❓ Barnett questions the Premier about the Minister for Planning's statements on the Southern Rail Link project's budget and timeline, citing discrepancies with budget papers. The Premier defends the Minister, attributing cost increases to CPI adjustments and criticizes the opposition's record on rail projects.
AnsweredQoN 1024Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
I refer the Premier to the statement of the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure in this House on 7 May 2002 - just two weeks ago - about the southern rail link. I quote from Hansard - . . . the project is on budget. . . . The rail line to the southern suburbs will be up and running by 2006, as promised. I have not referred to the minister’s inappropriate comments in The Australian Financial Review . However, given that according to the budget papers the cost of the project has blown out by $200 million and the completion date will be delayed by a further 12 months to 2007, what action will the Premier take against his minister for misleading the House and the Western Australian public? Dr GALLOP
AnswerView source ↗
It was clear in the original master plan for the rail project that the valuation of the project was in 1998 values and that those values would have to change, as the consumer price index impacted upon them. Of course, therefore, the costs will be altered according to the change in the CPI. I refer to the other part of the question. The Leader of the Opposition is wrong. The Leader of the Opposition reminds me of that silly Ghanaian boxer who stood up against Kostya Tszyu. The Leader of the Opposition keeps sticking up his head on these issues and keeps getting it wrong. We have a Government now that is honest about the finances of this State. We do not try to conceal budget deficits. We do not try to conceal the fact, when we talk about forward projections, that all of the elements are included in them and not some half-funded elements that are reliant on a decision later to fund the other half. That was the sort of financial transparency we had with the previous Government. The Minister for Planning and Infrastructure was absolutely up front and clear about the price of the rail project. It was costed in 1998 values and has now been altered as a result of the escalation that has occurred. In answer to the question about the delivery of this rail system, I ask every member in the House today how many extra centimetres of rail were created under the previous coalition Government. Zero! An amount of $188.5 million has been allocated in this budget to continue the work on this project that will happen under our Government. We have also signed the railcar contracts. The southern rail project is on the way under a Labor Government. Members opposite have not told the people of Western Australia that their so-called Kenwick option had many unanswered questions. It had as many unanswered questions as relate to the St Kilda Football Club’s back line today. Opposition members did not tell the people of Western Australia that all sorts of issues relating to the Kenwick option had not been settled. The railway will be built straight down the freeway to create a proper system. When the time comes for the next election, work on this project will be under way. The deadline of December 2006 for services to Waikiki has been announced. We have said that there will be a one-year delay in the line to Mandurah. This is about the proper management of the rail project within the total context of the budget. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Dr GALLOP: We will deliver on rail in Western Australia. The people of Western Australia know the record of the Opposition. It closed the Fremantle to Perth line; Labor later reopened it. It opposed the northern suburbs rail; Labor delivered it. It said that it would create a railway line to the southern suburbs, but it did not produce one centimetre of track. We have delivered on the railcar contract and have allocated $188 million to this project. If the people of the southern suburbs want a rail line, they should do what they did at the last election - turn to Labor, because we will deliver it.
Dr GALLOP replied: It was clear in the original master plan for the rail project that the valuation of the project was in 1998 values and that those values would have to change, as the consumer price index impacted upon them. Of course, therefore, the costs will be altered according to the change in the CPI. I refer to the other part of the question. The Leader of the Opposition is wrong. The Leader of the Opposition reminds me of that silly Ghanaian boxer who stood up against Kostya Tszyu. The Leader of the Opposition keeps sticking up his head on these issues and keeps getting it wrong. We have a Government now that is honest about the finances of this State. We do not try to conceal budget deficits. We do not try to conceal the fact, when we talk about forward projections, that all of the elements are included in them and not some half-funded elements that are reliant on a decision later to fund the other half. That was the sort of financial transparency we had with the previous Government. The Minister for Planning and Infrastructure was absolutely up front and clear about the price of the rail project. It was costed in 1998 values and has now been altered as a result of the escalation that has occurred. In answer to the question about the delivery of this rail system, I ask every member in the House today how many extra centimetres of rail were created under the previous coalition Government. Zero! An amount of $188.5 million has been allocated in this budget to continue the work on this project that will happen under our Government. We have also signed the railcar contracts. The southern rail project is on the way under a Labor Government. Members opposite have not told the people of Western Australia that their so-called Kenwick option had many unanswered questions. It had as many unanswered questions as relate to the St Kilda Football Club’s back line today. Opposition members did not tell the people of Western Australia that all sorts of issues relating to the Kenwick option had not been settled. The railway will be built straight down the freeway to create a proper system. When the time comes for the next election, work on this project will be under way. The deadline of December 2006 for services to Waikiki has been announced. We have said that there will be a one-year delay in the line to Mandurah. This is about the proper management of the rail project within the total context of the budget. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Dr GALLOP: We will deliver on rail in Western Australia. The people of Western Australia know the record of the Opposition. It closed the Fremantle to Perth line; Labor later reopened it. It opposed the northern suburbs rail; Labor delivered it. It said that it would create a railway line to the southern suburbs, but it did not produce one centimetre of track. We have delivered on the railcar contract and have allocated $188 million to this project. If the people of the southern suburbs want a rail line, they should do what they did at the last election - turn to Labor, because we will deliver it.
