❓ Treasurer Eric Ripper responds to a question about business confidence, disputing a CCI-BankWest survey and highlighting positive economic growth figures for WA, while criticising the opposition's economic record and negativity.
AnsweredQoN 763Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
BUSINESS CONFIDENCE
I refer to the recent CCI-BankWest survey, which indicates that WA businesses are more confident about the national economy than the Western Australian economy. Is this consistent with other economic data? Mr RIPPER
I refer to the recent CCI-BankWest survey, which indicates that WA businesses are more confident about the national economy than the Western Australian economy. Is this consistent with other economic data? Mr RIPPER
AnswerView source ↗
I read John McGlue’s column in The Australian today, and he really hit the nail on the head. Some days it is hard to tell who is the real Leader of the Opposition - whether it is Lyndon Rowe or the member for Cottesloe. Judging by the advertisement in The West Australian today, Lyndon Rowe seems to be the keeper of the ideological flame. I will deal with what the CCI said. It said in its media statement that WA businesses were more optimistic about the national economy than about the state outlook. It said that the survey of business expectations in the December quarter showed a 2.9 per cent rise in confidence nationally, which bettered the Western Australian rise of 2.5 per cent. However, members should not get too depressed, because the CCI got it wrong. It was so desperate to take the gloss off the WA figures that it transposed the figures in its surveys. Although it knows about the mistake, the error still persists today on its web site. In fact, Western Australia bettered the national rise in confidence with an increase of 2.9 per cent in the December quarter, and that is a two-year high. Mr Board: How much do you think stable industrial relations has to do with that? Mr RIPPER: I can hear a bit of doomsaying coming from the other side. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr RIPPER: I have good news for the member for Murdoch in that last week the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that Western Australia had a four per cent growth in state final demand last year; this was the strongest growth since 1998 and it was propelled by an increase in business investment of 21 per cent. Mr Board: Will you take an interjection? Mr RIPPER: I will not take an interjection from the member for Murdoch until I have told him that in the last half of last year, after the state budget had been presented, state final demand grew 4.1 per cent and bettered that of all other States and the nation. Mr Board: How much of that would be put down to good, stable industrial relations? Mr RIPPER: I would put that down to the beginning of a new era in this State because of good management by this State Government. I would compare it with the record for the calendar year 2000, when Western Australia had the member’s Government, under which the State’s economy contracted by 1.6 per cent. That was the worst result in the country at the time. If I were the member for Murdoch, I would be quiet and not interject, because he has no basis on which to defend his record. In fact, he might ask some of his colleagues why they have nothing good to say about the State’s economy. When these results came out, did we hear anything from the Opposition about the economy? There was not a word; there was stony silence. However, what we have heard from Opposition members in the past is the talking down of the economy. We had the member for Nedlands, the Opposition spokesperson on tourism, attacking the Government’s assistance package to successfully attract Emirates airlines to Western Australia. That is a package that will deliver 200 local jobs, and she attacked it. Ms Sue Walker interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Nedlands to order for the second time. Mr RIPPER: Members opposite do not like it when their attacks on Western Australia are subject to scrutiny. They take their lead from the absent Leader of the Opposition, who attacked spending on infrastructure to support jobs in the Burrup Peninsula. I am sure Mr Speaker knows how important it is that we have that investment in infrastructure in the Burrup Peninsula. I am very disappointed that the Leader of the Opposition, a former Minister for Resources Development, would attack that job-creating infrastructure that this State Government is committed to implementing. We have great economic potential in this State. We have good news, but we are not out of the woods yet. The goods and services tax and the previous Government did a lot of damage to our economy, but we are making great progress.
Mr RIPPER replied: I read John McGlue’s column in The Australian today, and he really hit the nail on the head. Some days it is hard to tell who is the real Leader of the Opposition - whether it is Lyndon Rowe or the member for Cottesloe. Judging by the advertisement in The West Australian today, Lyndon Rowe seems to be the keeper of the ideological flame. I will deal with what the CCI said. It said in its media statement that WA businesses were more optimistic about the national economy than about the state outlook. It said that the survey of business expectations in the December quarter showed a 2.9 per cent rise in confidence nationally, which bettered the Western Australian rise of 2.5 per cent. However, members should not get too depressed, because the CCI got it wrong. It was so desperate to take the gloss off the WA figures that it transposed the figures in its surveys. Although it knows about the mistake, the error still persists today on its web site. In fact, Western Australia bettered the national rise in confidence with an increase of 2.9 per cent in the December quarter, and that is a two-year high. Mr Board: How much do you think stable industrial relations has to do with that? Mr RIPPER: I can hear a bit of doomsaying coming from the other side. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr RIPPER: I have good news for the member for Murdoch in that last week the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that Western Australia had a four per cent growth in state final demand last year; this was the strongest growth since 1998 and it was propelled by an increase in business investment of 21 per cent. Mr Board: Will you take an interjection? Mr RIPPER: I will not take an interjection from the member for Murdoch until I have told him that in the last half of last year, after the state budget had been presented, state final demand grew 4.1 per cent and bettered that of all other States and the nation. Mr Board: How much of that would be put down to good, stable industrial relations? Mr RIPPER: I would put that down to the beginning of a new era in this State because of good management by this State Government. I would compare it with the record for the calendar year 2000, when Western Australia had the member’s Government, under which the State’s economy contracted by 1.6 per cent. That was the worst result in the country at the time. If I were the member for Murdoch, I would be quiet and not interject, because he has no basis on which to defend his record. In fact, he might ask some of his colleagues why they have nothing good to say about the State’s economy. When these results came out, did we hear anything from the Opposition about the economy? There was not a word; there was stony silence. However, what we have heard from Opposition members in the past is the talking down of the economy. We had the member for Nedlands, the Opposition spokesperson on tourism, attacking the Government’s assistance package to successfully attract Emirates airlines to Western Australia. That is a package that will deliver 200 local jobs, and she attacked it. Ms Sue Walker interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Nedlands to order for the second time. Mr RIPPER: Members opposite do not like it when their attacks on Western Australia are subject to scrutiny. They take their lead from the absent Leader of the Opposition, who attacked spending on infrastructure to support jobs in the Burrup Peninsula. I am sure Mr Speaker knows how important it is that we have that investment in infrastructure in the Burrup Peninsula. I am very disappointed that the Leader of the Opposition, a former Minister for Resources Development, would attack that job-creating infrastructure that this State Government is committed to implementing. We have great economic potential in this State. We have good news, but we are not out of the woods yet. The goods and services tax and the previous Government did a lot of damage to our economy, but we are making great progress.
