❓ Question regarding worker entitlements following the Muja AB refurbishment decision. Premier Barnett assures workers will receive entitlements but emphasizes they were employees of a private company, sparking a broader debate about the stability of the Collie coal industry.
AnsweredQoN 335Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
MUJA AB — REFURBISHMENT — WORKER ENTITLEMENTS
335. Mr M.P. MURRAY to the Premier:
It is a pity I do not have 20 minutes. My supplementary
question is: will the Premier ensure the 190 or so workers who are definitely
out of work as a consequence of his poor decision will receive their full
entitlements?
335. Mr M.P. MURRAY to the Premier:
It is a pity I do not have 20 minutes. My supplementary
question is: will the Premier ensure the 190 or so workers who are definitely
out of work as a consequence of his poor decision will receive their full
entitlements?
AnswerView source ↗
The employees on the project would have been employees of the
contractor, I would imagine, not of the government or of Verve
Mrs M.H. Roberts :
So you don't care less then?
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
Did I say that?
Mr P.C. Tinley :
Neither of the contracts has been dealt with.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : I
do not think the member for Willagee should talk about people losing money.
The SPEAKER : I
call the member for Willagee to order for the first time.
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
People have lost their jobs on that project, and I expect that all workers will
receive their entitlements. But I make the point that they were employees of a
private company, not of the state.
Mr M. McGowan interjected.
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
The issue has not arisen. I have not heard of that. There are some serious
issues in Collie, and members opposite go on about how their energy policy was
so terrific. Their energy policy has led to a situation —
Mr W.J. Johnston :
Ha-ha!
Mr C.J. BARNETT : I
did not even crack a joke and the member for Cannington is laughing. There is a
precarious situation in Collie, and I think at least the member for Collie understands
that. Two coalmines are now in overseas' ownership.
Mr W.J. Johnston :
That is why we had two extra coal-fired power stations built.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Cannington! There are ample opportunities for the member for
Cannington to ask more questions. I call him to order for the first time.
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
In Collie, two coalmining companies have gone into overseas ownership. They
both claim to be operating at a loss. It is a highly unstable situation given
that coal supplies about 60 per cent of the energy to the south west grid.
Companies are not talking to each other. I know the opposition has a hands-off
approach, but this government is trying to get the Perdaman Chemicals and
Fertiliser project underway, and it is engaging; we are probably crossing the
line from where a minister or a Premier should be because we want to try to
stabilise the situation.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : I
call the member for Warnbro and the member for West Swan to order for the first
time.
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
The opposition talks about the Bluewaters project. It is good to see private
investment in coal generation, but I remind the opposition that Bluewaters went
into receivership. That is how unstable the situation in Collie was, and the
actions of this government allowed it to transfer into Japanese ownership so at
least its ownership is now secure. Do not come in here and talk about Collie.
Collie has some extraordinarily serious issues, and the entire coal industry is
unstable and the government is trying to stabilise it.
contractor, I would imagine, not of the government or of Verve
Mrs M.H. Roberts :
So you don't care less then?
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
Did I say that?
Mr P.C. Tinley :
Neither of the contracts has been dealt with.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : I
do not think the member for Willagee should talk about people losing money.
The SPEAKER : I
call the member for Willagee to order for the first time.
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
People have lost their jobs on that project, and I expect that all workers will
receive their entitlements. But I make the point that they were employees of a
private company, not of the state.
Mr M. McGowan interjected.
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
The issue has not arisen. I have not heard of that. There are some serious
issues in Collie, and members opposite go on about how their energy policy was
so terrific. Their energy policy has led to a situation —
Mr W.J. Johnston :
Ha-ha!
Mr C.J. BARNETT : I
did not even crack a joke and the member for Cannington is laughing. There is a
precarious situation in Collie, and I think at least the member for Collie understands
that. Two coalmines are now in overseas' ownership.
Mr W.J. Johnston :
That is why we had two extra coal-fired power stations built.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Cannington! There are ample opportunities for the member for
Cannington to ask more questions. I call him to order for the first time.
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
In Collie, two coalmining companies have gone into overseas ownership. They
both claim to be operating at a loss. It is a highly unstable situation given
that coal supplies about 60 per cent of the energy to the south west grid.
Companies are not talking to each other. I know the opposition has a hands-off
approach, but this government is trying to get the Perdaman Chemicals and
Fertiliser project underway, and it is engaging; we are probably crossing the
line from where a minister or a Premier should be because we want to try to
stabilise the situation.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : I
call the member for Warnbro and the member for West Swan to order for the first
time.
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
The opposition talks about the Bluewaters project. It is good to see private
investment in coal generation, but I remind the opposition that Bluewaters went
into receivership. That is how unstable the situation in Collie was, and the
actions of this government allowed it to transfer into Japanese ownership so at
least its ownership is now secure. Do not come in here and talk about Collie.
Collie has some extraordinarily serious issues, and the entire coal industry is
unstable and the government is trying to stabilise it.
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.