❓ Premier Carpenter expresses strong disappointment and criticism towards Federal Minister Macfarlane's public attack on WA's domestic gas reservation policy, deeming it inappropriate and harmful to investor confidence.
AnsweredQoN 569Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
REGARD BY FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FOR FUTURE OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Could the Premier please outline to the house how little regard the federal government has for the future of Western Australia? Mr A.J. CARPENTER
Could the Premier please outline to the house how little regard the federal government has for the future of Western Australia? Mr A.J. CARPENTER
AnswerView source ↗
I was disappointed this morning at the opening of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation gas forum - APEC-APGAS - in Perth when the federal Minister for Industry, Tourism and Resources, Hon Ian Macfarlane, severely criticised the long-standing Western Australian position for domestic gas reserves. He did that in front of an audience that was made up in large part of people from overseas. I thought it was totally inappropriate for a federal minister to launch into a scathing attack, to put it mildly, at length. It was not just a few throwaway lines; the great bulk of his speech was to attack the Western Australian position. I do not think that I need to remind everybody that our position has been held by governments from both sides of the political divide in Western Australia for a long time. He warned potential investors that we were creating a very unhappy investment environment. He raised issues of sovereign risk and so on. It was completely inappropriate. I was left with no option but to respond. I did. Mr T. Buswell interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I thought I had to. The member would have done the same thing in my position. There I was, the Premier of the host state - this state that has built and promotes the liquefied natural gas industry - being attacked by a senior federal minister in front of an international audience. It was ridiculous. It was very, very poor and I told him so. I told him directly that what he had just done was totally unacceptable and he should not have done it. The facts of the matter are that, from at least the time of Sir Charles Court, Western Australia has had a domestic gas reservation policy so that this state is guaranteed energy from gas in sufficient quantities to fire our economy for the future. All Premiers since then - Labor and Liberal - have carried on that policy. It is overwhelmingly supported by the Western Australian people. I am pleased to say that it is supported by, I think, every member of this chamber. I thank members from the other side of politics who have made that support known. I urge members - particularly Liberal Party members because they have the opportunity - to put that point of view very strongly to federal members of the Liberal Party in Western Australia. I became the Minister for State Development last year. I have visited the United States three times. I went to California to promote our LNG industry as a source of energy for the Californian market. I have been to China twice, as well as Japan and South Korea, doing the same thing. As I have said in this chamber before, those countries are seeking to secure their energy supplies for the future so that they do not run short of energy. South Korea had a very difficult situation recently - last winter I think - with energy supplies. Those countries see energy as a matter of life and death. For a federal government to not understand the critical importance of securing energy supplies is astounding. I wonder how Mr Macfarlane would feel if the federal government tried to intervene in the sugar industry in Queensland, for example. I wonder how Mr Macfarlane felt when the federal Treasurer intervened in the market - I think quite rightly - to prevent Shell from buying Woodside. The federal Treasurer made that decision because he believed it was in the national interest. Mr C.J. Barnett : He took some persuading, though! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : But he did it. I wonder whether Mr Macfarlane would be saying the same thing on this issue if he was a Western Australian rather than a Queenslander. I was shocked and extremely disappointed at Mr Macfarlane’s comments. It is almost inconceivable that a federal government minister would take that opportunity, in front of that audience and at such a forum, to make the comments that he made. There is ample opportunity for discussion between this state government and the federal government. In fact, I had a meeting with the same minister here in Parliament House yesterday afternoon, and he made certain points to me. This government, and predecessor governments in this state, beginning with the government of Sir Charles Court, have consistently supported and promoted the LNG export industry. The federal government has played a peripheral role, if any. It has been the state governments of Western Australia and the people of Western Australia that have built this industry. I believe the position that has been taken by the federal minister will be absolutely condemned by the vast majority of Western Australian people - and quite rightly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: I was disappointed this morning at the opening of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation gas forum - APEC-APGAS - in Perth when the federal Minister for Industry, Tourism and Resources, Hon Ian Macfarlane, severely criticised the long-standing Western Australian position for domestic gas reserves. He did that in front of an audience that was made up in large part of people from overseas. I thought it was totally inappropriate for a federal minister to launch into a scathing attack, to put it mildly, at length. It was not just a few throwaway lines; the great bulk of his speech was to attack the Western