I read John McGlue’s column in The Australian today, and he really hit the nail on the head. Some days it is hard to tell who is the real Leader of the Opposition - whether it is Lyndon Rowe or the member for Cottesloe. Judging by the advertisement in The West Australian today, Lyndon Rowe seems to be the keeper of the ideological flame. I will deal with what the CCI said. It said in its media statement that WA businesses were more optimistic about the national economy than about the state outlook. It said that the survey of business expectations in the December quarter showed a 2.9 per cent rise in confidence nationally, which bettered the Western Australian rise of 2.5 per cent. However, members should not get too depressed, because the CCI got it wrong. It was so desperate to take the gloss off the WA figures that it transposed the figures in its surveys. Although it knows about the mistake, the error still persists today on its web site. In fact, Western Australia bettered the national rise in confidence with an increase of 2.9 per cent in the December quarter, and that is a two-year high. Mr Board: How much do you think stable industrial relations has to do with that? Mr RIPPER: I can hear a bit of doomsaying coming from the other side. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr RIPPER: I have good news for the member for Murdoch in that last week the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that Western Australia had a four per cent growth in state final demand last year; this was the strongest growth since 1998 and it was propelled by an increase in business investment of 21 per cent. Mr Board: Will you take an interjection? Mr RIPPER: I will not take an interjection from the member for Murdoch until I have told him that in the last half of last year, after the state budget had been presented, state final demand grew 4.1 per cent and bettered that of all other States and the nation. Mr Board: How much of that would be put down to good, stable industrial relations? Mr RIPPER: I would put that down to the beginning of a new era in this State because of good management by this State Government. I would compare it with the record for the calendar year 2000, when Western Australia had the member’s Government, under which the State’s economy contracted by 1.6 per cent. That was the worst result in the country at the time. If I were the member for Murdoch, I would be quiet and not interject, because he has no basis on which to defend his record. In fact, he might ask some of his colleagues why they have nothing good to say about the State’s economy. When these results came out, did we hear anything from the Opposition about the economy? There was not a word; there was stony silence. However, what we have heard from Opposition members in the past is the talking down of the economy. We had the member for Nedlands, the Opposition spokesperson on tourism, attacking the Government’s assistance package to successfully attract Emirates airlines to Western Australia. That is a package that will deliver 200 local jobs, and she attacked it. Ms Sue Walker interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Nedlands to order for the second time. Mr RIPPER: Members opposite do not like it when their attacks on Western Australia are subject to scrutiny. They take their lead from the absent Leader of the Opposition, who attacked spending on infrastructure to support jobs in the Burrup Peninsula. I am sure Mr Speaker knows how important it is that we have that investment in infrastructure in the Burrup Peninsula. I am very disappointed that the Leader of the Opposition, a former Minister for Resources Development, would attack that job-creating infrastructure that this State Government is committed to implementing. We have great economic potential in this State. We have good news, but we are not out of the woods yet. The goods and services tax and the previous Government did a lot of damage to our economy, but we are making great progress.
I will deal with what the CCI said. It said in its media statement that WA businesses were more optimistic about the national economy than about the state outlook. It said that the survey of business expectations in the December quarter showed a 2.9 per cent rise in confidence nationally, which bettered the Western Australian rise of 2.5 per cent. However, members should not get too depressed, because the CCI got it wrong. It was so desperate to take the gloss off the WA figures that it transposed the figures in its surveys. Although it knows about the mistake, the error still persists today on its web site. In fact, Western Australia bettered the national rise in confidence with an increase of 2.9 per cent in the December quarter, and that is a two-year high. Mr Board: How much do you think stable industrial relations has to do with that? Mr RIPPER: I can hear a bit of doomsaying coming from the other side. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr RIPPER: I have good news for the member for Murdoch in that last week the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that Western Australia had a four per cent growth in state final demand last year; this was the strongest growth since 1998 and it was propelled by an increase in business investment of 21 per cent. Mr Board: Will you take an interjection? Mr RIPPER: I will not take an interjection from the member for Murdoch until I have told him that in the last half of last year, after the state budget had been presented, state final demand grew 4.1 per cent and bettered that of all other States and the nation. Mr Board: How much of that would be put down to good, stable industrial relations? Mr RIPPER: I would put that down to the beginning of a new era in this State because of good management by this State Government. I would compare it with the record for the calendar year 2000, when Western Australia had the member’s Government, under which the State’s economy contracted by 1.6 per cent. That was the worst result in the country at the time. If I were the member for Murdoch, I would be quiet and not interject, because he has no basis on which to defend his record. In fact, he might ask some of his colleagues why they have nothing good to say about the State’s economy. When these results came out, did we hear anything from the Opposition about the economy? There was not a word; there was stony silence. However, what we have heard from Opposition members in the past is the talking down of the economy. We had the member for Nedlands, the Opposition spokesperson on tourism, attacking the Government’s assistance package to successfully attract Emirates airlines to Western Australia. That is a package that will deliver 200 local jobs, and she attacked it. Ms Sue Walker interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Nedlands to order for the second time. Mr RIPPER: Members opposite do not like it when their attacks on Western Australia are subject to scrutiny. They take their lead from the absent Leader of the Opposition, who attacked spending on infrastructure to support jobs in the Burrup Peninsula. I am sure Mr Speaker knows how important it is that we have that investment in infrastructure in the Burrup Peninsula. I am very disappointed that the Leader of the Opposition, a former Minister for Resources Development, would attack that job-creating infrastructure that this State Government is committed to implementing. We have great economic potential in this State. We have good news, but we are not out of the woods yet. The goods and services tax and the previous Government did a lot of damage to our economy, but we are making great progress.
Mr Board: How much do you think stable industrial relations has to do with that? Mr RIPPER: I can hear a bit of doomsaying coming from the other side. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr RIPPER: I have good news for the member for Murdoch in that last week the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that Western Australia had a four per cent growth in state final demand last year; this was the strongest growth since 1998 and it was propelled by an increase in business investment of 21 per cent. Mr Board: Will you take an interjection? Mr RIPPER: I will not take an interjection from the member for Murdoch until I have told him that in the last half of last year, after the state budget had been presented, state final demand grew 4.1 per cent and bettered that of all other States and the nation. Mr Board: How much of that would be put down to good, stable industrial relations? Mr RIPPER: I would put that down to the beginning of a new era in this State because of good management by this State Government. I would compare it with the record for the calendar year 2000, when Western Australia had the member’s Government, under which the State’s economy contracted by 1.6 per cent. That was the worst result in the country at the time. If I were the member for Murdoch, I would be quiet and not interject, because he has no basis on which to defend his record. In fact, he might ask some of his colleagues why they have nothing good to say about the State’s economy. When these results came out, did we hear anything from the Opposition about the economy? There was not a word; there was stony silence. However, what we have heard from Opposition members in the past is the talking down of the economy. We had the member for Nedlands, the Opposition spokesperson on tourism, attacking the Government’s assistance package to successfully attract Emirates airlines to Western Australia. That is a package that will deliver 200 local jobs, and she attacked it. Ms Sue Walker interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Nedlands to order for the second time. Mr RIPPER: Members opposite do not like it when their attacks on Western Australia are subject to scrutiny. They take their lead from the absent Leader of the Opposition, who attacked spending on infrastructure to support jobs in the Burrup Peninsula. I am sure Mr Speaker knows how important it is that we have that investment in infrastructure in the Burrup Peninsula. I am very disappointed that the Leader of the Opposition, a former Minister for Resources Development, would attack that job-creating infrastructure that this State Government is committed to implementing. We have great economic potential in this State. We have good news, but we are not out of the woods yet. The goods and services tax and the previous Government did a lot of damage to our economy, but we are making great progress.