It was clear in the original master plan for the rail project that the valuation of the project was in 1998 values and that those values would have to change, as the consumer price index impacted upon them. Of course, therefore, the costs will be altered according to the change in the CPI. I refer to the other part of the question. The Leader of the Opposition is wrong. The Leader of the Opposition reminds me of that silly Ghanaian boxer who stood up against Kostya Tszyu. The Leader of the Opposition keeps sticking up his head on these issues and keeps getting it wrong. We have a Government now that is honest about the finances of this State. We do not try to conceal budget deficits. We do not try to conceal the fact, when we talk about forward projections, that all of the elements are included in them and not some half-funded elements that are reliant on a decision later to fund the other half. That was the sort of financial transparency we had with the previous Government. The Minister for Planning and Infrastructure was absolutely up front and clear about the price of the rail project. It was costed in 1998 values and has now been altered as a result of the escalation that has occurred. In answer to the question about the delivery of this rail system, I ask every member in the House today how many extra centimetres of rail were created under the previous coalition Government. Zero! An amount of $188.5 million has been allocated in this budget to continue the work on this project that will happen under our Government. We have also signed the railcar contracts. The southern rail project is on the way under a Labor Government. Members opposite have not told the people of Western Australia that their so-called Kenwick option had many unanswered questions. It had as many unanswered questions as relate to the St Kilda Football Club’s back line today. Opposition members did not tell the people of Western Australia that all sorts of issues relating to the Kenwick option had not been settled. The railway will be built straight down the freeway to create a proper system. When the time comes for the next election, work on this project will be under way. The deadline of December 2006 for services to Waikiki has been announced. We have said that there will be a one-year delay in the line to Mandurah. This is about the proper management of the rail project within the total context of the budget. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Dr GALLOP: We will deliver on rail in Western Australia. The people of Western Australia know the record of the Opposition. It closed the Fremantle to Perth line; Labor later reopened it. It opposed the northern suburbs rail; Labor delivered it. It said that it would create a railway line to the southern suburbs, but it did not produce one centimetre of track. We have delivered on the railcar contract and have allocated $188 million to this project. If the people of the southern suburbs want a rail line, they should do what they did at the last election - turn to Labor, because we will deliver it.
I refer to the other part of the question. The Leader of the Opposition is wrong. The Leader of the Opposition reminds me of that silly Ghanaian boxer who stood up against Kostya Tszyu. The Leader of the Opposition keeps sticking up his head on these issues and keeps getting it wrong. We have a Government now that is honest about the finances of this State. We do not try to conceal budget deficits. We do not try to conceal the fact, when we talk about forward projections, that all of the elements are included in them and not some half-funded elements that are reliant on a decision later to fund the other half. That was the sort of financial transparency we had with the previous Government. The Minister for Planning and Infrastructure was absolutely up front and clear about the price of the rail project. It was costed in 1998 values and has now been altered as a result of the escalation that has occurred. In answer to the question about the delivery of this rail system, I ask every member in the House today how many extra centimetres of rail were created under the previous coalition Government. Zero! An amount of $188.5 million has been allocated in this budget to continue the work on this project that will happen under our Government. We have also signed the railcar contracts. The southern rail project is on the way under a Labor Government. Members opposite have not told the people of Western Australia that their so-called Kenwick option had many unanswered questions. It had as many unanswered questions as relate to the St Kilda Football Club’s back line today. Opposition members did not tell the people of Western Australia that all sorts of issues relating to the Kenwick option had not been settled. The railway will be built straight down the freeway to create a proper system. When the time comes for the next election, work on this project will be under way. The deadline of December 2006 for services to Waikiki has been announced. We have said that there will be a one-year delay in the line to Mandurah. This is about the proper management of the rail project within the total context of the budget. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Dr GALLOP: We will deliver on rail in Western Australia. The people of Western Australia know the record of the Opposition. It closed the Fremantle to Perth line; Labor later reopened it. It opposed the northern suburbs rail; Labor delivered it. It said that it would create a railway line to the southern suburbs, but it did not produce one centimetre of track. We have delivered on the railcar contract and have allocated $188 million to this project. If the people of the southern suburbs want a rail line, they should do what they did at the last election - turn to Labor, because we will deliver it.