Australian position. I do not think that I need to remind everybody that our position has been held by governments from both sides of the political divide in Western Australia for a long time. He warned potential investors that we were creating a very unhappy investment environment. He raised issues of sovereign risk and so on. It was completely inappropriate. I was left with no option but to respond. I did. Mr T. Buswell interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I thought I had to. The member would have done the same thing in my position. There I was, the Premier of the host state - this state that has built and promotes the liquefied natural gas industry - being attacked by a senior federal minister in front of an international audience. It was ridiculous. It was very, very poor and I told him so. I told him directly that what he had just done was totally unacceptable and he should not have done it. The facts of the matter are that, from at least the time of Sir Charles Court, Western Australia has had a domestic gas reservation policy so that this state is guaranteed energy from gas in sufficient quantities to fire our economy for the future. All Premiers since then - Labor and Liberal - have carried on that policy. It is overwhelmingly supported by the Western Australian people. I am pleased to say that it is supported by, I think, every member of this chamber. I thank members from the other side of politics who have made that support known. I urge members - particularly Liberal Party members because they have the opportunity - to put that point of view very strongly to federal members of the Liberal Party in Western Australia. I became the Minister for State Development last year. I have visited the United States three times. I went to California to promote our LNG industry as a source of energy for the Californian market. I have been to China twice, as well as Japan and South Korea, doing the same thing. As I have said in this chamber before, those countries are seeking to secure their energy supplies for the future so that they do not run short of energy. South Korea had a very difficult situation recently - last winter I think - with energy supplies. Those countries see energy as a matter of life and death. For a federal government to not understand the critical importance of securing energy supplies is astounding. I wonder how Mr Macfarlane would feel if the federal government tried to intervene in the sugar industry in Queensland, for example. I wonder how Mr Macfarlane felt when the federal Treasurer intervened in the market - I think quite rightly - to prevent Shell from buying Woodside. The federal Treasurer made that decision because he believed it was in the national interest. Mr C.J. Barnett : He took some persuading, though! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : But he did it. I wonder whether Mr Macfarlane would be saying the same thing on this issue if he was a Western Australian rather than a Queenslander. I was shocked and extremely disappointed at Mr Macfarlane’s comments. It is almost inconceivable that a federal government minister would take that opportunity, in front of that audience and at such a forum, to make the comments that he made. There is ample opportunity for discussion between this state government and the federal government. In fact, I had a meeting with the same minister here in Parliament House yesterday afternoon, and he made certain points to me. This government, and predecessor governments in this state, beginning with the government of Sir Charles Court, have consistently supported and promoted the LNG export industry. The federal government has played a peripheral role, if any. It has been the state governments of Western Australia and the people of Western Australia that have built this industry. I believe the position that has been taken by the federal minister will be absolutely condemned by the vast majority of Western Australian people - and quite rightly.
I was disappointed this morning at the opening of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation gas forum - APEC-APGAS - in Perth when the federal Minister for Industry, Tourism and Resources, Hon Ian Macfarlane, severely criticised the long-standing Western Australian position for domestic gas reserves. He did that in front of an audience that was made up in large part of people from overseas. I thought it was totally inappropriate for a federal minister to launch into a scathing attack, to put it mildly, at length. It was not just a few throwaway lines; the great bulk of his speech was to attack the Western Australian position. I do not think that I need to remind everybody that our position has been held by governments from both sides of the political divide in Western Australia for a long time. He warned potential investors that we were creating a very unhappy investment environment. He raised issues of sovereign risk and so on. It was completely inappropriate. I was left with no option but to respond. I did. Mr T. Buswell interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I thought I had to. The member would have done the same thing in my position. There I was, the Premier of the host state - this state that has built and promotes the liquefied natural gas industry - being attacked by a senior federal minister in front of an international audience. It was ridiculous. It was very, very poor and I told him so. I told him directly that what he had just done was totally unacceptable and he should not have done it. The facts of the matter are that, from at least the time of Sir Charles Court, Western Australia has had a domestic gas reservation policy so that this state is guaranteed energy from gas in sufficient quantities to fire our economy for the future. All Premiers since then - Labor and Liberal - have carried on that policy. It is overwhelmingly supported by the Western Australian people. I am pleased to say that it is supported by, I think, every member of this chamber. I thank