Mr RIPPER: I can hear a bit of doomsaying coming from the other side. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr RIPPER: I have good news for the member for Murdoch in that last week the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that Western Australia had a four per cent growth in state final demand last year; this was the strongest growth since 1998 and it was propelled by an increase in business investment of 21 per cent. Mr Board: Will you take an interjection? Mr RIPPER: I will not take an interjection from the member for Murdoch until I have told him that in the last half of last year, after the state budget had been presented, state final demand grew 4.1 per cent and bettered that of all other States and the nation. Mr Board: How much of that would be put down to good, stable industrial relations? Mr RIPPER: I would put that down to the beginning of a new era in this State because of good management by this State Government. I would compare it with the record for the calendar year 2000, when Western Australia had the member’s Government, under which the State’s economy contracted by 1.6 per cent. That was the worst result in the country at the time. If I were the member for Murdoch, I would be quiet and not interject, because he has no basis on which to defend his record. In fact, he might ask some of his colleagues why they have nothing good to say about the State’s economy. When these results came out, did we hear anything from the Opposition about the economy? There was not a word; there was stony silence. However, what we have heard from Opposition members in the past is the talking down of the economy. We had the member for Nedlands, the Opposition spokesperson on tourism, attacking the Government’s assistance package to successfully attract Emirates airlines to Western Australia. That is a package that will deliver 200 local jobs, and she attacked it. Ms Sue Walker interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Nedlands to order for the second time. Mr RIPPER: Members opposite do not like it when their attacks on Western Australia are subject to scrutiny. They take their lead from the absent Leader of the Opposition, who attacked spending on infrastructure to support jobs in the Burrup Peninsula. I am sure Mr Speaker knows how important it is that we have that investment in infrastructure in the Burrup Peninsula. I am very disappointed that the Leader of the Opposition, a former Minister for Resources Development, would attack that job-creating infrastructure that this State Government is committed to implementing. We have great economic potential in this State. We have good news, but we are not out of the woods yet. The goods and services tax and the previous Government did a lot of damage to our economy, but we are making great progress.
The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr RIPPER: I have good news for the member for Murdoch in that last week the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that Western Australia had a four per cent growth in state final demand last year; this was the strongest growth since 1998 and it was propelled by an increase in business investment of 21 per cent. Mr Board: Will you take an interjection? Mr RIPPER: I will not take an interjection from the member for Murdoch until I have told him that in the last half of last year, after the state budget had been presented, state final demand grew 4.1 per cent and bettered that of all other States and the nation. Mr Board: How much of that would be put down to good, stable industrial relations? Mr RIPPER: I would put that down to the beginning of a new era in this State because of good management by this State Government. I would compare it with the record for the calendar year 2000, when Western Australia had the member’s Government, under which the State’s economy contracted by 1.6 per cent. That was the worst result in the country at the time. If I were the member for Murdoch, I would be quiet and not interject, because he has no basis on which to defend his record. In fact, he might ask some of his colleagues why they have nothing good to say about the State’s economy. When these results came out, did we hear anything from the Opposition about the economy? There was not a word; there was stony silence. However, what we have heard from Opposition members in the past is the talking down of the economy. We had the member for Nedlands, the Opposition spokesperson on tourism, attacking the Government’s assistance package to successfully attract Emirates airlines to Western Australia. That is a package that will deliver 200 local jobs, and she attacked it. Ms Sue Walker interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Nedlands to order for the second time. Mr RIPPER: Members opposite do not like it when their attacks on Western Australia are subject to scrutiny. They take their lead from the absent Leader of the Opposition, who attacked spending on infrastructure to support jobs in the Burrup Peninsula. I am sure Mr Speaker knows how important it is that we have that investment in infrastructure in the Burrup Peninsula. I am very disappointed that the Leader of the Opposition, a former Minister for Resources Development, would attack that job-creating infrastructure that this State Government is committed to implementing. We have great economic potential in this State. We have good news, but we are not out of the woods yet. The goods and services tax and the previous Government did a lot of damage to our economy, but we are making great progress.
Mr RIPPER: I have good news for the member for Murdoch in that last week the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that Western Australia had a four per cent growth in state final demand last year; this was the strongest growth since 1998 and it was propelled by an increase in business investment of 21 per cent. Mr Board: Will you take an interjection? Mr RIPPER: I will not take an interjection from the member for Murdoch until I have told him that in the last half of last year, after the state budget had been presented, state final demand grew 4.1 per cent and bettered that of all other States and the nation. Mr Board: How much of that would be put down to good, stable industrial relations? Mr RIPPER: I would put that down to the beginning of a new era in this State because of good management by this State Government. I would compare it with the record for the calendar year 2000, when Western Australia had the member’s Government, under which the State’s economy contracted by 1.6 per cent. That was the worst result in the country at the time. If I were the member for Murdoch, I would be quiet and not interject, because he has no basis on which to defend his record. In fact, he might ask some of his colleagues why they have nothing good to say about the State’s economy. When these results came out, did we hear anything from the Opposition about the economy? There was not a word; there was stony silence. However, what we have heard from Opposition members in the past is the talking down of the economy. We had the member for Nedlands, the Opposition spokesperson on tourism, attacking the Government’s assistance package to successfully attract Emirates airlines to Western Australia. That is a package that will deliver 200 local jobs, and she attacked it. Ms Sue Walker interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Nedlands to order for the second time. Mr RIPPER: Members opposite do not like it when their attacks on Western Australia are subject to scrutiny. They take their lead from the absent Leader of the Opposition, who attacked spending on infrastructure to support jobs in the Burrup Peninsula. I am sure Mr Speaker knows how important it is that we have that investment in infrastructure in the Burrup Peninsula. I am very disappointed that the Leader of the Opposition, a former Minister for Resources Development, would attack that job-creating infrastructure that this State Government is committed to implementing. We have great economic potential in this State. We have good news, but we are not out of the woods yet. The goods and services tax and the previous Government did a lot of damage to our economy, but we are making great progress.
