman.
Mr B.S. WYATT : — does he commit to taking that
64 per cent and putting it into the consolidated account?
Mr D.C. Nalder : I didn't say that. Do you want
to have a conversation about it?
Mr B.S. WYATT : Ultimately, he can complain and windbag
all he likes —
The SPEAKER : Member for Bateman, you said you were not
going to play the game—you are playing the game!
Mr B.S. WYATT : — but when the opposition is at
the pointy end of a term and people want to understand what it actually stands
for, the opposition has to start declaring its position. So far, standing
still, we are looking at about a $6 billion or $7 billion impact—and I think
Western Australians know that. They remember that when there is dysfunction
between the Liberals and the Nats or dysfunction between the Liberals and the
Liberals, all that leads to is bad government, bad finances, increased interest
rates and increased taxes. That is exactly what we saw under the former
government.
One thing I know is that when it comes to the election next
year and the question is posed: WA Liberals, is it worth the risk? I am pretty
sure I know what the answer will be.
thank the member for Joondalup for that very good question. It has been an
extraordinary time, the last six months. It is often lost on some members of
the opposition that we have been and still are in a global pandemic. If we
think about the results in Australia, in particular Western Australia, and the
success in keeping the virus out of the country and out of the state, it has
enabled us to have quite extraordinary economic data that I did not expect to
see at any point during the June quarter when restrictions were still in place and unwinding and we were trying to get
an understanding of what that was going to do. Then we started seeing,
of course, the impacts around the world. There were huge contractions in the
March quarter in China, and in the June quarter in the eurozone, the United
Kingdom and the United States—all areas of importance to Western Australia
as a trading nation. It is extraordinary to think that in 2019–20 we
still recorded economic growth, even with a six per cent contraction in that
June quarter.
The data today on unemployment that
the Premier has already mentioned is something that should be celebrated. We
have managed—hopefully, on the other side of the more dramatic
restrictions that have been imposed—an unemployment rate of 6.7 per cent,
and jobs are still being created. Importantly, the unemployment rate for
females in Western Australia is lower than the unemployment rate for males. We
have actually had quite a success. In fact, the story of employment growth
under the term of this government has been a
female employment growth. With a shadow of a doubt, it has been the vast
majority of jobs created. Of course, females were more dramatically
affected when the virus hit and the restrictions imposed, but they have come
back faster. The unemployment rate for females is about 6.3 per cent and for
males it is about seven per cent. We have more to do, but, by any measure,
compared with anywhere on the planet, it has been a success and Western Australians
need to be celebrated for that. Therefore, I have been very pleased with this
budget.
I always enjoy the budget reply
speeches from the opposition. There are a few more to go yet, I think, but I always
enjoy them. When the budget speech is immediately prior to an election—normally
in May, but, of course, now in October—we might start to get an idea of
the position of the opposition on a range of different things. As the Premier
said, there was not one policy announcement in the Leader of the Opposition's speech. The policy
announcement so far around jobs has been to ensure that regional contractors cannot get contracts from government projects in metropolitan Perth. It is a curious
policy to penalise regional contractors, member for Geraldton; for example, as
I have talked about, Crothers Construction is building the great facility at
Victoria Park Primary School at the end of my street and would not have been
able to get that job under the Leader of the Opposition's policy.
It has been interesting because a range
of announcements have been made. Premier, there have been a couple of
announcements and they could pass you by if you blink. But the Leader of the
Opposition has committed to reducing
permanently by $850 the fees and charges imposed on households. I am not
entirely certain whether you have costed that, shadow Treasurer? Is it
something that the Leader of the Opposition has
discussed with you? I know you two get on so well! The Leader of the Opposition
said on the Seven news bulletin on budget night that she will ''wind
back the $850 in household fees and charges'', which is about a $4 billion
commitment. It is a $4 billion commitment on top of the $2 billion commitment
for Roe 8—which I am not sure was a commitment, so I will ask the
shadow Treasurer now. He complained last night that 64 per cent of royalties
for regions should come from the consolidated account.
Mr D.C. Nalder : That's not what I said.
Mr B.S. WYATT : That is about $2.7 billion. Therefore,
if the opposition moves from that side of the chamber to this side of the
chamber —
Mr D.C. Nalder : That's not what I said.
The SPEAKER : Member for Bateman.
Mr B.S. WYATT : — does he commit to taking that
64 per cent and putting it into the consolidated account?
Mr D.C. Nalder : I didn't say that. Do you want
to have a conversation about it?
Mr B.S. WYATT : Ultimately, he can complain and windbag
all he likes —
The SPEAKER : Member for Bateman, you said you were not
going to play the game—you are playing the game!
Mr B.S. WYATT : — but when the opposition is at
the pointy end of a term and people want to understand what it actually stands
for, the opposition has to start declaring its position. So far, standing
still, we are looking at about a $6 billion or $7 billion impact—and I think
Western Australians know that. They remember that when there is dysfunction
between the Liberals and the Nats or dysfunction between the Liberals and the
Liberals, all that leads to is bad government, bad finances, increased interest
rates and increased taxes. That is exactly what we saw under the former
government.
One thing I know is that when it comes to the election next
year and the question is posed: WA Liberals, is it worth the risk? I am pretty
sure I know what the answer will be.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.