members from the other side of politics who have made that support known. I urge members - particularly Liberal Party members because they have the opportunity - to put that point of view very strongly to federal members of the Liberal Party in Western Australia. I became the Minister for State Development last year. I have visited the United States three times. I went to California to promote our LNG industry as a source of energy for the Californian market. I have been to China twice, as well as Japan and South Korea, doing the same thing. As I have said in this chamber before, those countries are seeking to secure their energy supplies for the future so that they do not run short of energy. South Korea had a very difficult situation recently - last winter I think - with energy supplies. Those countries see energy as a matter of life and death. For a federal government to not understand the critical importance of securing energy supplies is astounding. I wonder how Mr Macfarlane would feel if the federal government tried to intervene in the sugar industry in Queensland, for example. I wonder how Mr Macfarlane felt when the federal Treasurer intervened in the market - I think quite rightly - to prevent Shell from buying Woodside. The federal Treasurer made that decision because he believed it was in the national interest. Mr C.J. Barnett : He took some persuading, though! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : But he did it. I wonder whether Mr Macfarlane would be saying the same thing on this issue if he was a Western Australian rather than a Queenslander. I was shocked and extremely disappointed at Mr Macfarlane’s comments. It is almost inconceivable that a federal government minister would take that opportunity, in front of that audience and at such a forum, to make the comments that he made. There is ample opportunity for discussion between this state government and the federal government. In fact, I had a meeting with the same minister here in Parliament House yesterday afternoon, and he made certain points to me. This government, and predecessor governments in this state, beginning with the government of Sir Charles Court, have consistently supported and promoted the LNG export industry. The federal government has played a peripheral role, if any. It has been the state governments of Western Australia and the people of Western Australia that have built this industry. I believe the position that has been taken by the federal minister will be absolutely condemned by the vast majority of Western Australian people - and quite rightly.
Mr T. Buswell interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I thought I had to. The member would have done the same thing in my position. There I was, the Premier of the host state - this state that has built and promotes the liquefied natural gas industry - being attacked by a senior federal minister in front of an international audience. It was ridiculous. It was very, very poor and I told him so. I told him directly that what he had just done was totally unacceptable and he should not have done it. The facts of the matter are that, from at least the time of Sir Charles Court, Western Australia has had a domestic gas reservation policy so that this state is guaranteed energy from gas in sufficient quantities to fire our economy for the future. All Premiers since then - Labor and Liberal - have carried on that policy. It is overwhelmingly supported by the Western Australian people. I am pleased to say that it is supported by, I think, every member of this chamber. I thank members from the other side of politics who have made that support known. I urge members - particularly Liberal Party members because they have the opportunity - to put that point of view very strongly to federal members of the Liberal Party in Western Australia. I became the Minister for State Development last year. I have visited the United States three times. I went to California to promote our LNG industry as a source of energy for the Californian market. I have been to China twice, as well as Japan and South Korea, doing the same thing. As I have said in this chamber before, those countries are seeking to secure their energy supplies for the future so that they do not run short of energy. South Korea had a very difficult situation recently - last winter I think - with energy supplies. Those countries see energy as a matter of life and death. For a federal government to not understand the critical importance of securing energy supplies is astounding. I wonder how Mr Macfarlane would feel if the federal government tried to intervene in the sugar industry in Queensland, for example. I wonder how Mr Macfarlane felt when the federal Treasurer intervened in the market - I think quite rightly - to prevent Shell from buying Woodside. The federal Treasurer made that decision because he believed it was in the national interest. Mr C.J. Barnett : He took some persuading, though! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : But he did it. I wonder whether Mr Macfarlane would be saying the same thing on this issue if he was a Western Australian rather than a Queenslander. I was shocked and extremely disappointed at Mr Macfarlane’s comments. It is almost inconceivable that a federal government minister would take that opportunity, in front of that audience and at such a forum, to make the comments that he made. There is ample opportunity for discussion between this state government and the federal government. In fact, I had a meeting with the same minister here in Parliament House yesterday afternoon, and he made certain points to me. This government, and predecessor governments in this state, beginning with the government of Sir Charles Court, have consistently supported and promoted the LNG export industry. The federal government has played a peripheral role, if any. It has been the state governments of Western Australia and the people of Western Australia that have built this industry. I believe the position that