Mr Board: Will you take an interjection? Mr RIPPER: I will not take an interjection from the member for Murdoch until I have told him that in the last half of last year, after the state budget had been presented, state final demand grew 4.1 per cent and bettered that of all other States and the nation. Mr Board: How much of that would be put down to good, stable industrial relations? Mr RIPPER: I would put that down to the beginning of a new era in this State because of good management by this State Government. I would compare it with the record for the calendar year 2000, when Western Australia had the member’s Government, under which the State’s economy contracted by 1.6 per cent. That was the worst result in the country at the time. If I were the member for Murdoch, I would be quiet and not interject, because he has no basis on which to defend his record. In fact, he might ask some of his colleagues why they have nothing good to say about the State’s economy. When these results came out, did we hear anything from the Opposition about the economy? There was not a word; there was stony silence. However, what we have heard from Opposition members in the past is the talking down of the economy. We had the member for Nedlands, the Opposition spokesperson on tourism, attacking the Government’s assistance package to successfully attract Emirates airlines to Western Australia. That is a package that will deliver 200 local jobs, and she attacked it. Ms Sue Walker interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Nedlands to order for the second time. Mr RIPPER: Members opposite do not like it when their attacks on Western Australia are subject to scrutiny. They take their lead from the absent Leader of the Opposition, who attacked spending on infrastructure to support jobs in the Burrup Peninsula. I am sure Mr Speaker knows how important it is that we have that investment in infrastructure in the Burrup Peninsula. I am very disappointed that the Leader of the Opposition, a former Minister for Resources Development, would attack that job-creating infrastructure that this State Government is committed to implementing. We have great economic potential in this State. We have good news, but we are not out of the woods yet. The goods and services tax and the previous Government did a lot of damage to our economy, but we are making great progress.
Mr RIPPER: I will not take an interjection from the member for Murdoch until I have told him that in the last half of last year, after the state budget had been presented, state final demand grew 4.1 per cent and bettered that of all other States and the nation. Mr Board: How much of that would be put down to good, stable industrial relations? Mr RIPPER: I would put that down to the beginning of a new era in this State because of good management by this State Government. I would compare it with the record for the calendar year 2000, when Western Australia had the member’s Government, under which the State’s economy contracted by 1.6 per cent. That was the worst result in the country at the time. If I were the member for Murdoch, I would be quiet and not interject, because he has no basis on which to defend his record. In fact, he might ask some of his colleagues why they have nothing good to say about the State’s economy. When these results came out, did we hear anything from the Opposition about the economy? There was not a word; there was stony silence. However, what we have heard from Opposition members in the past is the talking down of the economy. We had the member for Nedlands, the Opposition spokesperson on tourism, attacking the Government’s assistance package to successfully attract Emirates airlines to Western Australia. That is a package that will deliver 200 local jobs, and she attacked it. Ms Sue Walker interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Nedlands to order for the second time. Mr RIPPER: Members opposite do not like it when their attacks on Western Australia are subject to scrutiny. They take their lead from the absent Leader of the Opposition, who attacked spending on infrastructure to support jobs in the Burrup Peninsula. I am sure Mr Speaker knows how important it is that we have that investment in infrastructure in the Burrup Peninsula. I am very disappointed that the Leader of the Opposition, a former Minister for Resources Development, would attack that job-creating infrastructure that this State Government is committed to implementing. We have great economic potential in this State. We have good news, but we are not out of the woods yet. The goods and services tax and the previous Government did a lot of damage to our economy, but we are making great progress.
Mr Board: How much of that would be put down to good, stable industrial relations? Mr RIPPER: I would put that down to the beginning of a new era in this State because of good management by this State Government. I would compare it with the record for the calendar year 2000, when Western Australia had the member’s Government, under which the State’s economy contracted by 1.6 per cent. That was the worst result in the country at the time. If I were the member for Murdoch, I would be quiet and not interject, because he has no basis on which to defend his record. In fact, he might ask some of his colleagues why they have nothing good to say about the State’s economy. When these results came out, did we hear anything from the Opposition about the economy? There was not a word; there was stony silence. However, what we have heard from Opposition members in the past is the talking down of the economy. We had the member for Nedlands, the Opposition spokesperson on tourism, attacking the Government’s assistance package to successfully attract Emirates airlines to Western Australia. That is a package that will deliver 200 local jobs, and she attacked it. Ms Sue Walker interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Nedlands to order for the second time. Mr RIPPER: Members opposite do not like it when their attacks on Western Australia are subject to scrutiny. They take their lead from the absent Leader of the Opposition, who attacked spending on infrastructure to support jobs in the Burrup Peninsula. I am sure Mr Speaker knows how important it is that we have that investment in infrastructure in the Burrup Peninsula. I am very disappointed that the Leader of the Opposition, a former Minister for Resources Development, would attack that job-creating infrastructure that this State Government is committed to implementing. We have great economic potential in this State. We have good news, but we are not out of the woods yet. The goods and services tax and the previous Government did a lot of damage to our economy, but we are making great progress.
Mr RIPPER: I would put that down to the beginning of a new era in this State because of good management by this State Government. I would compare it with the record for the calendar year 2000, when Western Australia had the member’s Government, under which the State’s economy contracted by 1.6 per cent. That was the worst result in the country at the time. If I were the member for Murdoch, I would be quiet and not interject, because he has no basis on which to defend his record. In fact, he might ask some of his colleagues why they have nothing good to say about the State’s economy. When these results came out, did we hear anything from the Opposition about the economy? There was not a word; there was stony silence. However, what we have heard from Opposition members in the past is the talking down of the economy. We had the member for Nedlands, the Opposition spokesperson on tourism, attacking the Government’s assistance package to successfully attract Emirates airlines to Western Australia. That is a package that will deliver 200 local jobs, and she attacked it. Ms Sue Walker interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Nedlands to order for the second time. Mr RIPPER: Members opposite do not like it when their attacks on Western Australia are subject to scrutiny. They take their lead from the absent Leader of the Opposition, who attacked spending on infrastructure to support jobs in the Burrup Peninsula. I am sure Mr Speaker knows how important it is that we have that investment in infrastructure in the Burrup Peninsula. I am very disappointed that the Leader of the Opposition, a former Minister for Resources Development, would attack that job-creating infrastructure that this State Government is committed to implementing. We have great economic potential in this State. We have good news, but we are not out of the woods yet. The goods and services tax and the previous Government did a lot of damage to our economy, but we are making great progress.
Ms Sue Walker interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Nedlands to order for the second time. Mr RIPPER: Members opposite do not like it when their attacks on Western Australia are subject to scrutiny. They take their lead from the absent Leader of the Opposition, who attacked spending on infrastructure to support jobs in the Burrup Peninsula. I am sure Mr Speaker knows how important it is that we have that investment in infrastructure in the Burrup Peninsula. I am very disappointed that the Leader of the Opposition, a former Minister for Resources Development, would attack that job-creating infrastructure that this State Government is committed to implementing. We have great economic potential in this State. We have good news, but we are not out of the woods yet. The goods and services tax and the previous Government did a lot of damage to our economy, but we are making great progress.
