❓ Halligan questions the impact of the AUSFTA on WA's procurement processes, specifically regarding the 'buy local' policy and regional price preferences. Chance confirms the list of agencies, clarifies exemptions for SMEs and contract values.
AnsweredQoN 294Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
I refer the minister to the draft list of 71 Western Australian government departments and agencies that would have their procurement processes open to United States businesses under the Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement. Included in this list are Main Roads Western Australia, the Department of Housing and Works and the Department for Planning and Infrastructure. (1) Has the State Government formally agreed to this list and, if not, when is it anticipated that the final list will be submitted? (2) When assessing bids for state government contracts, will the 20 per cent tariff on goods and services that applies under the Government’s buy local policy be removed from US goods and services? (3) Will the Government’s regional price preference become invalid if bids are received from US companies in the same manner that it is invalid if bids are received from other States and Territories and New Zealand? Hon KIM CHANCE
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for some notice of this question. I hope he does not mind me referring to the fact that he was going to ask the question. (1) Yes. (2) No. The buy local policy supports small to medium-size enterprises that are defined as companies that employ 500 or fewer people. Those companies are specifically exempt from provisions of the Australia-US free trade agreement - AUSFTA. (3) No. I refer the member to the answer to (2); that is, the exemption of businesses that employ fewer than 500 people. In addition, the AUSFTA applies only to the purchase of goods and services with a value greater than $666 000 and works with a value greater than $9 396 000.
(1) Has the State Government formally agreed to this list and, if not, when is it anticipated that the final list will be submitted? (2) When assessing bids for state government contracts, will the 20 per cent tariff on goods and services that applies under the Government’s buy local policy be removed from US goods and services? (3) Will the Government’s regional price preference become invalid if bids are received from US companies in the same manner that it is invalid if bids are received from other States and Territories and New Zealand? Hon KIM CHANCE replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. I hope he does not mind me referring to the fact that he was going to ask the question. (1) Yes. (2) No. The buy local policy supports small to medium-size enterprises that are defined as companies that employ 500 or fewer people. Those companies are specifically exempt from provisions of the Australia-US free trade agreement - AUSFTA. (3) No. I refer the member to the answer to (2); that is, the exemption of businesses that employ fewer than 500 people. In addition, the AUSFTA applies only to the purchase of goods and services with a value greater than $666 000 and works with a value greater than $9 396 000.
(2) When assessing bids for state government contracts, will the 20 per cent tariff on goods and services that applies under the Government’s buy local policy be removed from US goods and services? (3) Will the Government’s regional price preference become invalid if bids are received from US companies in the same manner that it is invalid if bids are received from other States and Territories and New Zealand? Hon KIM CHANCE replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. I hope he does not mind me referring to the fact that he was going to ask the question. (1) Yes. (2) No. The buy local policy supports small to medium-size enterprises that are defined as companies that employ 500 or fewer people. Those companies are specifically exempt from provisions of the Australia-US free trade agreement - AUSFTA. (3) No. I refer the member to the answer to (2); that is, the exemption of businesses that employ fewer than 500 people. In addition, the AUSFTA applies only to the purchase of goods and services with a value greater than $666 000 and works with a value greater than $9 396 000.
(3) Will the Government’s regional price preference become invalid if bids are received from US companies in the same manner that it is invalid if bids are received from other States and Territories and New Zealand? Hon KIM CHANCE replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. I hope he does not mind me referring to the fact that he was going to ask the question. (1) Yes. (2) No. The buy local policy supports small to medium-size enterprises that are defined as companies that employ 500 or fewer people. Those companies are specifically exempt from provisions of the Australia-US free trade agreement - AUSFTA. (3) No. I refer the member to the answer to (2); that is, the exemption of businesses that employ fewer than 500 people. In addition, the AUSFTA applies only to the purchase of goods and services with a value greater than $666 000 and works with a value greater than $9 396 000.
Hon KIM CHANCE replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. I hope he does not mind me referring to the fact that he was going to ask the question. (1) Yes. (2) No. The buy local policy supports small to medium-size enterprises that are defined as companies that employ 500 or fewer people. Those companies are specifically exempt from provisions of the Australia-US free trade agreement - AUSFTA. (3) No. I refer the member to the answer to (2); that is, the exemption of businesses that employ fewer than 500 people. In addition, the AUSFTA applies only to the purchase of goods and services with a value greater than $666 000 and works with a value greater than $9 396 000.
I thank the member for some notice of this question. I hope he does not mind me referring to the fact that he was going to ask the question. (1) Yes. (2) No. The buy local policy supports small to medium-size enterprises that are defined as companies that employ 500 or fewer people. Those companies are specifically exempt from provisions of the Australia-US free trade agreement - AUSFTA. (3) No. I refer the member to the answer to (2); that is, the exemption of businesses that employ fewer than 500 people. In addition, the AUSFTA applies only to the purchase of goods and services with a value greater than $666 000 and works with a value greater than $9 396 000.
(1) Yes. (2) No. The buy local policy supports small to medium-size enterprises that are defined as companies that employ 500 or fewer people. Those companies are specifically exempt from provisions of the Australia-US free trade agreement - AUSFTA. (3) No. I refer the member to the answer to (2); that is, the exemption of businesses that employ fewer than 500 people. In addition, the AUSFTA applies only to the purchase of goods and services with a value greater than $666 000 and works with a value greater than $9 396 000.