has been taken by the federal minister will be absolutely condemned by the vast majority of Western Australian people - and quite rightly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I thought I had to. The member would have done the same thing in my position. There I was, the Premier of the host state - this state that has built and promotes the liquefied natural gas industry - being attacked by a senior federal minister in front of an international audience. It was ridiculous. It was very, very poor and I told him so. I told him directly that what he had just done was totally unacceptable and he should not have done it. The facts of the matter are that, from at least the time of Sir Charles Court, Western Australia has had a domestic gas reservation policy so that this state is guaranteed energy from gas in sufficient quantities to fire our economy for the future. All Premiers since then - Labor and Liberal - have carried on that policy. It is overwhelmingly supported by the Western Australian people. I am pleased to say that it is supported by, I think, every member of this chamber. I thank members from the other side of politics who have made that support known. I urge members - particularly Liberal Party members because they have the opportunity - to put that point of view very strongly to federal members of the Liberal Party in Western Australia. I became the Minister for State Development last year. I have visited the United States three times. I went to California to promote our LNG industry as a source of energy for the Californian market. I have been to China twice, as well as Japan and South Korea, doing the same thing. As I have said in this chamber before, those countries are seeking to secure their energy supplies for the future so that they do not run short of energy. South Korea had a very difficult situation recently - last winter I think - with energy supplies. Those countries see energy as a matter of life and death. For a federal government to not understand the critical importance of securing energy supplies is astounding. I wonder how Mr Macfarlane would feel if the federal government tried to intervene in the sugar industry in Queensland, for example. I wonder how Mr Macfarlane felt when the federal Treasurer intervened in the market - I think quite rightly - to prevent Shell from buying Woodside. The federal Treasurer made that decision because he believed it was in the national interest. Mr C.J. Barnett : He took some persuading, though! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : But he did it. I wonder whether Mr Macfarlane would be saying the same thing on this issue if he was a Western Australian rather than a Queenslander. I was shocked and extremely disappointed at Mr Macfarlane’s comments. It is almost inconceivable that a federal government minister would take that opportunity, in front of that audience and at such a forum, to make the comments that he made. There is ample opportunity for discussion between this state government and the federal government. In fact, I had a meeting with the same minister here in Parliament House yesterday afternoon, and he made certain points to me. This government, and predecessor governments in this state, beginning with the government of Sir Charles Court, have consistently supported and promoted the LNG export industry. The federal government has played a peripheral role, if any. It has been the state governments of Western Australia and the people of Western Australia that have built this industry. I believe the position that has been taken by the federal minister will be absolutely condemned by the vast majority of Western Australian people - and quite rightly.
I became the Minister for State Development last year. I have visited the United States three times. I went to California to promote our LNG industry as a source of energy for the Californian market. I have been to China twice, as well as Japan and South Korea, doing the same thing. As I have said in this chamber before, those countries are seeking to secure their energy supplies for the future so that they do not run short of energy. South Korea had a very difficult situation recently - last winter I think - with energy supplies. Those countries see energy as a matter of life and death. For a federal government to not understand the critical importance of securing energy supplies is astounding. I wonder how Mr Macfarlane would feel if the federal government tried to intervene in the sugar industry in Queensland, for example. I wonder how Mr Macfarlane felt when the federal Treasurer intervened in the market - I think quite rightly - to prevent Shell from buying Woodside. The federal Treasurer made that decision because he believed it was in the national interest. Mr C.J. Barnett : He took some persuading, though! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : But he did it. I wonder whether Mr Macfarlane would be saying the same thing on this issue if he was a Western Australian rather than a Queenslander. I was shocked and extremely disappointed at Mr Macfarlane’s comments. It is almost inconceivable that a federal government minister would take that opportunity, in front of that audience and at such a forum, to make the comments that he made. There is ample opportunity for discussion between this state government and the federal government. In fact, I had a meeting with the same minister here in Parliament House yesterday afternoon, and he made certain points to me. This government, and predecessor governments in this state, beginning with the government of Sir Charles Court, have consistently supported and promoted the LNG export industry. The federal government has played a peripheral role, if any. It has been the state governments of Western Australia and the people of Western Australia that have built this industry. I believe the position that has been taken by the federal minister will be absolutely condemned by the vast majority of Western Australian people - and quite rightly.
