❓ Question regarding claims of retail trading hours deregulation based on budget figures. Minister denies hidden agenda, citing budget processes and ongoing negotiations with the National Competition Council.
AnsweredQoN 701Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to the story in The West Australian yesterday, in which the Opposition claims that budget figures prove that the deregulation of trading hours is on the way. Is there any basis for this assertion? Mr J.C. KOBELKE
AnswerView source ↗
It is hard to establish any facts to support the assertion from the question. The Deputy Leader of the Opposition generally demonstrates considerable ability to understand things and to express himself logically, yet the inference he draws is so illogical that it is difficult to establish whether he simply does not know the facts, or has simply put aside the facts to make this assertion. He has claimed that the Government has included the full amount of the Western Australian competition policy payments in the budget, which means that there is a hidden agenda on retail trading hours. According to the article in The West Australian , the Deputy Leader of the Opposition said - “Either the Premier has secretly decided to cave in and deregulate across the board or he has deliberately misled the community about the potential loss of competition payments to the State.” There is simply no substance for that, because when the budget is brought down it must be based on decisions made by a given date. The Treasurer has already answered this in detail, explaining how it is put together. The Government has a clear undertaking from the National Competition Council that a substantial proportion of our competition payments could be withdrawn if we do not make a change. There is a threat, and we are addressing it. No decision that could lead to a reduction in the competition payments has yet been made by the federal Treasurer or the State Government. Therefore, to suggest that, somehow, the current budget figures could be used to infer a decision is an absolute nonsense. If there is any basis to the assertion, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition might consider that the coalition Government, just prior to losing the last election, indicated in the forward estimates of its last budget that the full amount would come from the Commonwealth for competition payments. On the logic of the previous Government, it would have to be assumed that it intended to totally deregulate. It had not made any change in the forward estimates to competition payments. The statement by the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party is a total nonsense. In conclusion, I indicate that we have received 1 300 submissions. We are now developing a more detailed options paper, which will go to the key stakeholders. I remind the Leader of the National Party that I have said in this place, and this Government has said publicly many times, that we are not envisaging any changes to the system that currently sets the retail trading hours outside metropolitan Perth. That has been the situation from the start and we have not wavered from that in any way; and it does no credit to the Leader of the National Party and other members to say things without foundation in regional centres, which only misleads people.
Mr J.C. KOBELKE replied: It is hard to establish any facts to support the assertion from the question. The Deputy Leader of the Opposition generally demonstrates considerable ability to understand things and to express himself logically, yet the inference he draws is so illogical that it is difficult to establish whether he simply does not know the facts, or has simply put aside the facts to make this assertion. He has claimed that the Government has included the full amount of the Western Australian competition policy payments in the budget, which means that there is a hidden agenda on retail trading hours. According to the article in The West Australian , the Deputy Leader of the Opposition said - “Either the Premier has secretly decided to cave in and deregulate across the board or he has deliberately misled the community about the potential loss of competition payments to the State.” There is simply no substance for that, because when the budget is brought down it must be based on decisions made by a given date. The Treasurer has already answered this in detail, explaining how it is put together. The Government has a clear undertaking from the National Competition Council that a substantial proportion of our competition payments could be withdrawn if we do not make a change. There is a threat, and we are addressing it. No decision that could lead to a reduction in the competition payments has yet been made by the federal Treasurer or the State Government. Therefore, to suggest that, somehow, the current budget figures could be used to infer a decision is an absolute nonsense. If there is any basis to the assertion, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition might consider that the coalition Government, just prior to losing the last election, indicated in the forward estimates of its last budget that the full amount would come from the Commonwealth for competition payments. On the logic of the previous Government, it would have to be assumed that it intended to totally deregulate. It had not made any change in the forward estimates to competition payments. The statement by the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party is a total nonsense. In conclusion, I indicate that we have received 1 300 submissions. We are now developing a more detailed options paper, which will go to the key stakeholders. I remind the Leader of the National Party that I have said in this place, and this Government has said publicly many times, that we are not envisaging any changes to the system that currently sets the retail trading hours outside metropolitan Perth. That has been the situation from the start and we have not wavered from that in any way; and it does no credit to the Leader of the National Party and other members to say things without foundation in regional centres, which only misleads people.
It is hard to establish any facts to support the assertion from the question. The Deputy Leader of the Opposition generally demonstrates considerable ability to understand things and to express himself logically, yet the inference he draws is so illogical that it is difficult to establish whether he simply does not know the facts, or has simply put aside the facts to make this assertion. He has claimed that the Government has included the full amount of the Western Australian competition policy payments in the budget, which means that there is a hidden agenda on retail trading hours. According to the article in The West Australian , the Deputy Leader of the Opposition said - “Either the Premier has secretly decided to cave in and deregulate across the board or he has deliberately misled the community about the potential loss of competition payments to the State.” There is simply no substance for that, because when the budget is brought down it must be based on decisions made by a given date. The Treasurer has already answered this in detail, explaining how it is put together. The Government has a clear undertaking from the National Competition Council that a substantial proportion of our competition payments could be withdrawn if we do not make a change. There is a threat, and we are addressing it. No decision that could lead to a reduction in the competition payments has yet been made by the federal Treasurer or the State Government. Therefore, to suggest that, somehow, the current budget figures could be used to infer a decision is an absolute nonsense. If there is any basis to the assertion, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition might consider that the coalition Government, just prior to losing the last election, indicated in the forward estimates of its last budget that the full amount would come from the Commonwealth for competition payments. On the logic of the previous Government, it would have to be assumed that it intended to totally deregulate. It had not made any change in the forward estimates to competition payments. The statement by the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party is a total nonsense. In conclusion, I indicate that we have received 1 300 submissions. We are now developing a more detailed options paper, which will go to the key stakeholders. I remind the Leader of the National Party that I have said in this place, and this Government has said publicly many times, that we are not envisaging any changes to the system that currently sets the retail trading hours outside metropolitan Perth. That has been the situation from the start and we have not wavered from that in any way; and it does no credit to the Leader of the National Party and other members to say things without foundation in regional centres, which only misleads people.