The SPEAKER: I call the member for Nedlands to order for the second time. Mr RIPPER: Members opposite do not like it when their attacks on Western Australia are subject to scrutiny. They take their lead from the absent Leader of the Opposition, who attacked spending on infrastructure to support jobs in the Burrup Peninsula. I am sure Mr Speaker knows how important it is that we have that investment in infrastructure in the Burrup Peninsula. I am very disappointed that the Leader of the Opposition, a former Minister for Resources Development, would attack that job-creating infrastructure that this State Government is committed to implementing. We have great economic potential in this State. We have good news, but we are not out of the woods yet. The goods and services tax and the previous Government did a lot of damage to our economy, but we are making great progress.
Mr RIPPER: Members opposite do not like it when their attacks on Western Australia are subject to scrutiny. They take their lead from the absent Leader of the Opposition, who attacked spending on infrastructure to support jobs in the Burrup Peninsula. I am sure Mr Speaker knows how important it is that we have that investment in infrastructure in the Burrup Peninsula. I am very disappointed that the Leader of the Opposition, a former Minister for Resources Development, would attack that job-creating infrastructure that this State Government is committed to implementing. We have great economic potential in this State. We have good news, but we are not out of the woods yet. The goods and services tax and the previous Government did a lot of damage to our economy, but we are making great progress.
We have great economic potential in this State. We have good news, but we are not out of the woods yet. The goods and services tax and the previous Government did a lot of damage to our economy, but we are making great progress.
Mr RIPPER replied: I read John McGlue’s column in The Australian today, and he really hit the nail on the head. Some days it is hard to tell who is the real Leader of the Opposition - whether it is Lyndon Rowe or the member for Cottesloe. Judging by the advertisement in The West Australian today, Lyndon Rowe seems to be the keeper of the ideological flame. I will deal with what the CCI said. It said in its media statement that WA businesses were more optimistic about the national economy than about the state outlook. It said that the survey of business expectations in the December quarter showed a 2.9 per cent rise in confidence nationally, which bettered the Western Australian rise of 2.5 per cent. However, members should not get too depressed, because the CCI got it wrong. It was so desperate to take the gloss off the WA figures that it transposed the figures in its surveys. Although it knows about the mistake, the error still persists today on its web site. In fact, Western Australia bettered the national rise in confidence with an increase of 2.9 per cent in the December quarter, and that is a two-year high. Mr Board: How much do you think stable industrial relations has to do with that? Mr RIPPER: I can hear a bit of doomsaying coming from the other side. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr RIPPER: I have good news for the member for Murdoch in that last week the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that Western Australia had a four per cent growth in state final demand last year; this was the strongest growth since 1998 and it was propelled by an increase in business investment of 21 per cent. Mr Board: Will you take an interjection? Mr RIPPER: I will not take an interjection from the member for Murdoch until I have told him that in the last half of last year, after the state budget had been presented, state final demand grew 4.1 per cent and bettered that of all other States and the nation. Mr Board: How much of that would be put down to good, stable industrial relations? Mr RIPPER: I would put that down to the beginning of a new era in this State because of good management by this State Government. I would compare it with the record for the calendar year 2000, when Western Australia had the member’s Government, under which the State’s economy contracted by 1.6 per cent. That was the worst result in the country at the time. If I were the member for Murdoch, I would be quiet and not interject, because he has no basis on which to defend his record. In fact, he might ask some of his colleagues why they have nothing good to say about the State’s economy. When these results came out, did we hear anything from the Opposition about the economy? There was not a word; there was stony silence. However, what we have heard from Opposition members in the past is the talking down of the economy. We had the member for Nedlands, the Opposition spokesperson on tourism, attacking the Government’s assistance package to successfully attract Emirates airlines to Western Australia. That is a package that will deliver 200 local jobs, and she attacked it. Ms Sue Walker interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Nedlands to order for the second time. Mr RIPPER: Members opposite do not like it when their attacks on Western Australia are subject to scrutiny. They take their lead from the absent Leader of the Opposition, who attacked spending on infrastructure to support jobs in the Burrup Peninsula. I am sure Mr Speaker knows how important it is that we have that investment in infrastructure in the Burrup Peninsula. I am very disappointed that the Leader of the Opposition, a former Minister for Resources Development, would attack that job-creating infrastructure that this State Government is committed to implementing. We have great economic potential in this State. We have good news, but we are not out of the woods yet. The goods and services tax and the previous Government did a lot of damage to our economy, but we are making great progress.
I read John McGlue’s column in The Australian today, and he really hit the nail on the head. Some days it is hard to tell who is the real Leader of the Opposition - whether it is Lyndon Rowe or the member for Cottesloe. Judging by the advertisement in The West Australian today, Lyndon Rowe seems to be the keeper of the ideological flame. I will deal with what the CCI said. It said in its media statement that WA businesses were more optimistic about the national economy than about the state outlook. It said that the survey of business expectations in the December quarter showed a 2.9 per cent rise in confidence nationally, which bettered the Western Australian rise of 2.5 per cent. However, members should not get too depressed, because the CCI got it wrong. It was so desperate to take the gloss off the WA figures that it transposed the figures in its surveys. Although it knows about the mistake, the error still persists today on its web site. In fact, Western Australia bettered the national rise in confidence with an increase of 2.9 per cent in the December quarter, and that is a two-year high. Mr Board: How much do you think stable industrial relations has to do with that? Mr RIPPER: I can hear a bit of doomsaying coming from the other side. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr RIPPER: I have good news for the member for Murdoch in that last week the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that Western Australia had a four per cent growth in state final demand last year; this was the strongest growth since 1998 and it was propelled by an increase in business investment of 21 per cent. Mr Board: Will you take an interjection? Mr RIPPER: I will not take an interjection from the member for Murdoch until I have told him that in the last half of last year, after the state budget had been presented, state final demand grew 4.1 per cent and bettered that of all other States and the nation. Mr Board: How much of that would be put down to good, stable industrial relations? Mr RIPPER: I would put that down to the beginning of a new era in this State because of good management by this State Government. I would compare it with the record for the calendar year 2000, when Western Australia had the member’s Government, under which the State’s economy contracted by 1.6 per cent. That was the worst result in the country at the time. If I were the member for Murdoch, I would be quiet and not interject, because he has no basis on which to defend his record. In fact, he might ask some of his colleagues why they have nothing good to say about the State’s economy. When these results came out, did we hear anything from the Opposition about the economy? There was not a word; there was stony silence. However, what we have heard from Opposition members in the past is the talking down of the economy. We had the member for Nedlands, the Opposition spokesperson on tourism, attacking the Government’s assistance package to successfully attract Emirates airlines to Western Australia. That is a package that will deliver 200 local jobs, and she attacked it. Ms Sue Walker interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Nedlands to order for the second time. Mr RIPPER: Members opposite do not like it when their attacks on Western Australia are subject to scrutiny. They take their lead from the absent Leader of the Opposition, who attacked spending on infrastructure to support jobs in the Burrup Peninsula. I am sure Mr Speaker knows how important it is that we have that investment in infrastructure in the Burrup Peninsula. I am very disappointed that the Leader of the Opposition, a former Minister for Resources Development, would attack that job-creating infrastructure that this State Government is committed to implementing. We have great economic potential in this State. We have good news, but we are not out of the woods yet. The goods and services tax and the previous Government did a lot of damage to our economy, but we are making great progress.