Mr C.J. Barnett : He took some persuading, though! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : But he did it. I wonder whether Mr Macfarlane would be saying the same thing on this issue if he was a Western Australian rather than a Queenslander. I was shocked and extremely disappointed at Mr Macfarlane’s comments. It is almost inconceivable that a federal government minister would take that opportunity, in front of that audience and at such a forum, to make the comments that he made. There is ample opportunity for discussion between this state government and the federal government. In fact, I had a meeting with the same minister here in Parliament House yesterday afternoon, and he made certain points to me. This government, and predecessor governments in this state, beginning with the government of Sir Charles Court, have consistently supported and promoted the LNG export industry. The federal government has played a peripheral role, if any. It has been the state governments of Western Australia and the people of Western Australia that have built this industry. I believe the position that has been taken by the federal minister will be absolutely condemned by the vast majority of Western Australian people - and quite rightly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : But he did it. I wonder whether Mr Macfarlane would be saying the same thing on this issue if he was a Western Australian rather than a Queenslander. I was shocked and extremely disappointed at Mr Macfarlane’s comments. It is almost inconceivable that a federal government minister would take that opportunity, in front of that audience and at such a forum, to make the comments that he made. There is ample opportunity for discussion between this state government and the federal government. In fact, I had a meeting with the same minister here in Parliament House yesterday afternoon, and he made certain points to me. This government, and predecessor governments in this state, beginning with the government of Sir Charles Court, have consistently supported and promoted the LNG export industry. The federal government has played a peripheral role, if any. It has been the state governments of Western Australia and the people of Western Australia that have built this industry. I believe the position that has been taken by the federal minister will be absolutely condemned by the vast majority of Western Australian people - and quite rightly.
I wonder whether Mr Macfarlane would be saying the same thing on this issue if he was a Western Australian rather than a Queenslander. I was shocked and extremely disappointed at Mr Macfarlane’s comments. It is almost inconceivable that a federal government minister would take that opportunity, in front of that audience and at such a forum, to make the comments that he made. There is ample opportunity for discussion between this state government and the federal government. In fact, I had a meeting with the same minister here in Parliament House yesterday afternoon, and he made certain points to me. This government, and predecessor governments in this state, beginning with the government of Sir Charles Court, have consistently supported and promoted the LNG export industry. The federal government has played a peripheral role, if any. It has been the state governments of Western Australia and the people of Western Australia that have built this industry. I believe the position that has been taken by the federal minister will be absolutely condemned by the vast majority of Western Australian people - and quite rightly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: I was disappointed this morning at the opening of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation gas forum - APEC-APGAS - in Perth when the federal Minister for Industry, Tourism and Resources, Hon Ian Macfarlane, severely criticised the long-standing Western Australian position for domestic gas reserves. He did that in front of an audience that was made up in large part of people from overseas. I thought it was totally inappropriate for a federal minister to launch into a scathing attack, to put it mildly, at length. It was not just a few throwaway lines; the great bulk of his speech was to attack the Western Australian position. I do not think that I need to remind everybody that our position has been held by governments from both sides of the political divide in Western Australia for a long time. He warned potential investors that we were creating a very unhappy investment environment. He raised issues of sovereign risk and so on. It was completely inappropriate. I was left with no option but to respond. I did. Mr T. Buswell interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I thought I had to. The member would have done the same thing in my position. There I was, the Premier of the host state - this state that has built and promotes the liquefied natural gas industry - being attacked by a senior federal minister in front of an international audience. It was ridiculous. It was very, very poor and I told him so. I told him directly that what he had just done was totally unacceptable and he should not have done it. The facts of the matter are that, from at least the time of Sir Charles Court, Western Australia has had a domestic gas reservation policy so that this state is guaranteed energy from gas in sufficient quantities to fire our economy for the future. All Premiers since then - Labor and Liberal - have carried on that policy. It is overwhelmingly supported by the Western Australian people. I am pleased to say that it is supported by, I think, every member of this chamber. I thank members from the other side of politics who have made that support known. I urge members - particularly Liberal Party members because they have the opportunity - to put that point of view very strongly to federal members of the Liberal Party in Western Australia. I became the Minister for State Development last year. I have visited the United States three times. I went to California to promote our LNG industry as a source of energy for the Californian market. I have been to China twice, as well as Japan and South Korea, doing the same thing. As I have said in this chamber before, those countries are seeking to secure their energy supplies for the future so that they do not run short of energy. South Korea had a very difficult situation recently - last winter I think - with energy supplies. Those countries see energy as a matter of life and death. For a federal government to not understand the critical importance of securing energy supplies is astounding. I wonder how Mr Macfarlane would feel if the federal government tried to intervene in the sugar industry in Queensland, for example. I wonder how Mr Macfarlane felt when the federal Treasurer intervened in the market - I think quite rightly - to prevent Shell from buying Woodside. The federal Treasurer made that decision because he believed it was in the national interest. Mr C.J. Barnett : He took some persuading, though! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : But he did it. I wonder whether Mr Macfarlane would be saying the same thing on this issue if he was a Western Australian rather than a Queenslander. I was shocked and extremely disappointed at Mr Macfarlane’s comments. It is almost inconceivable that a federal government minister would take that opportunity, in front of that audience and at such a forum, to make the comments that he made. There is ample opportunity for discussion between this state government and the federal government. In fact, I had a meeting with the same minister here in Parliament House yesterday afternoon, and he made certain points to me. This government, and predecessor governments in this state, beginning with the government of Sir Charles Court, have consistently supported and promoted the LNG export industry. The federal government has played a peripheral role, if any. It has been the state governments of Western Australia and the people of Western Australia that have built this industry. I believe the position that has been taken by the federal minister will be absolutely condemned by the vast majority of Western Australian people - and quite rightly.