(2) No. The buy local policy supports small to medium-size enterprises that are defined as companies that employ 500 or fewer people. Those companies are specifically exempt from provisions of the Australia-US free trade agreement - AUSFTA. (3) No. I refer the member to the answer to (2); that is, the exemption of businesses that employ fewer than 500 people. In addition, the AUSFTA applies only to the purchase of goods and services with a value greater than $666 000 and works with a value greater than $9 396 000.
(3) No. I refer the member to the answer to (2); that is, the exemption of businesses that employ fewer than 500 people. In addition, the AUSFTA applies only to the purchase of goods and services with a value greater than $666 000 and works with a value greater than $9 396 000.
(1) Has the State Government formally agreed to this list and, if not, when is it anticipated that the final list will be submitted? (2) When assessing bids for state government contracts, will the 20 per cent tariff on goods and services that applies under the Government’s buy local policy be removed from US goods and services? (3) Will the Government’s regional price preference become invalid if bids are received from US companies in the same manner that it is invalid if bids are received from other States and Territories and New Zealand? Hon KIM CHANCE replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. I hope he does not mind me referring to the fact that he was going to ask the question. (1) Yes. (2) No. The buy local policy supports small to medium-size enterprises that are defined as companies that employ 500 or fewer people. Those companies are specifically exempt from provisions of the Australia-US free trade agreement - AUSFTA. (3) No. I refer the member to the answer to (2); that is, the exemption of businesses that employ fewer than 500 people. In addition, the AUSFTA applies only to the purchase of goods and services with a value greater than $666 000 and works with a value greater than $9 396 000.
(2) When assessing bids for state government contracts, will the 20 per cent tariff on goods and services that applies under the Government’s buy local policy be removed from US goods and services? (3) Will the Government’s regional price preference become invalid if bids are received from US companies in the same manner that it is invalid if bids are received from other States and Territories and New Zealand? Hon KIM CHANCE replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. I hope he does not mind me referring to the fact that he was going to ask the question. (1) Yes. (2) No. The buy local policy supports small to medium-size enterprises that are defined as companies that employ 500 or fewer people. Those companies are specifically exempt from provisions of the Australia-US free trade agreement - AUSFTA. (3) No. I refer the member to the answer to (2); that is, the exemption of businesses that employ fewer than 500 people. In addition, the AUSFTA applies only to the purchase of goods and services with a value greater than $666 000 and works with a value greater than $9 396 000.
(3) Will the Government’s regional price preference become invalid if bids are received from US companies in the same manner that it is invalid if bids are received from other States and Territories and New Zealand? Hon KIM CHANCE replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. I hope he does not mind me referring to the fact that he was going to ask the question. (1) Yes. (2) No. The buy local policy supports small to medium-size enterprises that are defined as companies that employ 500 or fewer people. Those companies are specifically exempt from provisions of the Australia-US free trade agreement - AUSFTA. (3) No. I refer the member to the answer to (2); that is, the exemption of businesses that employ fewer than 500 people. In addition, the AUSFTA applies only to the purchase of goods and services with a value greater than $666 000 and works with a value greater than $9 396 000.
Hon KIM CHANCE replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. I hope he does not mind me referring to the fact that he was going to ask the question. (1) Yes. (2) No. The buy local policy supports small to medium-size enterprises that are defined as companies that employ 500 or fewer people. Those companies are specifically exempt from provisions of the Australia-US free trade agreement - AUSFTA. (3) No. I refer the member to the answer to (2); that is, the exemption of businesses that employ fewer than 500 people. In addition, the AUSFTA applies only to the purchase of goods and services with a value greater than $666 000 and works with a value greater than $9 396 000.
I thank the member for some notice of this question. I hope he does not mind me referring to the fact that he was going to ask the question. (1) Yes. (2) No. The buy local policy supports small to medium-size enterprises that are defined as companies that employ 500 or fewer people. Those companies are specifically exempt from provisions of the Australia-US free trade agreement - AUSFTA. (3) No. I refer the member to the answer to (2); that is, the exemption of businesses that employ fewer than 500 people. In addition, the AUSFTA applies only to the purchase of goods and services with a value greater than $666 000 and works with a value greater than $9 396 000.
(1) Yes. (2) No. The buy local policy supports small to medium-size enterprises that are defined as companies that employ 500 or fewer people. Those companies are specifically exempt from provisions of the Australia-US free trade agreement - AUSFTA. (3) No. I refer the member to the answer to (2); that is, the exemption of businesses that employ fewer than 500 people. In addition, the AUSFTA applies only to the purchase of goods and services with a value greater than $666 000 and works with a value greater than $9 396 000.
(2) No. The buy local policy supports small to medium-size enterprises that are defined as companies that employ 500 or fewer people. Those companies are specifically exempt from provisions of the Australia-US free trade agreement - AUSFTA. (3) No. I refer the member to the answer to (2); that is, the exemption of businesses that employ fewer than 500 people. In addition, the AUSFTA applies only to the purchase of goods and services with a value greater than $666 000 and works with a value greater than $9 396 000.
(3) No. I refer the member to the answer to (2); that is, the exemption of businesses that employ fewer than 500 people. In addition, the AUSFTA applies only to the purchase of goods and services with a value greater than $666 000 and works with a value greater than $9 396 000.
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