I will deal with what the CCI said. It said in its media statement that WA businesses were more optimistic about the national economy than about the state outlook. It said that the survey of business expectations in the December quarter showed a 2.9 per cent rise in confidence nationally, which bettered the Western Australian rise of 2.5 per cent. However, members should not get too depressed, because the CCI got it wrong. It was so desperate to take the gloss off the WA figures that it transposed the figures in its surveys. Although it knows about the mistake, the error still persists today on its web site. In fact, Western Australia bettered the national rise in confidence with an increase of 2.9 per cent in the December quarter, and that is a two-year high. Mr Board: How much do you think stable industrial relations has to do with that? Mr RIPPER: I can hear a bit of doomsaying coming from the other side. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr RIPPER: I have good news for the member for Murdoch in that last week the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that Western Australia had a four per cent growth in state final demand last year; this was the strongest growth since 1998 and it was propelled by an increase in business investment of 21 per cent. Mr Board: Will you take an interjection? Mr RIPPER: I will not take an interjection from the member for Murdoch until I have told him that in the last half of last year, after the state budget had been presented, state final demand grew 4.1 per cent and bettered that of all other States and the nation. Mr Board: How much of that would be put down to good, stable industrial relations? Mr RIPPER: I would put that down to the beginning of a new era in this State because of good management by this State Government. I would compare it with the record for the calendar year 2000, when Western Australia had the member’s Government, under which the State’s economy contracted by 1.6 per cent. That was the worst result in the country at the time. If I were the member for Murdoch, I would be quiet and not interject, because he has no basis on which to defend his record. In fact, he might ask some of his colleagues why they have nothing good to say about the State’s economy. When these results came out, did we hear anything from the Opposition about the economy? There was not a word; there was stony silence. However, what we have heard from Opposition members in the past is the talking down of the economy. We had the member for Nedlands, the Opposition spokesperson on tourism, attacking the Government’s assistance package to successfully attract Emirates airlines to Western Australia. That is a package that will deliver 200 local jobs, and she attacked it. Ms Sue Walker interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Nedlands to order for the second time. Mr RIPPER: Members opposite do not like it when their attacks on Western Australia are subject to scrutiny. They take their lead from the absent Leader of the Opposition, who attacked spending on infrastructure to support jobs in the Burrup Peninsula. I am sure Mr Speaker knows how important it is that we have that investment in infrastructure in the Burrup Peninsula. I am very disappointed that the Leader of the Opposition, a former Minister for Resources Development, would attack that job-creating infrastructure that this State Government is committed to implementing. We have great economic potential in this State. We have good news, but we are not out of the woods yet. The goods and services tax and the previous Government did a lot of damage to our economy, but we are making great progress.
Mr Board: How much do you think stable industrial relations has to do with that? Mr RIPPER: I can hear a bit of doomsaying coming from the other side. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr RIPPER: I have good news for the member for Murdoch in that last week the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that Western Australia had a four per cent growth in state final demand last year; this was the strongest growth since 1998 and it was propelled by an increase in business investment of 21 per cent. Mr Board: Will you take an interjection? Mr RIPPER: I will not take an interjection from the member for Murdoch until I have told him that in the last half of last year, after the state budget had been presented, state final demand grew 4.1 per cent and bettered that of all other States and the nation. Mr Board: How much of that would be put down to good, stable industrial relations? Mr RIPPER: I would put that down to the beginning of a new era in this State because of good management by this State Government. I would compare it with the record for the calendar year 2000, when Western Australia had the member’s Government, under which the State’s economy contracted by 1.6 per cent. That was the worst result in the country at the time. If I were the member for Murdoch, I would be quiet and not interject, because he has no basis on which to defend his record. In fact, he might ask some of his colleagues why they have nothing good to say about the State’s economy. When these results came out, did we hear anything from the Opposition about the economy? There was not a word; there was stony silence. However, what we have heard from Opposition members in the past is the talking down of the economy. We had the member for Nedlands, the Opposition spokesperson on tourism, attacking the Government’s assistance package to successfully attract Emirates airlines to Western Australia. That is a package that will deliver 200 local jobs, and she attacked it. Ms Sue Walker interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Nedlands to order for the second time. Mr RIPPER: Members opposite do not like it when their attacks on Western Australia are subject to scrutiny. They take their lead from the absent Leader of the Opposition, who attacked spending on infrastructure to support jobs in the Burrup Peninsula. I am sure Mr Speaker knows how important it is that we have that investment in infrastructure in the Burrup Peninsula. I am very disappointed that the Leader of the Opposition, a former Minister for Resources Development, would attack that job-creating infrastructure that this State Government is committed to implementing. We have great economic potential in this State. We have good news, but we are not out of the woods yet. The goods and services tax and the previous Government did a lot of damage to our economy, but we are making great progress.
Mr RIPPER: I can hear a bit of doomsaying coming from the other side. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr RIPPER: I have good news for the member for Murdoch in that last week the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that Western Australia had a four per cent growth in state final demand last year; this was the strongest growth since 1998 and it was propelled by an increase in business investment of 21 per cent. Mr Board: Will you take an interjection? Mr RIPPER: I will not take an interjection from the member for Murdoch until I have told him that in the last half of last year, after the state budget had been presented, state final demand grew 4.1 per cent and bettered that of all other States and the nation. Mr Board: How much of that would be put down to good, stable industrial relations? Mr RIPPER: I would put that down to the beginning of a new era in this State because of good management by this State Government. I would compare it with the record for the calendar year 2000, when Western Australia had the member’s Government, under which the State’s economy contracted by 1.6 per cent. That was the worst result in the country at the time. If I were the member for Murdoch, I would be quiet and not interject, because he has no basis on which to defend his record. In fact, he might ask some of his colleagues why they have nothing good to say about the State’s economy. When these results came out, did we hear anything from the Opposition about the economy? There was not a word; there was stony silence. However, what we have heard from Opposition members in the past is the talking down of the economy. We had the member for Nedlands, the Opposition spokesperson on tourism, attacking the Government’s assistance package to successfully attract Emirates airlines to Western Australia. That is a package that will deliver 200 local jobs, and she attacked it. Ms Sue Walker interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Nedlands to order for the second time. Mr RIPPER: Members opposite do not like it when their attacks on Western Australia are subject to scrutiny. They take their lead from the absent Leader of the Opposition, who attacked spending on infrastructure to support jobs in the Burrup Peninsula. I am sure Mr Speaker knows how important it is that we have that investment in infrastructure in the Burrup Peninsula. I am very disappointed that the Leader of the Opposition, a former Minister for Resources Development, would attack that job-creating infrastructure that this State Government is committed to implementing. We have great economic potential in this State. We have good news, but we are not out of the woods yet. The goods and services tax and the previous Government did a lot of damage to our economy, but we are making great progress.