In conclusion, I indicate that we have received 1 300 submissions. We are now developing a more detailed options paper, which will go to the key stakeholders. I remind the Leader of the National Party that I have said in this place, and this Government has said publicly many times, that we are not envisaging any changes to the system that currently sets the retail trading hours outside metropolitan Perth. That has been the situation from the start and we have not wavered from that in any way; and it does no credit to the Leader of the National Party and other members to say things without foundation in regional centres, which only misleads people.
Mr J.C. KOBELKE replied: It is hard to establish any facts to support the assertion from the question. The Deputy Leader of the Opposition generally demonstrates considerable ability to understand things and to express himself logically, yet the inference he draws is so illogical that it is difficult to establish whether he simply does not know the facts, or has simply put aside the facts to make this assertion. He has claimed that the Government has included the full amount of the Western Australian competition policy payments in the budget, which means that there is a hidden agenda on retail trading hours. According to the article in The West Australian , the Deputy Leader of the Opposition said - “Either the Premier has secretly decided to cave in and deregulate across the board or he has deliberately misled the community about the potential loss of competition payments to the State.” There is simply no substance for that, because when the budget is brought down it must be based on decisions made by a given date. The Treasurer has already answered this in detail, explaining how it is put together. The Government has a clear undertaking from the National Competition Council that a substantial proportion of our competition payments could be withdrawn if we do not make a change. There is a threat, and we are addressing it. No decision that could lead to a reduction in the competition payments has yet been made by the federal Treasurer or the State Government. Therefore, to suggest that, somehow, the current budget figures could be used to infer a decision is an absolute nonsense. If there is any basis to the assertion, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition might consider that the coalition Government, just prior to losing the last election, indicated in the forward estimates of its last budget that the full amount would come from the Commonwealth for competition payments. On the logic of the previous Government, it would have to be assumed that it intended to totally deregulate. It had not made any change in the forward estimates to competition payments. The statement by the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party is a total nonsense. In conclusion, I indicate that we have received 1 300 submissions. We are now developing a more detailed options paper, which will go to the key stakeholders. I remind the Leader of the National Party that I have said in this place, and this Government has said publicly many times, that we are not envisaging any changes to the system that currently sets the retail trading hours outside metropolitan Perth. That has been the situation from the start and we have not wavered from that in any way; and it does no credit to the Leader of the National Party and other members to say things without foundation in regional centres, which only misleads people.
It is hard to establish any facts to support the assertion from the question. The Deputy Leader of the Opposition generally demonstrates considerable ability to understand things and to express himself logically, yet the inference he draws is so illogical that it is difficult to establish whether he simply does not know the facts, or has simply put aside the facts to make this assertion. He has claimed that the Government has included the full amount of the Western Australian competition policy payments in the budget, which means that there is a hidden agenda on retail trading hours. According to the article in The West Australian , the Deputy Leader of the Opposition said - “Either the Premier has secretly decided to cave in and deregulate across the board or he has deliberately misled the community about the potential loss of competition payments to the State.” There is simply no substance for that, because when the budget is brought down it must be based on decisions made by a given date. The Treasurer has already answered this in detail, explaining how it is put together. The Government has a clear undertaking from the National Competition Council that a substantial proportion of our competition payments could be withdrawn if we do not make a change. There is a threat, and we are addressing it. No decision that could lead to a reduction in the competition payments has yet been made by the federal Treasurer or the State Government. Therefore, to suggest that, somehow, the current budget figures could be used to infer a decision is an absolute nonsense. If there is any basis to the assertion, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition might consider that the coalition Government, just prior to losing the last election, indicated in the forward estimates of its last budget that the full amount would come from the Commonwealth for competition payments. On the logic of the previous Government, it would have to be assumed that it intended to totally deregulate. It had not made any change in the forward estimates to competition payments. The statement by the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party is a total nonsense. In conclusion, I indicate that we have received 1 300 submissions. We are now developing a more detailed options paper, which will go to the key stakeholders. I remind the Leader of the National Party that I have said in this place, and this Government has said publicly many times, that we are not envisaging any changes to the system that currently sets the retail trading hours outside metropolitan Perth. That has been the situation from the start and we have not wavered from that in any way; and it does no credit to the Leader of the National Party and other members to say things without foundation in regional centres, which only misleads people.
In conclusion, I indicate that we have received 1 300 submissions. We are now developing a more detailed options paper, which will go to the key stakeholders. I remind the Leader of the National Party that I have said in this place, and this Government has said publicly many times, that we are not envisaging any changes to the system that currently sets the retail trading hours outside metropolitan Perth. That has been the situation from the start and we have not wavered from that in any way; and it does no credit to the Leader of the National Party and other members to say things without foundation in regional centres, which only misleads people.
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