The Minister for Planning and Infrastructure was absolutely up front and clear about the price of the rail project. It was costed in 1998 values and has now been altered as a result of the escalation that has occurred. In answer to the question about the delivery of this rail system, I ask every member in the House today how many extra centimetres of rail were created under the previous coalition Government. Zero! An amount of $188.5 million has been allocated in this budget to continue the work on this project that will happen under our Government. We have also signed the railcar contracts. The southern rail project is on the way under a Labor Government. Members opposite have not told the people of Western Australia that their so-called Kenwick option had many unanswered questions. It had as many unanswered questions as relate to the St Kilda Football Club’s back line today. Opposition members did not tell the people of Western Australia that all sorts of issues relating to the Kenwick option had not been settled. The railway will be built straight down the freeway to create a proper system. When the time comes for the next election, work on this project will be under way. The deadline of December 2006 for services to Waikiki has been announced. We have said that there will be a one-year delay in the line to Mandurah. This is about the proper management of the rail project within the total context of the budget. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Dr GALLOP: We will deliver on rail in Western Australia. The people of Western Australia know the record of the Opposition. It closed the Fremantle to Perth line; Labor later reopened it. It opposed the northern suburbs rail; Labor delivered it. It said that it would create a railway line to the southern suburbs, but it did not produce one centimetre of track. We have delivered on the railcar contract and have allocated $188 million to this project. If the people of the southern suburbs want a rail line, they should do what they did at the last election - turn to Labor, because we will deliver it.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Dr GALLOP: We will deliver on rail in Western Australia. The people of Western Australia know the record of the Opposition. It closed the Fremantle to Perth line; Labor later reopened it. It opposed the northern suburbs rail; Labor delivered it. It said that it would create a railway line to the southern suburbs, but it did not produce one centimetre of track. We have delivered on the railcar contract and have allocated $188 million to this project. If the people of the southern suburbs want a rail line, they should do what they did at the last election - turn to Labor, because we will deliver it.
The SPEAKER: Members! Dr GALLOP: We will deliver on rail in Western Australia. The people of Western Australia know the record of the Opposition. It closed the Fremantle to Perth line; Labor later reopened it. It opposed the northern suburbs rail; Labor delivered it. It said that it would create a railway line to the southern suburbs, but it did not produce one centimetre of track. We have delivered on the railcar contract and have allocated $188 million to this project. If the people of the southern suburbs want a rail line, they should do what they did at the last election - turn to Labor, because we will deliver it.
Dr GALLOP: We will deliver on rail in Western Australia. The people of Western Australia know the record of the Opposition. It closed the Fremantle to Perth line; Labor later reopened it. It opposed the northern suburbs rail; Labor delivered it. It said that it would create a railway line to the southern suburbs, but it did not produce one centimetre of track. We have delivered on the railcar contract and have allocated $188 million to this project. If the people of the southern suburbs want a rail line, they should do what they did at the last election - turn to Labor, because we will deliver it.