The SPEAKER: I call the member for Murdoch to order for the first time. Mr RIPPER: I have good news for the member for Murdoch in that last week the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that Western Australia had a four per cent growth in state final demand last year; this was the strongest growth since 1998 and it was propelled by an increase in business investment of 21 per cent. Mr Board: Will you take an interjection? Mr RIPPER: I will not take an interjection from the member for Murdoch until I have told him that in the last half of last year, after the state budget had been presented, state final demand grew 4.1 per cent and bettered that of all other States and the nation. Mr Board: How much of that would be put down to good, stable industrial relations? Mr RIPPER: I would put that down to the beginning of a new era in this State because of good management by this State Government. I would compare it with the record for the calendar year 2000, when Western Australia had the member’s Government, under which the State’s economy contracted by 1.6 per cent. That was the worst result in the country at the time. If I were the member for Murdoch, I would be quiet and not interject, because he has no basis on which to defend his record. In fact, he might ask some of his colleagues why they have nothing good to say about the State’s economy. When these results came out, did we hear anything from the Opposition about the economy? There was not a word; there was stony silence. However, what we have heard from Opposition members in the past is the talking down of the economy. We had the member for Nedlands, the Opposition spokesperson on tourism, attacking the Government’s assistance package to successfully attract Emirates airlines to Western Australia. That is a package that will deliver 200 local jobs, and she attacked it. Ms Sue Walker interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Nedlands to order for the second time. Mr RIPPER: Members opposite do not like it when their attacks on Western Australia are subject to scrutiny. They take their lead from the absent Leader of the Opposition, who attacked spending on infrastructure to support jobs in the Burrup Peninsula. I am sure Mr Speaker knows how important it is that we have that investment in infrastructure in the Burrup Peninsula. I am very disappointed that the Leader of the Opposition, a former Minister for Resources Development, would attack that job-creating infrastructure that this State Government is committed to implementing. We have great economic potential in this State. We have good news, but we are not out of the woods yet. The goods and services tax and the previous Government did a lot of damage to our economy, but we are making great progress.
Mr RIPPER: I have good news for the member for Murdoch in that last week the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that Western Australia had a four per cent growth in state final demand last year; this was the strongest growth since 1998 and it was propelled by an increase in business investment of 21 per cent. Mr Board: Will you take an interjection? Mr RIPPER: I will not take an interjection from the member for Murdoch until I have told him that in the last half of last year, after the state budget had been presented, state final demand grew 4.1 per cent and bettered that of all other States and the nation. Mr Board: How much of that would be put down to good, stable industrial relations? Mr RIPPER: I would put that down to the beginning of a new era in this State because of good management by this State Government. I would compare it with the record for the calendar year 2000, when Western Australia had the member’s Government, under which the State’s economy contracted by 1.6 per cent. That was the worst result in the country at the time. If I were the member for Murdoch, I would be quiet and not interject, because he has no basis on which to defend his record. In fact, he might ask some of his colleagues why they have nothing good to say about the State’s economy. When these results came out, did we hear anything from the Opposition about the economy? There was not a word; there was stony silence. However, what we have heard from Opposition members in the past is the talking down of the economy. We had the member for Nedlands, the Opposition spokesperson on tourism, attacking the Government’s assistance package to successfully attract Emirates airlines to Western Australia. That is a package that will deliver 200 local jobs, and she attacked it. Ms Sue Walker interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Nedlands to order for the second time. Mr RIPPER: Members opposite do not like it when their attacks on Western Australia are subject to scrutiny. They take their lead from the absent Leader of the Opposition, who attacked spending on infrastructure to support jobs in the Burrup Peninsula. I am sure Mr Speaker knows how important it is that we have that investment in infrastructure in the Burrup Peninsula. I am very disappointed that the Leader of the Opposition, a former Minister for Resources Development, would attack that job-creating infrastructure that this State Government is committed to implementing. We have great economic potential in this State. We have good news, but we are not out of the woods yet. The goods and services tax and the previous Government did a lot of damage to our economy, but we are making great progress.
Mr Board: Will you take an interjection? Mr RIPPER: I will not take an interjection from the member for Murdoch until I have told him that in the last half of last year, after the state budget had been presented, state final demand grew 4.1 per cent and bettered that of all other States and the nation. Mr Board: How much of that would be put down to good, stable industrial relations? Mr RIPPER: I would put that down to the beginning of a new era in this State because of good management by this State Government. I would compare it with the record for the calendar year 2000, when Western Australia had the member’s Government, under which the State’s economy contracted by 1.6 per cent. That was the worst result in the country at the time. If I were the member for Murdoch, I would be quiet and not interject, because he has no basis on which to defend his record. In fact, he might ask some of his colleagues why they have nothing good to say about the State’s economy. When these results came out, did we hear anything from the Opposition about the economy? There was not a word; there was stony silence. However, what we have heard from Opposition members in the past is the talking down of the economy. We had the member for Nedlands, the Opposition spokesperson on tourism, attacking the Government’s assistance package to successfully attract Emirates airlines to Western Australia. That is a package that will deliver 200 local jobs, and she attacked it. Ms Sue Walker interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Nedlands to order for the second time. Mr RIPPER: Members opposite do not like it when their attacks on Western Australia are subject to scrutiny. They take their lead from the absent Leader of the Opposition, who attacked spending on infrastructure to support jobs in the Burrup Peninsula. I am sure Mr Speaker knows how important it is that we have that investment in infrastructure in the Burrup Peninsula. I am very disappointed that the Leader of the Opposition, a former Minister for Resources Development, would attack that job-creating infrastructure that this State Government is committed to implementing. We have great economic potential in this State. We have good news, but we are not out of the woods yet. The goods and services tax and the previous Government did a lot of damage to our economy, but we are making great progress.