I was disappointed this morning at the opening of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation gas forum - APEC-APGAS - in Perth when the federal Minister for Industry, Tourism and Resources, Hon Ian Macfarlane, severely criticised the long-standing Western Australian position for domestic gas reserves. He did that in front of an audience that was made up in large part of people from overseas. I thought it was totally inappropriate for a federal minister to launch into a scathing attack, to put it mildly, at length. It was not just a few throwaway lines; the great bulk of his speech was to attack the Western Australian position. I do not think that I need to remind everybody that our position has been held by governments from both sides of the political divide in Western Australia for a long time. He warned potential investors that we were creating a very unhappy investment environment. He raised issues of sovereign risk and so on. It was completely inappropriate. I was left with no option but to respond. I did. Mr T. Buswell interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I thought I had to. The member would have done the same thing in my position. There I was, the Premier of the host state - this state that has built and promotes the liquefied natural gas industry - being attacked by a senior federal minister in front of an international audience. It was ridiculous. It was very, very poor and I told him so. I told him directly that what he had just done was totally unacceptable and he should not have done it. The facts of the matter are that, from at least the time of Sir Charles Court, Western Australia has had a domestic gas reservation policy so that this state is guaranteed energy from gas in sufficient quantities to fire our economy for the future. All Premiers since then - Labor and Liberal - have carried on that policy. It is overwhelmingly supported by the Western Australian people. I am pleased to say that it is supported by, I think, every member of this chamber. I thank members from the other side of politics who have made that support known. I urge members - particularly Liberal Party members because they have the opportunity - to put that point of view very strongly to federal members of the Liberal Party in Western Australia. I became the Minister for State Development last year. I have visited the United States three times. I went to California to promote our LNG industry as a source of energy for the Californian market. I have been to China twice, as well as Japan and South Korea, doing the same thing. As I have said in this chamber before, those countries are seeking to secure their energy supplies for the future so that they do not run short of energy. South Korea had a very difficult situation recently - last winter I think - with energy supplies. Those countries see energy as a matter of life and death. For a federal government to not understand the critical importance of securing energy supplies is astounding. I wonder how Mr Macfarlane would feel if the federal government tried to intervene in the sugar industry in Queensland, for example. I wonder how Mr Macfarlane felt when the federal Treasurer intervened in the market - I think quite rightly - to prevent Shell from buying Woodside. The federal Treasurer made that decision because he believed it was in the national interest. Mr C.J. Barnett : He took some persuading, though! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : But he did it. I wonder whether Mr Macfarlane would be saying the same thing on this issue if he was a Western Australian rather than a Queenslander. I was shocked and extremely disappointed at Mr Macfarlane’s comments. It is almost inconceivable that a federal government minister would take that opportunity, in front of that audience and at such a forum, to make the comments that he made. There is ample opportunity for discussion between this state government and the federal government. In fact, I had a meeting with the same minister here in Parliament House yesterday afternoon, and he made certain points to me. This government, and predecessor governments in this state, beginning with the government of Sir Charles Court, have consistently supported and promoted the LNG export industry. The federal government has played a peripheral role, if any. It has been the state governments of Western Australia and the people of Western Australia that have built this industry. I believe the position that has been taken by the federal minister will be absolutely condemned by the vast majority of Western Australian people - and quite rightly.