Dr GALLOP replied: It was clear in the original master plan for the rail project that the valuation of the project was in 1998 values and that those values would have to change, as the consumer price index impacted upon them. Of course, therefore, the costs will be altered according to the change in the CPI. I refer to the other part of the question. The Leader of the Opposition is wrong. The Leader of the Opposition reminds me of that silly Ghanaian boxer who stood up against Kostya Tszyu. The Leader of the Opposition keeps sticking up his head on these issues and keeps getting it wrong. We have a Government now that is honest about the finances of this State. We do not try to conceal budget deficits. We do not try to conceal the fact, when we talk about forward projections, that all of the elements are included in them and not some half-funded elements that are reliant on a decision later to fund the other half. That was the sort of financial transparency we had with the previous Government. The Minister for Planning and Infrastructure was absolutely up front and clear about the price of the rail project. It was costed in 1998 values and has now been altered as a result of the escalation that has occurred. In answer to the question about the delivery of this rail system, I ask every member in the House today how many extra centimetres of rail were created under the previous coalition Government. Zero! An amount of $188.5 million has been allocated in this budget to continue the work on this project that will happen under our Government. We have also signed the railcar contracts. The southern rail project is on the way under a Labor Government. Members opposite have not told the people of Western Australia that their so-called Kenwick option had many unanswered questions. It had as many unanswered questions as relate to the St Kilda Football Club’s back line today. Opposition members did not tell the people of Western Australia that all sorts of issues relating to the Kenwick option had not been settled. The railway will be built straight down the freeway to create a proper system. When the time comes for the next election, work on this project will be under way. The deadline of December 2006 for services to Waikiki has been announced. We have said that there will be a one-year delay in the line to Mandurah. This is about the proper management of the rail project within the total context of the budget. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Dr GALLOP: We will deliver on rail in Western Australia. The people of Western Australia know the record of the Opposition. It closed the Fremantle to Perth line; Labor later reopened it. It opposed the northern suburbs rail; Labor delivered it. It said that it would create a railway line to the southern suburbs, but it did not produce one centimetre of track. We have delivered on the railcar contract and have allocated $188 million to this project. If the people of the southern suburbs want a rail line, they should do what they did at the last election - turn to Labor, because we will deliver it.
It was clear in the original master plan for the rail project that the valuation of the project was in 1998 values and that those values would have to change, as the consumer price index impacted upon them. Of course, therefore, the costs will be altered according to the change in the CPI. I refer to the other part of the question. The Leader of the Opposition is wrong. The Leader of the Opposition reminds me of that silly Ghanaian boxer who stood up against Kostya Tszyu. The Leader of the Opposition keeps sticking up his head on these issues and keeps getting it wrong. We have a Government now that is honest about the finances of this State. We do not try to conceal budget deficits. We do not try to conceal the fact, when we talk about forward projections, that all of the elements are included in them and not some half-funded elements that are reliant on a decision later to fund the other half. That was the sort of financial transparency we had with the previous Government. The Minister for Planning and Infrastructure was absolutely up front and clear about the price of the rail project. It was costed in 1998 values and has now been altered as a result of the escalation that has occurred. In answer to the question about the delivery of this rail system, I ask every member in the House today how many extra centimetres of rail were created under the previous coalition Government. Zero! An amount of $188.5 million has been allocated in this budget to continue the work on this project that will happen under our Government. We have also signed the railcar contracts. The southern rail project is on the way under a Labor Government. Members opposite have not told the people of Western Australia that their so-called Kenwick option had many unanswered questions. It had as many unanswered questions as relate to the St Kilda Football Club’s back line today. Opposition members did not tell the people of Western Australia that all sorts of issues relating to the Kenwick option had not been settled. The railway will be built straight down the freeway to create a proper system. When the time comes for the next election, work on this project will be under way. The deadline of December 2006 for services to Waikiki has been announced. We have said that there will be a one-year delay in the line to Mandurah. This is about the proper management of the rail project within the total context of the budget. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Dr GALLOP: We will deliver on rail in Western Australia. The people of Western Australia know the record of the Opposition. It closed the Fremantle to Perth line; Labor later reopened it. It opposed the northern suburbs rail; Labor delivered it. It said that it would create a railway line to the southern suburbs, but it did not produce one centimetre of track. We have delivered on the railcar contract and have allocated $188 million to this project. If the people of the southern suburbs want a rail line, they should do what they did at the last election - turn to Labor, because we will deliver it.