Mr RIPPER: I will not take an interjection from the member for Murdoch until I have told him that in the last half of last year, after the state budget had been presented, state final demand grew 4.1 per cent and bettered that of all other States and the nation. Mr Board: How much of that would be put down to good, stable industrial relations? Mr RIPPER: I would put that down to the beginning of a new era in this State because of good management by this State Government. I would compare it with the record for the calendar year 2000, when Western Australia had the member’s Government, under which the State’s economy contracted by 1.6 per cent. That was the worst result in the country at the time. If I were the member for Murdoch, I would be quiet and not interject, because he has no basis on which to defend his record. In fact, he might ask some of his colleagues why they have nothing good to say about the State’s economy. When these results came out, did we hear anything from the Opposition about the economy? There was not a word; there was stony silence. However, what we have heard from Opposition members in the past is the talking down of the economy. We had the member for Nedlands, the Opposition spokesperson on tourism, attacking the Government’s assistance package to successfully attract Emirates airlines to Western Australia. That is a package that will deliver 200 local jobs, and she attacked it. Ms Sue Walker interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Nedlands to order for the second time. Mr RIPPER: Members opposite do not like it when their attacks on Western Australia are subject to scrutiny. They take their lead from the absent Leader of the Opposition, who attacked spending on infrastructure to support jobs in the Burrup Peninsula. I am sure Mr Speaker knows how important it is that we have that investment in infrastructure in the Burrup Peninsula. I am very disappointed that the Leader of the Opposition, a former Minister for Resources Development, would attack that job-creating infrastructure that this State Government is committed to implementing. We have great economic potential in this State. We have good news, but we are not out of the woods yet. The goods and services tax and the previous Government did a lot of damage to our economy, but we are making great progress.
Mr Board: How much of that would be put down to good, stable industrial relations? Mr RIPPER: I would put that down to the beginning of a new era in this State because of good management by this State Government. I would compare it with the record for the calendar year 2000, when Western Australia had the member’s Government, under which the State’s economy contracted by 1.6 per cent. That was the worst result in the country at the time. If I were the member for Murdoch, I would be quiet and not interject, because he has no basis on which to defend his record. In fact, he might ask some of his colleagues why they have nothing good to say about the State’s economy. When these results came out, did we hear anything from the Opposition about the economy? There was not a word; there was stony silence. However, what we have heard from Opposition members in the past is the talking down of the economy. We had the member for Nedlands, the Opposition spokesperson on tourism, attacking the Government’s assistance package to successfully attract Emirates airlines to Western Australia. That is a package that will deliver 200 local jobs, and she attacked it. Ms Sue Walker interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Nedlands to order for the second time. Mr RIPPER: Members opposite do not like it when their attacks on Western Australia are subject to scrutiny. They take their lead from the absent Leader of the Opposition, who attacked spending on infrastructure to support jobs in the Burrup Peninsula. I am sure Mr Speaker knows how important it is that we have that investment in infrastructure in the Burrup Peninsula. I am very disappointed that the Leader of the Opposition, a former Minister for Resources Development, would attack that job-creating infrastructure that this State Government is committed to implementing. We have great economic potential in this State. We have good news, but we are not out of the woods yet. The goods and services tax and the previous Government did a lot of damage to our economy, but we are making great progress.
Mr RIPPER: I would put that down to the beginning of a new era in this State because of good management by this State Government. I would compare it with the record for the calendar year 2000, when Western Australia had the member’s Government, under which the State’s economy contracted by 1.6 per cent. That was the worst result in the country at the time. If I were the member for Murdoch, I would be quiet and not interject, because he has no basis on which to defend his record. In fact, he might ask some of his colleagues why they have nothing good to say about the State’s economy. When these results came out, did we hear anything from the Opposition about the economy? There was not a word; there was stony silence. However, what we have heard from Opposition members in the past is the talking down of the economy. We had the member for Nedlands, the Opposition spokesperson on tourism, attacking the Government’s assistance package to successfully attract Emirates airlines to Western Australia. That is a package that will deliver 200 local jobs, and she attacked it. Ms Sue Walker interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Nedlands to order for the second time. Mr RIPPER: Members opposite do not like it when their attacks on Western Australia are subject to scrutiny. They take their lead from the absent Leader of the Opposition, who attacked spending on infrastructure to support jobs in the Burrup Peninsula. I am sure Mr Speaker knows how important it is that we have that investment in infrastructure in the Burrup Peninsula. I am very disappointed that the Leader of the Opposition, a former Minister for Resources Development, would attack that job-creating infrastructure that this State Government is committed to implementing. We have great economic potential in this State. We have good news, but we are not out of the woods yet. The goods and services tax and the previous Government did a lot of damage to our economy, but we are making great progress.
Ms Sue Walker interjected. The SPEAKER: I call the member for Nedlands to order for the second time. Mr RIPPER: Members opposite do not like it when their attacks on Western Australia are subject to scrutiny. They take their lead from the absent Leader of the Opposition, who attacked spending on infrastructure to support jobs in the Burrup Peninsula. I am sure Mr Speaker knows how important it is that we have that investment in infrastructure in the Burrup Peninsula. I am very disappointed that the Leader of the Opposition, a former Minister for Resources Development, would attack that job-creating infrastructure that this State Government is committed to implementing. We have great economic potential in this State. We have good news, but we are not out of the woods yet. The goods and services tax and the previous Government did a lot of damage to our economy, but we are making great progress.
The SPEAKER: I call the member for Nedlands to order for the second time. Mr RIPPER: Members opposite do not like it when their attacks on Western Australia are subject to scrutiny. They take their lead from the absent Leader of the Opposition, who attacked spending on infrastructure to support jobs in the Burrup Peninsula. I am sure Mr Speaker knows how important it is that we have that investment in infrastructure in the Burrup Peninsula. I am very disappointed that the Leader of the Opposition, a former Minister for Resources Development, would attack that job-creating infrastructure that this State Government is committed to implementing. We have great economic potential in this State. We have good news, but we are not out of the woods yet. The goods and services tax and the previous Government did a lot of damage to our economy, but we are making great progress.
Mr RIPPER: Members opposite do not like it when their attacks on Western Australia are subject to scrutiny. They take their lead from the absent Leader of the Opposition, who attacked spending on infrastructure to support jobs in the Burrup Peninsula. I am sure Mr Speaker knows how important it is that we have that investment in infrastructure in the Burrup Peninsula. I am very disappointed that the Leader of the Opposition, a former Minister for Resources Development, would attack that job-creating infrastructure that this State Government is committed to implementing. We have great economic potential in this State. We have good news, but we are not out of the woods yet. The goods and services tax and the previous Government did a lot of damage to our economy, but we are making great progress.
We have great economic potential in this State. We have good news, but we are not out of the woods yet. The goods and services tax and the previous Government did a lot of damage to our economy, but we are making great progress.
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