Mr T. Buswell interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I thought I had to. The member would have done the same thing in my position. There I was, the Premier of the host state - this state that has built and promotes the liquefied natural gas industry - being attacked by a senior federal minister in front of an international audience. It was ridiculous. It was very, very poor and I told him so. I told him directly that what he had just done was totally unacceptable and he should not have done it. The facts of the matter are that, from at least the time of Sir Charles Court, Western Australia has had a domestic gas reservation policy so that this state is guaranteed energy from gas in sufficient quantities to fire our economy for the future. All Premiers since then - Labor and Liberal - have carried on that policy. It is overwhelmingly supported by the Western Australian people. I am pleased to say that it is supported by, I think, every member of this chamber. I thank members from the other side of politics who have made that support known. I urge members - particularly Liberal Party members because they have the opportunity - to put that point of view very strongly to federal members of the Liberal Party in Western Australia. I became the Minister for State Development last year. I have visited the United States three times. I went to California to promote our LNG industry as a source of energy for the Californian market. I have been to China twice, as well as Japan and South Korea, doing the same thing. As I have said in this chamber before, those countries are seeking to secure their energy supplies for the future so that they do not run short of energy. South Korea had a very difficult situation recently - last winter I think - with energy supplies. Those countries see energy as a matter of life and death. For a federal government to not understand the critical importance of securing energy supplies is astounding. I wonder how Mr Macfarlane would feel if the federal government tried to intervene in the sugar industry in Queensland, for example. I wonder how Mr Macfarlane felt when the federal Treasurer intervened in the market - I think quite rightly - to prevent Shell from buying Woodside. The federal Treasurer made that decision because he believed it was in the national interest. Mr C.J. Barnett : He took some persuading, though! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : But he did it. I wonder whether Mr Macfarlane would be saying the same thing on this issue if he was a Western Australian rather than a Queenslander. I was shocked and extremely disappointed at Mr Macfarlane’s comments. It is almost inconceivable that a federal government minister would take that opportunity, in front of that audience and at such a forum, to make the comments that he made. There is ample opportunity for discussion between this state government and the federal government. In fact, I had a meeting with the same minister here in Parliament House yesterday afternoon, and he made certain points to me. This government, and predecessor governments in this state, beginning with the government of Sir Charles Court, have consistently supported and promoted the LNG export industry. The federal government has played a peripheral role, if any. It has been the state governments of Western Australia and the people of Western Australia that have built this industry. I believe the position that has been taken by the federal minister will be absolutely condemned by the vast majority of Western Australian people - and quite rightly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I thought I had to. The member would have done the same thing in my position. There I was, the Premier of the host state - this state that has built and promotes the liquefied natural gas industry - being attacked by a senior federal minister in front of an international audience. It was ridiculous. It was very, very poor and I told him so. I told him directly that what he had just done was totally unacceptable and he should not have done it. The facts of the matter are that, from at least the time of Sir Charles Court, Western Australia has had a domestic gas reservation policy so that this state is guaranteed energy from gas in sufficient quantities to fire our economy for the future. All Premiers since then - Labor and Liberal - have carried on that policy. It is overwhelmingly supported by the Western Australian people. I am pleased to say that it is supported by, I think, every member of this chamber. I thank members from the other side of politics who have made that support known. I urge members - particularly Liberal Party members because they have the opportunity - to put that point of view very strongly to federal members of the Liberal Party in Western Australia. I became the Minister for State Development last year. I have visited the United States three times. I went to California to promote our LNG industry as a source of energy for the Californian market. I have been to China twice, as well as Japan and South Korea, doing the same thing. As I have said in this chamber before, those countries are seeking to secure their energy supplies for the future so that they do not run short of energy. South Korea had a very difficult situation recently - last winter I think - with energy supplies. Those countries see energy as a matter of life and death. For a federal government to not understand the critical importance of securing energy supplies is astounding. I wonder how Mr Macfarlane would feel if the federal government tried to intervene in the sugar industry in Queensland, for example. I wonder how Mr Macfarlane felt when the federal Treasurer intervened in the market - I think quite rightly - to prevent Shell from buying Woodside. The federal Treasurer made that decision because he believed it was in the national interest. Mr C.J. Barnett : He took some persuading, though! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : But he did it. I wonder whether Mr Macfarlane would be saying the same thing on this issue if he was a Western Australian rather than a Queenslander. I was shocked and extremely disappointed at Mr Macfarlane’s comments. It is almost inconceivable that a federal government minister would take that opportunity, in front of that audience and at such a forum, to make the comments that he made. There is ample opportunity for discussion between this state government and the federal government. In fact, I had a meeting with the same minister here in Parliament House yesterday afternoon, and he made certain points to me. This government, and predecessor governments in this state, beginning with the government of Sir Charles Court, have consistently supported and promoted the LNG export industry. The federal government has played a peripheral role, if any. It has been the state governments of Western Australia and the people of Western Australia that have built this industry. I believe the position that has been taken by the federal minister will be absolutely condemned by the vast majority of Western Australian people - and quite rightly.