I refer to the other part of the question. The Leader of the Opposition is wrong. The Leader of the Opposition reminds me of that silly Ghanaian boxer who stood up against Kostya Tszyu. The Leader of the Opposition keeps sticking up his head on these issues and keeps getting it wrong. We have a Government now that is honest about the finances of this State. We do not try to conceal budget deficits. We do not try to conceal the fact, when we talk about forward projections, that all of the elements are included in them and not some half-funded elements that are reliant on a decision later to fund the other half. That was the sort of financial transparency we had with the previous Government. The Minister for Planning and Infrastructure was absolutely up front and clear about the price of the rail project. It was costed in 1998 values and has now been altered as a result of the escalation that has occurred. In answer to the question about the delivery of this rail system, I ask every member in the House today how many extra centimetres of rail were created under the previous coalition Government. Zero! An amount of $188.5 million has been allocated in this budget to continue the work on this project that will happen under our Government. We have also signed the railcar contracts. The southern rail project is on the way under a Labor Government. Members opposite have not told the people of Western Australia that their so-called Kenwick option had many unanswered questions. It had as many unanswered questions as relate to the St Kilda Football Club’s back line today. Opposition members did not tell the people of Western Australia that all sorts of issues relating to the Kenwick option had not been settled. The railway will be built straight down the freeway to create a proper system. When the time comes for the next election, work on this project will be under way. The deadline of December 2006 for services to Waikiki has been announced. We have said that there will be a one-year delay in the line to Mandurah. This is about the proper management of the rail project within the total context of the budget. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Dr GALLOP: We will deliver on rail in Western Australia. The people of Western Australia know the record of the Opposition. It closed the Fremantle to Perth line; Labor later reopened it. It opposed the northern suburbs rail; Labor delivered it. It said that it would create a railway line to the southern suburbs, but it did not produce one centimetre of track. We have delivered on the railcar contract and have allocated $188 million to this project. If the people of the southern suburbs want a rail line, they should do what they did at the last election - turn to Labor, because we will deliver it.
The Minister for Planning and Infrastructure was absolutely up front and clear about the price of the rail project. It was costed in 1998 values and has now been altered as a result of the escalation that has occurred. In answer to the question about the delivery of this rail system, I ask every member in the House today how many extra centimetres of rail were created under the previous coalition Government. Zero! An amount of $188.5 million has been allocated in this budget to continue the work on this project that will happen under our Government. We have also signed the railcar contracts. The southern rail project is on the way under a Labor Government. Members opposite have not told the people of Western Australia that their so-called Kenwick option had many unanswered questions. It had as many unanswered questions as relate to the St Kilda Football Club’s back line today. Opposition members did not tell the people of Western Australia that all sorts of issues relating to the Kenwick option had not been settled. The railway will be built straight down the freeway to create a proper system. When the time comes for the next election, work on this project will be under way. The deadline of December 2006 for services to Waikiki has been announced. We have said that there will be a one-year delay in the line to Mandurah. This is about the proper management of the rail project within the total context of the budget. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Dr GALLOP: We will deliver on rail in Western Australia. The people of Western Australia know the record of the Opposition. It closed the Fremantle to Perth line; Labor later reopened it. It opposed the northern suburbs rail; Labor delivered it. It said that it would create a railway line to the southern suburbs, but it did not produce one centimetre of track. We have delivered on the railcar contract and have allocated $188 million to this project. If the people of the southern suburbs want a rail line, they should do what they did at the last election - turn to Labor, because we will deliver it.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Members! Dr GALLOP: We will deliver on rail in Western Australia. The people of Western Australia know the record of the Opposition. It closed the Fremantle to Perth line; Labor later reopened it. It opposed the northern suburbs rail; Labor delivered it. It said that it would create a railway line to the southern suburbs, but it did not produce one centimetre of track. We have delivered on the railcar contract and have allocated $188 million to this project. If the people of the southern suburbs want a rail line, they should do what they did at the last election - turn to Labor, because we will deliver it.
The SPEAKER: Members! Dr GALLOP: We will deliver on rail in Western Australia. The people of Western Australia know the record of the Opposition. It closed the Fremantle to Perth line; Labor later reopened it. It opposed the northern suburbs rail; Labor delivered it. It said that it would create a railway line to the southern suburbs, but it did not produce one centimetre of track. We have delivered on the railcar contract and have allocated $188 million to this project. If the people of the southern suburbs want a rail line, they should do what they did at the last election - turn to Labor, because we will deliver it.
Dr GALLOP: We will deliver on rail in Western Australia. The people of Western Australia know the record of the Opposition. It closed the Fremantle to Perth line; Labor later reopened it. It opposed the northern suburbs rail; Labor delivered it. It said that it would create a railway line to the southern suburbs, but it did not produce one centimetre of track. We have delivered on the railcar contract and have allocated $188 million to this project. If the people of the southern suburbs want a rail line, they should do what they did at the last election - turn to Labor, because we will deliver it.
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