❓ Opposition Leader Kirkup questions the Premier's spending on government communications, suggesting funds be redirected to police, nurses, and small business grants. The Premier defends the spending, citing the need for effective communication during the pandemic and accusing the opposition of politicising the issue.
AnsweredQoN 696Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
MCGOWAN GOVERNMENT —
RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN
696. Mr Z.R.F. KIRKUP to the Premier:
I have a supplementary question to
the current Premier. Why does the Premier not abolish his Labor spin machine
and instead use that money to fund more police officers and nurses and provide
grants of up to $10 000 for our struggling small businesses?
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members.
RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN
696. Mr Z.R.F. KIRKUP to the Premier:
I have a supplementary question to
the current Premier. Why does the Premier not abolish his Labor spin machine
and instead use that money to fund more police officers and nurses and provide
grants of up to $10 000 for our struggling small businesses?
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members.
AnswerView source ↗
The member did not listen to what I
had to say. I have his letter here from earlier this year in which he demanded that there be more campaigns, more spend, more
high-profile public information advertising campaigns and a bunch of other things that he called for the state
government to do to spend more money on communications. That is what he
wrote to me to say. It was comprehensive. I could choose any paragraph if I wanted
to and indicate that the opposition called for the government to put in place
communications.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members, the
Premier is on his feet.
Mr M. McGOWAN : The Melbourne
experience shows that if there are not effective communications across government, there is a greater prospect of the
virus spreading even more. That is particularly the case in multicultural communities in which English is not the first language. Resources must be
available to inform and educate people, if
necessary. It is all about ensuring that those resources are available to pull
together if a second wave comes. Is that unreasonable? To go on and say
things like ''a Labor spin machine''—what a stupid,
stupid comment. It is a stupid, ill-informed, ridiculous comment. I just wish
the Liberal Party would stop trying to politicise the pandemic. We are trying
to deal with a serious issue and all it has done for the past seven months is
try to score political points. The Western Australian public has seen through
opposition members and the way they behave.
had to say. I have his letter here from earlier this year in which he demanded that there be more campaigns, more spend, more
high-profile public information advertising campaigns and a bunch of other things that he called for the state
government to do to spend more money on communications. That is what he
wrote to me to say. It was comprehensive. I could choose any paragraph if I wanted
to and indicate that the opposition called for the government to put in place
communications.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members, the
Premier is on his feet.
Mr M. McGOWAN : The Melbourne
experience shows that if there are not effective communications across government, there is a greater prospect of the
virus spreading even more. That is particularly the case in multicultural communities in which English is not the first language. Resources must be
available to inform and educate people, if
necessary. It is all about ensuring that those resources are available to pull
together if a second wave comes. Is that unreasonable? To go on and say
things like ''a Labor spin machine''—what a stupid,
stupid comment. It is a stupid, ill-informed, ridiculous comment. I just wish
the Liberal Party would stop trying to politicise the pandemic. We are trying
to deal with a serious issue and all it has done for the past seven months is
try to score political points. The Western Australian public has seen through
opposition members and the way they behave.
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