I became the Minister for State Development last year. I have visited the United States three times. I went to California to promote our LNG industry as a source of energy for the Californian market. I have been to China twice, as well as Japan and South Korea, doing the same thing. As I have said in this chamber before, those countries are seeking to secure their energy supplies for the future so that they do not run short of energy. South Korea had a very difficult situation recently - last winter I think - with energy supplies. Those countries see energy as a matter of life and death. For a federal government to not understand the critical importance of securing energy supplies is astounding. I wonder how Mr Macfarlane would feel if the federal government tried to intervene in the sugar industry in Queensland, for example. I wonder how Mr Macfarlane felt when the federal Treasurer intervened in the market - I think quite rightly - to prevent Shell from buying Woodside. The federal Treasurer made that decision because he believed it was in the national interest. Mr C.J. Barnett : He took some persuading, though! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : But he did it. I wonder whether Mr Macfarlane would be saying the same thing on this issue if he was a Western Australian rather than a Queenslander. I was shocked and extremely disappointed at Mr Macfarlane’s comments. It is almost inconceivable that a federal government minister would take that opportunity, in front of that audience and at such a forum, to make the comments that he made. There is ample opportunity for discussion between this state government and the federal government. In fact, I had a meeting with the same minister here in Parliament House yesterday afternoon, and he made certain points to me. This government, and predecessor governments in this state, beginning with the government of Sir Charles Court, have consistently supported and promoted the LNG export industry. The federal government has played a peripheral role, if any. It has been the state governments of Western Australia and the people of Western Australia that have built this industry. I believe the position that has been taken by the federal minister will be absolutely condemned by the vast majority of Western Australian people - and quite rightly.
Mr C.J. Barnett : He took some persuading, though! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : But he did it. I wonder whether Mr Macfarlane would be saying the same thing on this issue if he was a Western Australian rather than a Queenslander. I was shocked and extremely disappointed at Mr Macfarlane’s comments. It is almost inconceivable that a federal government minister would take that opportunity, in front of that audience and at such a forum, to make the comments that he made. There is ample opportunity for discussion between this state government and the federal government. In fact, I had a meeting with the same minister here in Parliament House yesterday afternoon, and he made certain points to me. This government, and predecessor governments in this state, beginning with the government of Sir Charles Court, have consistently supported and promoted the LNG export industry. The federal government has played a peripheral role, if any. It has been the state governments of Western Australia and the people of Western Australia that have built this industry. I believe the position that has been taken by the federal minister will be absolutely condemned by the vast majority of Western Australian people - and quite rightly.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : But he did it. I wonder whether Mr Macfarlane would be saying the same thing on this issue if he was a Western Australian rather than a Queenslander. I was shocked and extremely disappointed at Mr Macfarlane’s comments. It is almost inconceivable that a federal government minister would take that opportunity, in front of that audience and at such a forum, to make the comments that he made. There is ample opportunity for discussion between this state government and the federal government. In fact, I had a meeting with the same minister here in Parliament House yesterday afternoon, and he made certain points to me. This government, and predecessor governments in this state, beginning with the government of Sir Charles Court, have consistently supported and promoted the LNG export industry. The federal government has played a peripheral role, if any. It has been the state governments of Western Australia and the people of Western Australia that have built this industry. I believe the position that has been taken by the federal minister will be absolutely condemned by the vast majority of Western Australian people - and quite rightly.
I wonder whether Mr Macfarlane would be saying the same thing on this issue if he was a Western Australian rather than a Queenslander. I was shocked and extremely disappointed at Mr Macfarlane’s comments. It is almost inconceivable that a federal government minister would take that opportunity, in front of that audience and at such a forum, to make the comments that he made. There is ample opportunity for discussion between this state government and the federal government. In fact, I had a meeting with the same minister here in Parliament House yesterday afternoon, and he made certain points to me. This government, and predecessor governments in this state, beginning with the government of Sir Charles Court, have consistently supported and promoted the LNG export industry. The federal government has played a peripheral role, if any. It has been the state governments of Western Australia and the people of Western Australia that have built this industry. I believe the position that has been taken by the federal minister will be absolutely condemned by the vast majority of Western Australian people - and quite rightly.
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