❓ Mr. Mubarakai questions the Treasurer on how the McGowan government's financial management has led to low fee increases, contrasting it with the previous Liberal-National government's performance. The Treasurer defends the government's record and criticises the opposition's past actions.
AnsweredQoN 372Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
COST OF LIVING — FEES AND CHARGES
372. Mr Y. MUBARAKAI to the Treasurer:
Can the Treasurer advise the house —
Several members interjected.
Mr Y. MUBARAKAI : It is my
question; I can look wherever I want.
The SPEAKER : A word of
advice, member for Jandakot—the Treasurer is there; face him when you
are asking your question.
Mr Y. MUBARAKAI : Thank you,
Mr Speaker.
Can the Treasurer advise the house —
Mr A. Krsticevic interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Carine, you are on three calls.
Mr Y. MUBARAKAI : Mr Speaker,
can I start again?
The SPEAKER : No, I have got
the gist of the first bit; keep going.
Mr Y. MUBARAKAI : My question
is to the Treasurer.
(1) Can the
Treasurer advise the house how the responsible financial management of the
McGowan Labor government has helped to keep increases in fees and charges to
the lowest level in 13 years?
(2) Can the
Treasurer advise the house how this compares with the way households were
slugged by the Liberal–National government?
Ms L. Mettam interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Vasse, I call you to order for the first time.
372. Mr Y. MUBARAKAI to the Treasurer:
Can the Treasurer advise the house —
Several members interjected.
Mr Y. MUBARAKAI : It is my
question; I can look wherever I want.
The SPEAKER : A word of
advice, member for Jandakot—the Treasurer is there; face him when you
are asking your question.
Mr Y. MUBARAKAI : Thank you,
Mr Speaker.
Can the Treasurer advise the house —
Mr A. Krsticevic interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Carine, you are on three calls.
Mr Y. MUBARAKAI : Mr Speaker,
can I start again?
The SPEAKER : No, I have got
the gist of the first bit; keep going.
Mr Y. MUBARAKAI : My question
is to the Treasurer.
(1) Can the
Treasurer advise the house how the responsible financial management of the
McGowan Labor government has helped to keep increases in fees and charges to
the lowest level in 13 years?
(2) Can the
Treasurer advise the house how this compares with the way households were
slugged by the Liberal–National government?
Ms L. Mettam interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Vasse, I call you to order for the first time.
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Jandakot for
that outstanding question.
(1)–(2) Before
I start, because I cannot let the moment pass, the Leader of the Opposition
asked a question of the Premier and now that there is an interest in state
final demand, I emphasise the fact that at no point while the Leader of the
Opposition was the Treasurer did state final demand grow; indeed, most of the
time it was declining in double digit numbers. We are doing well, restoring the
economic mess left to me by the Leader of the Opposition.
One of the things a government can do
when it has strong financial management and when it returns to a surplus
position—I mean a real surplus position—is spend money keeping
power bills and the broader basket of
household fees and charges low. We as a government spent just over $300 million
in the 2019–20 budget to ensure that not just power bills, which
make up the majority of the household model, but all fees and charges are kept
at a 13-year low, member for Jandakot. The reason why that is important is that
there is always an interesting history behind a critique of those charges by
the opposition. We had to come into an environment in which the Leader of the
Opposition left me not only state final demand declining year after year, but also the only recorded GST
recession in Western Australia. That is what the Leader of the
Opposition handed to me after his time as Treasurer. Let us not forget that the
former Liberal–National government was awash with revenue—utterly
awash with record revenue. In the first year, 2009–10, when it expected
and delivered an $831 million surplus, what did it do with power bills? It
increased them by 23 per cent. In 2010–11, with a $1.69 billion
surplus, it delivered another 16 per cent hit to power bill increases. At a time
when it was awash with revenue and running large operating surpluses —
Mr D.T. Redman interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Warren–Blackwood!
Mr B.S. WYATT : — it
still delivered in two years a 23 per cent and a 16 per cent increase in power
bills. It is interesting to listen to the rhetoric of the Leader of the
Opposition. I refer to the Hansard in 2010 and what the Leader of the
Opposition said to justify those whopping increases —
Subsidising across the board electricity
prices, no matter the income or the circumstances of the consumer is dumb and I
might add inequitable.
