❓ Mr Love questions the need for WA's Canberra representation given the PM's understanding of WA. The Premier defends the need for a WA presence in Canberra due to distance and historical lack of engagement, contrasting it with current government's proactive approach.
AnsweredQoN 612Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
QATAR AIRWAYS —
FLIGHTS
612. Mr R.S. LOVE to the Premier:
I have a supplementary question. If
the Prime Minister gets Western Australia, why do we need an embassy in Canberra?
FLIGHTS
612. Mr R.S. LOVE to the Premier:
I have a supplementary question. If
the Prime Minister gets Western Australia, why do we need an embassy in Canberra?
AnswerView source ↗
We do not have an embassy in
Canberra. We have extra resources to make sure that Western Australian voices
are heard because although we know —
Dr D.J. Honey interjected.
Mr
R.H. COOK : Although we know that
the Prime Minister gets Western Australia, and that Hon Madeleine King, Matt
Keogh and Hon Patrick Gorman are great advocates for Western Australia, we know
that eastern states businesses, government bureaucrats and other organisations
do not have the same level of engagement with Western Australia as they do.
A South Australian minister can fly
to Canberra and back in a day. We do not have that opportunity. We know that
because of our distance from Canberra, it is difficult to get Western Australian
voices heard. We know that because the Chamber of Commerce and Industry tells
us this. We know that because the Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia
tells us this. We know that because local government representatives who often
go over there to advocate for their local councils get this. We know this
because everyone is saying to us that we need to continue to make sure that Western
Australia is represented in Canberra and we need to elevate our voice. This is
about a call to arms. This is about making sure that they continue to hear Western
Australian voices. Mercifully, we have a Prime Minister who gets us and by
continuing to take advantage of this opportunity, we can advocate.
If the member has a problem with the
Chamber of Minerals and Energy's position on whether we have extra
resources in Canberra or a problem with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry's
position on having extra voices in Canberra, take it up with them. They have
raised this issue with us. We have responded and we will have greater advocacy
in Canberra because, for a change, we will be heard. We remember —
Several members interjected.
Mr
R.H. COOK : Speaker, they keep
interjecting and I am just inspired to keep going. Like all Western Australians, I go to Optus Stadium frequently and I think: What a great stadium this is? Isn't
it terrific? Then I look at Tasmania developing its stadium and it gets over
$200 million injected into it because it engages with the federal government. What did Hon Colin Barnett do when he was Premier
of the state? He refused to talk to Canberra. He refused to get any
contribution towards that great project. That was as it has always been: he
refused to engage with the commonwealth on Oakajee and across a range of big
infrastructure projects.
We engage with the commonwealth. We
are part of the national conversation because we are a government that has a vision
for this state and we will continue to make sure that we advocate for Western Australians.
We will be effective because we work with industry; we work with our
stakeholders and we work with the community. When the opposition was in
government, it continued to ignore them.
The SPEAKER : Members, that
concludes question time.
Canberra. We have extra resources to make sure that Western Australian voices
are heard because although we know —
Dr D.J. Honey interjected.
Mr
R.H. COOK : Although we know that
the Prime Minister gets Western Australia, and that Hon Madeleine King, Matt
Keogh and Hon Patrick Gorman are great advocates for Western Australia, we know
that eastern states businesses, government bureaucrats and other organisations
do not have the same level of engagement with Western Australia as they do.
A South Australian minister can fly
to Canberra and back in a day. We do not have that opportunity. We know that
because of our distance from Canberra, it is difficult to get Western Australian
voices heard. We know that because the Chamber of Commerce and Industry tells
us this. We know that because the Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia
tells us this. We know that because local government representatives who often
go over there to advocate for their local councils get this. We know this
because everyone is saying to us that we need to continue to make sure that Western
Australia is represented in Canberra and we need to elevate our voice. This is
about a call to arms. This is about making sure that they continue to hear Western
Australian voices. Mercifully, we have a Prime Minister who gets us and by
continuing to take advantage of this opportunity, we can advocate.
If the member has a problem with the
Chamber of Minerals and Energy's position on whether we have extra
resources in Canberra or a problem with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry's
position on having extra voices in Canberra, take it up with them. They have
raised this issue with us. We have responded and we will have greater advocacy
in Canberra because, for a change, we will be heard. We remember —
Several members interjected.
Mr
R.H. COOK : Speaker, they keep
interjecting and I am just inspired to keep going. Like all Western Australians, I go to Optus Stadium frequently and I think: What a great stadium this is? Isn't
it terrific? Then I look at Tasmania developing its stadium and it gets over
$200 million injected into it because it engages with the federal government. What did Hon Colin Barnett do when he was Premier
of the state? He refused to talk to Canberra. He refused to get any
contribution towards that great project. That was as it has always been: he
refused to engage with the commonwealth on Oakajee and across a range of big
infrastructure projects.
We engage with the commonwealth. We
are part of the national conversation because we are a government that has a vision
for this state and we will continue to make sure that we advocate for Western Australians.
We will be effective because we work with industry; we work with our
stakeholders and we work with the community. When the opposition was in
government, it continued to ignore them.
The SPEAKER : Members, that
concludes question time.
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.