Dr. Nahan questions the Treasurer on meeting budget assumptions related to migration, given current policies. The Treasurer deflects, criticizes Nahan's past performance, and defends the government's stance on migration.

AnsweredQoN 979Legislative Assembly
Asked
22 November 2018
Portfolio
Treasurer

QuestionView source ↗

MIGRATION
979. Dr M.D. NAHAN to the Treasurer:
I thank the Treasurer for his
non-answer. I have a supplementary question.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Girrawheen, I call you to order for the second time.
How does the Treasurer expect to
meet his underlying budget assumptions—they are his—of 193 000
net new migrants, given that the government's current policy settings
are discouraging skilled and regional migration, or will the government throw
out these policies?
Mr P. Papalia : I'll
be distributing this Hansard to your electorate. There are a few people
in your electorate who might want to know about this!
The SPEAKER : Minister for
Tourism, I call you to order for the first time.
Mr P. Papalia : Citizenship
and multicultural interests, eh? They're the people who might want to
know about it in his electorate.
The SPEAKER : Well, I am the
person who is going to give you a second call to order. You have two, so one more
after that and you go home.

AnswerView source ↗

I just want to reflect for a second
that the Leader of the Opposition, who while Treasurer never once met a budget
assumption in any of his budgets and never once delivered domestic economic
growth, is now asking about whether I will stick with the assumptions in the
budget! It is interesting that finally the Leader of the Opposition has an
interest in the forward estimates around the budget!
I make this point, and I think
ultimately we are all in furious agreement, except for maybe one difference: on
16 November 2017, Mike Nahan, in his infamous Urban Development Institute of
Australia WA division speech said, and I quote from my notes —
We need things for people to come and
enjoy our city. People from South Africa, Britain and other places like our
beaches. The Chinese do, but they don't know how to swim very well.
I do not know whether the Leader of
the Opposition has been watching the Olympics of late, but I think the Chinese
are pretty good swimmers!
Several members interjected.
Mr B.S. WYATT : Suffice to
say, migration is good. That is why we did not do a deal with Pauline Hanson's
One Nation at the last election—we want to see more of it. The budget
assumptions are what they are. I am delighted the Leader of the Opposition has
somehow stumbled across them. If he would like any more information around
budget assumptions, I will be delighted to provide it.
The SPEAKER : That is the end
of question time.

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