When the Leader of the Opposition
stands and rails against the lowest power increase in 13 years—1.75 per
cent—he must be reminded, as I will continue to do —
Dr M.D. Nahan interjected.
The SPEAKER : Leader of the
Opposition, I call you to order for the second time.
Mr B.S. WYATT : — that at the time when he was
making 23 per cent and 16 per cent increases on the back of whopping surpluses,
he was saying that if the government subsidises Western Australian power bills,
that is dumb and inequitable. That is the position that the Leader of the
Opposition always had when he stood outside this place and headed up the Institute of Public Affairs. Having delivered to me
and this government a GST recession, five years of state final demand
contraction, record debt, record deficits and record increases in fees and
charges, I will put that record out there for Western Australians to see, and I
will remind them that although the Liberal–National coalition may talk
the big game now, when it was in government it delivered very, very poorly for
the people of Western Australia, and that is why the efforts that we have made
to deliver strong financial management over the last couple of years mean that
we can spend a significant amount of money delivering to Western Australians
the lowest increases in fees and charges in 13 years, and I think that is a good
outcome.
that outstanding question.
(1)–(2) Before
I start, because I cannot let the moment pass, the Leader of the Opposition
asked a question of the Premier and now that there is an interest in state
final demand, I emphasise the fact that at no point while the Leader of the
Opposition was the Treasurer did state final demand grow; indeed, most of the
time it was declining in double digit numbers. We are doing well, restoring the
economic mess left to me by the Leader of the Opposition.
One of the things a government can do
when it has strong financial management and when it returns to a surplus
position—I mean a real surplus position—is spend money keeping
power bills and the broader basket of
household fees and charges low. We as a government spent just over $300 million
in the 2019–20 budget to ensure that not just power bills, which
make up the majority of the household model, but all fees and charges are kept
at a 13-year low, member for Jandakot. The reason why that is important is that
there is always an interesting history behind a critique of those charges by
the opposition. We had to come into an environment in which the Leader of the
Opposition left me not only state final demand declining year after year, but also the only recorded GST
recession in Western Australia. That is what the Leader of the
Opposition handed to me after his time as Treasurer. Let us not forget that the
former Liberal–National government was awash with revenue—utterly
awash with record revenue. In the first year, 2009–10, when it expected
and delivered an $831 million surplus, what did it do with power bills? It
increased them by 23 per cent. In 2010–11, with a $1.69 billion
surplus, it delivered another 16 per cent hit to power bill increases. At a time
when it was awash with revenue and running large operating surpluses —
Mr D.T. Redman interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Warren–Blackwood!
Mr B.S. WYATT : — it
still delivered in two years a 23 per cent and a 16 per cent increase in power
bills. It is interesting to listen to the rhetoric of the Leader of the
Opposition. I refer to the Hansard in 2010 and what the Leader of the
Opposition said to justify those whopping increases —
Subsidising across the board electricity
prices, no matter the income or the circumstances of the consumer is dumb and I
might add inequitable.
When the Leader of the Opposition
stands and rails against the lowest power increase in 13 years—1.75 per
cent—he must be reminded, as I will continue to do —
Dr M.D. Nahan interjected.
The SPEAKER : Leader of the
Opposition, I call you to order for the second time.
Mr B.S. WYATT : — that at the time when he was
making 23 per cent and 16 per cent increases on the back of whopping surpluses,
he was saying that if the government subsidises Western Australian power bills,
that is dumb and inequitable. That is the position that the Leader of the
Opposition always had when he stood outside this place and headed up the Institute of Public Affairs. Having delivered to me
and this government a GST recession, five years of state final demand
contraction, record debt, record deficits and record increases in fees and
charges, I will put that record out there for Western Australians to see, and I
will remind them that although the Liberal–National coalition may talk
the big game now, when it was in government it delivered very, very poorly for
the people of Western Australia, and that is why the efforts that we have made
to deliver strong financial management over the last couple of years mean that
we can spend a significant amount of money delivering to Western Australians
the lowest increases in fees and charges in 13 years, and I think that is a good
outcome.
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